Raymond Nader's Visit to Poland, June 2023

Mr. Raymond Nader, president of the Family of Saint Sharbel, visited Poland for the fourth time between June 4th and 15th, 2023. The visit included tours to various parishes.  There, after the Divine Liturgy, Mr. Nader spoke about Saint Sharbel, his mystical experience with him, and the Family of Saint Sharbel.  Afterwards, the parishioners were blessed with Saint Sharbel's oil. The dense attendance across various parishes was noteworthy.
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After these celebrations, Mr. Nader met with groups interested in establishing a Family of Saint Sharbel in their parishes, explaining to them the spiritual rules of Family of Saint Sharbel, how the meetings are conducted, and some of the qualifications that individuals interested in joining should possess. It is worth mentioning that the obligatory prayer of Saint Sharbel has become available in Polish, due to the previous establishment of Family of Saint Sharbel groups in several parishes in a previous period.

​This visit also included a Mass on June 14th at the Church of St. Carolina, presided over by the bishop of the archdiocese, where an altar of Saint Sharbel was consecrated and his relics were received and exposed.

The highlight of this visit was the issuance of a decree by the Council of Catholic Bishops of Poland accepting the establishment of the Family of Saint Sharbel in all archdioceses. The Archdiocese of Katowice had applied to the Council to establish a Family of Saint Sharbel group in the archdiocese, but the Council decided to approve it for all archdioceses.

Mr. Nader will continue his visits to Poland in May 2024, where he will tour new parishes in northern Poland in addition to participating in spiritual retreats with the members in charge of the newly established Family of Saint Sharbel groups.