The Handprint from Heaven: Raymond Nader’s Encounter with St. Charbel
By Lloyd Butelho, Papdy (Vasai)
Published in The Examiner Jul. 18-24, 2026 Edition
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What if a third-degree burn appeared to heal within days, left no scar, and was said to return again and again? That is what Lebanese engineer Raymond Nader says happened to him on November 10, 1994.
Raymond had survived war, imprisonment, and military persecution. Searching for deeper meaning, he went one day to pray alone at St. Charbel’s Hermitage in Annaya, Lebanon. There, he later recounted experiencing what he described as “a sea of light that extended from one end of the universe to the other.” According to Nader, he also heard a voice saying, “I am the Love that you feel.” After returning to ordinary awareness and leaving the hermitage, Raymond noticed an intense warmth in his left arm. In his car, he rolled up his sleeve and saw what he described as the imprint of five fingers branded into his skin—“engraved like a hand...encircled by a red glare as if imprinted through fire.” Despite its appearance, he said he felt no pain, only warmth. |
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The mark was reportedly examined several times by Beirut plastic surgeon Dr. Nabil Hokayem, who is said to have described it as resembling a genuine third-degree burn in the shape of a handprint. According to Nader, the burn required no bandages, caused no pain, healed within days without leaving a scar, and later reappeared on several occasions. While these events have been widely reported in Catholic sources, they have not been independently verified through published medical studies.
Eight months later, on the eve of St. Charbel’s feast, Nader says he experienced another appearance of the saint. According to his testimony, as St. Charbel spoke interiorly to him, the fingerprints appeared once again.
Since then, Raymond Nader says that he has received 57 spiritual messages that he attributes to St. Charbel. Among them is the reflection: “People are taking care of the glass and forgetting about the light...Your glass must become transparent again.”
The Maronite Catholic Church has not issued a definitive judgment declaring Nader’s reported experiences to be supernatural. Nevertheless, his testimony has inspired thousands of pilgrims who now gather with the Family of Saint Charbel, often walking the same path to the hermitage in prayer and reflection.
Since his death in 1898, St. Charbel Makhlouf’s tomb in Annaya has become one of the world’s best-known Christian pilgrimage sites, attracting visitors seeking healing, consolation, and spiritual renewal.
Perhaps the most famous account is that of Nohad El Shami. On January 22, 1993, after years of paralysis, she reported dreaming of two monks. She later identified one as St. Charbel, who she said performed surgery on her neck while the other monk supported her head with a pillow. She awoke claiming she could walk again and found two surgical-like wounds on her neck. According to her testimony, St. Charbel told her, “I did the surgery to let people see and return to faith.” The Catholic Church has recognized her healing as one of the extraordinary events associated with St. Charbel’s intercession.
Oil blessed at St. Charbel’s tomb has since spread throughout the world. The shrine has recorded more than 30,000 testimonies of favours, healings, and other graces attributed to his intercession. While only a small number have undergone the formal investigations required for canonization, countless pilgrims continue to testify to remarkable recoveries and spiritual transformations through his prayers.
St. Charbel’s body was reported to have remained remarkably preserved for many years after his death, further strengthening devotion to him. By the time of his canonization, however, it had naturally decomposed and is no longer considered incorrupt.
At Annaya, many pilgrims believe heaven touches earth throught the witness of a humble hermit who preached more by silence than by words, dedicating his life to prayer, humility, and complete surrender to God.
The feast of St. Charbel is celebrated each year on July 24.
Eight months later, on the eve of St. Charbel’s feast, Nader says he experienced another appearance of the saint. According to his testimony, as St. Charbel spoke interiorly to him, the fingerprints appeared once again.
Since then, Raymond Nader says that he has received 57 spiritual messages that he attributes to St. Charbel. Among them is the reflection: “People are taking care of the glass and forgetting about the light...Your glass must become transparent again.”
The Maronite Catholic Church has not issued a definitive judgment declaring Nader’s reported experiences to be supernatural. Nevertheless, his testimony has inspired thousands of pilgrims who now gather with the Family of Saint Charbel, often walking the same path to the hermitage in prayer and reflection.
Since his death in 1898, St. Charbel Makhlouf’s tomb in Annaya has become one of the world’s best-known Christian pilgrimage sites, attracting visitors seeking healing, consolation, and spiritual renewal.
Perhaps the most famous account is that of Nohad El Shami. On January 22, 1993, after years of paralysis, she reported dreaming of two monks. She later identified one as St. Charbel, who she said performed surgery on her neck while the other monk supported her head with a pillow. She awoke claiming she could walk again and found two surgical-like wounds on her neck. According to her testimony, St. Charbel told her, “I did the surgery to let people see and return to faith.” The Catholic Church has recognized her healing as one of the extraordinary events associated with St. Charbel’s intercession.
Oil blessed at St. Charbel’s tomb has since spread throughout the world. The shrine has recorded more than 30,000 testimonies of favours, healings, and other graces attributed to his intercession. While only a small number have undergone the formal investigations required for canonization, countless pilgrims continue to testify to remarkable recoveries and spiritual transformations through his prayers.
St. Charbel’s body was reported to have remained remarkably preserved for many years after his death, further strengthening devotion to him. By the time of his canonization, however, it had naturally decomposed and is no longer considered incorrupt.
At Annaya, many pilgrims believe heaven touches earth throught the witness of a humble hermit who preached more by silence than by words, dedicating his life to prayer, humility, and complete surrender to God.
The feast of St. Charbel is celebrated each year on July 24.
