On Saturday, July 12th, 2025, the Family of Saint Sharbel USA gathered with pilgrims at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Maryland, to celebrate the Feast of Saint Sharbel.

Following the Holy Mass, a solemn procession took place with a first-class relic of Saint Sharbel. The faithful were then invited to venerate the relic and receive individual blessings with Saint Sharbel’s holy oil, administered by Fr. Mariano.
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The celebration concluded with the distribution of prayer cards and traditional Lebanese sweets.

​On July 13, 2024, the Family of Saint Sharbel in the US celebrated the Feast of Saint Sharbel at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

​The event began with Eucharistic Adoration at 10:45 AM, followed by the Holy Mass at 12 PM, celebrated by Fr. Cesar (IVE) and Fr. Theodore Trinko (IVE), Chaplains at the Shrine, in St. Mary's Chapel. The celebration was attended by members of the local Lebanese community, other pilgrims of the National Shrine, and Mr. Raymond Nader, Founder and President of the Family of Saint Sharbel.

​After the Holy Mass, the priests led a procession with Saint Sharbel’s Relic ending with the blessing with & veneration of Saint Sharbel’s Relic. Fr. Cesar blessed the people individually with the holy oil of Saint Sharbel.

​After the ceremonies, sweets and prayer cards were offered to the pilgrims.

​At the end, Mr. Raymond Nader gave a talk about Saint Sharbel, the Family of Saint Sharbel in the world, and the “return of the evil spirits”.

​In this talk, Raymond Nader emphasizes the critical role of faith in the current world and highlights Saint Sharbel's miraculous works worldwide.  Mr. Nader also explores the concept of spiritual warfare, identifying three primary demons at battle against the Kingdom of God (Baal, Ashtar, and Molech) and points out contemporary signs of their influence.  He warns that as society distances itself from God, it leaves a spiritual void that makes humanity more susceptible to demonic influences.

According to Mr. Nader, Saint Sharbel’s miracles are divine messages urging humanity to return to God; Sharbel's work is a beacon of hope, reminding us of the power of God’s presence and the importance of living a life aligned with divine purpose.  Mr. Nader concludes with a call to action.

On the 23rd of July 2022, “The Family of Saint Sharbel” in the US celebrated the Feast of Saint Sharbel at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. 

At 12 PM, Fr. Cesar (IVE), Chaplain at the Shrine, celebrated the Holy Mass in St. Mary's Chapel. The Lebanese community in the area, as well as other pilgrims of the National Shrine, joined “The Family of Saint Sharbel” in this celebration.

After the Holy Mass, Fr. Cesar celebrated the veneration of and the blessing with St. Sharbel’s Relic. ​

At the end, Literature on Saint Sharbel were distributed to the faithful.

The Family of Saint Sharbel is pleased to share with you this talk on St. Sharbel, given by Father Chris Alar, MIC (Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M.), on July 23, 2022, for the Feast of St. Sharbel: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/videos/explaining-faith-st-charbel-saint-most-miracles-ever

The talk is part of Fr. Alar’s series “Explaining the Faith”, and is entitled “St. Charbel: The Saint with Most Miracles Ever?” In this episode, he gives an overview of St. Sharbel’s life, healing miracles, incorruptibility and more.

With more than 29,000 registered miracles, St. Sharbel is considered to have the most miracles out of the over 10,000 saints in the history of the Church, other than the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Click HERE to watch the talk on the Divine Mercy website. 

​As a monk she was known by the name Marinos. Although young, Marinos occupied himself with the practice of monastic virtues with utmost spirit and minuteness. He was silent and reticent with bowed head and eyes, making of his cowl a veil concealing the features of his face and eyes.
 
One day he was sent to a neighboring town on a mission for the Monastery. He was obliged to spend the night at the house of a friend of the monks named Paphnotius. Paphnotius had a young girl who had fallen into adultery and was found pregnant. Upon finding out, her father was enraged and demanded the name of the perpetrator. His daughter told him that Marinos the Monk had raped her the night he spent in their house. Her father went straight to the Monastery and told the Superior, who was surprised for he knew that Marinos is a pious and pure man.
 
The Superior called Marinos and scolded him, but Marinos said nothing to defend himself. Consequently, the Superior was very perplexed and considered Marinos’ silence to be an admission of guilt. He then sentenced Marinos to dismissal and to be thrown outside the Monastery. Marinos resigned himself to the will of God and stayed at the door of the Monastery praying and crying, living off the leftovers of the monks’ food. His father had long since died.
 
When the daughter delivered, the grandfather brought the child, a boy, to the Monastery and threw him to Marinos saying: “take and raise your son.”

Marinos took the boy and began raising him with what the monks used to bring to him of goat milk and of leftovers from their table. This situation lasted four years. Marinos carried the shame of this hideous accusation without any complaints. However, the Superior had compassion for him and let him enter the Monastery under very strict conditions. Marinos accepted while shedding the tears of repentance.
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Marinos persevered in his ascetic work until the hour of his death when the features of his face glowed with a heavenly light. He asked forgiveness from all and he forgave all those who sinned against him. He then gave up his spirit.
 
The Superior then ordered that his body be prepared for burial outside the Monastery. It was a great moment of astonishment when the monks found that Marinos was a woman and not a man. The Superior and the monks fell on their knees before the pure cadaver, asking God and the soul of the holy saint forgiveness.
 
As for the father of the sinful daughter, he was ashamed and came to make his statement before everyone. As for the daughter, she spent her life crying and repenting at the tomb of the saint.
 
The sanctity of Marina spread all over Lebanon, people from all its regions came to the Monastery of Qannoubine to be blessed by her body. Her tomb became a source of cures and graces." (Daher 1996: 189-190)
 
This account on the life, legend, and relics of Saint Marina the Monk tells us but little about her passion, suffering, and humiliation. The Maronites remain to this day fascinated by this Saint. Among them, there is almost a righteous anger against the injustice that was done to her. To this day, her name is intertwined with that of the Monastery of Qannoubine and her nearby grotto is a reminder of her chastity, obedience, asceticism, humility, forgiveness, and sainthood.