The Family of Saint Sharbel USA hosted, an inspirational talk by Mr. Raymond Nader, Founder and Superior of the Family of Saint Sharbel. The event was held remotely over Zoom on April 23, 2022. Below are excerpts from that talk.
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Family of Saint Sharbel Founder and Superior, Mr. Raymond Nader, was a guest on "Sarde After Dinner", a popular podcast produced in Lebanon. The podcast is in Arabic, with English subtitles for all to enjoy. Mr. Nader's episode was part of a series on spiritual topics, where he spoke in great detail about his encounters with St. Sharbel, which greatly influenced his life and understanding of God's message to us. Some of the topics discussed were: - The hard and isolated life of Saint Sharbel - Living alongside death during the Lebanese Civil War - Reconciling his past as a fighter with his present as a peacemaker - How to fix the transactional relationship with God - Science vs. Religion: reconciling the two - Who is the Creator? - How unconditional love will break the cycle of evil - Choice vs. Destiny: are our lives written for us? Mr. Nader's episode has had great success (close to 59.8K views so far), and we would like to invite you to watch it and share it within your circles. The Family of Saint Sharbel (FSS) in Nigeria continues its prayer meetings and gatherings on a regular basis, and participates actively in the spiritual activities of the parish
At times, after the regular prayer meetings, the members pay a visit to the sick offering spiritual support, and sharing some of St. Sharbel’s resources: prayer cards, holy oil, books... Occasionally, they may provide financial support for medication. Meetings-Visits And Gifts We join in prayer for the ministry of The Family of Saint Sharbel.
“Passion of our Lord” was the main theme of a retreat which a group from the Family of Saint Sharbel, USA, had attended with the Maronite Monks of Adoration at the Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Massachusetts from Thursday, March 17 to Sunday March 20, 2022. The monks, the group and some of the faithful, gathered on Saturday, with Br. Theophilus, to witness and celebrate his Profession of vows.
For over sixteen years, the Family of St. Sharbel has been able to extend its apostolic work to India by providing spiritual resources and devotional items to various parishes, missions, and individuals. Brother Lloyd Butello, the Family's national coordinator in India, has served as the hands and the feet—the extension—of the mission of the Family of St. Sharbel in India. Though there is currently no Family of St. Sharbel prayer group founded in India at this time, that hasn’t stopped the spirit of the Family of St. Sharbel from spreading there. For nearly twenty years, Lloyd has collaborated with the Family of St. Sharbel, USA to provide the faithful in India with resources, both spiritual and temporal. Most recently, during the month of October—World Mission Month—there was a collaborative effort to assist several projects, one of which ministered to the faithful of St. Peter’s Church, Koliwada.
Seeing the need in such difficult times, Sr. Janet reached out to the Family of St. Sharbel to supply the community with some devotional items including, Old Testament and New Testament Bibles in the local language, Rosaries, Scapulars, Medals, Holy Pictures, and other sacramentals. Sr. Janet has also been instrumental in spreading devotion to St. Sharbel to many sick and needy faithful. According to Lloyd, “These simple fisher folk, God fearing and devout people were so glad to receive these precious gifts…They had words of sincere gratitude for the Family of St. Sharbel and have assured their daily remembrance in prayers for their kind benefactors abroad.” Another missionary and collaborator is Fr. Gregory Butello, a Missionary of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS) and uncle of Lloyd. Fr. Gregory has been a missionary in India for over seventeen years and works among the poor, most of whom are not Catholic. Most recently, he was transferred to St. Anthony Church, Kalambist, a mission located in the Sindhudurg Diocese where he serves a humble community of 300 Catholics. Much of the faithful have moved to nearby cities like Pune and Mumbai to seek out a better lifestyle and living conditions, but Fr. Gregory, along with the other MSFS fathers, continue to provide pastoral care to the faithful there. Upon his request, the Family of St. Sharbel was able to supply them with religious materials and devotional items in addition to catering to some of the pastoral needs of the mission. In a recent correspondence detailing the fruits of the collaborative projects, Lloyd expresses his deep gratitude to the Family of St. Sharbel abroad: “Amid these trying times that the world is facing, we Catholics are called to be a beacon of hope and I am delighted to say that the Family of St. Sharbel is truly a beacon of hope. I hear with interest of all the various charitable projects back home and abroad, that this Family of God tries to take into hand and see to its fulfillment.
On behalf of the hundreds of lives in India that you have touched and have helped to come more closer to Jesus-A Big Thank You!” |
Publishing DepartmentThe Family of Saint Sharbel has established a new Publishing Department. More
ProjectsLearn about our ongoing projects to help introduce Saint Sharbel and the Maronite spirituality to the English speaking communities. Check out our YouTube Channels
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