
CHARBEL, Saint from Lebanon
Lebanese Origin, Oriental Passion, Universal Amplitude.
In the depths of his inner life one can see the pure spirituality of the Eastern Church in its hermitic essence.
We can say that ultimately, St Charbel was born in the heart of God and so he lived solely for Him: he enriched himself with nothing etcept that Poverty which we discover when we stand bdore the face of God; he Possessed nothing but his own lack and •weakness and his gaze was fixed solely towards the eyes of God. The secret of his sanctity arises from the secret of his lovefor God who is the source of all the love in his heart. Dwelling in the heart of God, Charbel also dwells in the human heart in order to bring it to God. Charbel today is a heavenly citizen who journeys throughout the world in order to draw mankind to the source of love and life. By his intercession, many souls have been converted and countless bodies have been healed. So many tears have been wzped away and sicknesses have been healed, and every Pain has been replaced by joy and comfort. HIS miracles have been witnessed in all the seven continents of the world, and he hasfoundfor himself a home in almost every nation of the world. And yet his own country, Lebanon, this tiny nation became the center of attraction aud pilgrimagefor the entire world. Below is a summary of his life which though on the surface looks simple, it hides deep below the surface a treasure of spiritual wealth. There is also a list introducing the Places where he lived and the extraordinary miracles which God performed through his intercession.
The Birth of Saint Charbel
On the 8th of May, 1828, Toussef Antoun Makhloufwas born in
Bkaakqfra (North Lebanon) from Maronite Parents, Antoun Zaarour Makhlouf and Brigitta Chidiac. He was the youngest of his four siblings John, Bechara, Kawn, and Wardeh. Youssef's Christian faith made him devoted to a life ofprayer since his childhood. His interest in monastic life was apparent even in his youth, as young Youssef would go with his Parents to •visit his uncles who were monks in the monastery of St Anthony the Great in Kozhaya.
On August 8, 1831, hisfather died while on his way back home after being taken intoforced [abor by the iwvaders ofMount Lebanon at the time. roussef was raised by his mother who later on married Lahoud Ibrahim, who would go ou to become a priest, a Practice which has always been accepted in the Maronite church and in all the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Youssef went to Primary school in his hometown where he studied Arabic and Syriac. As a young child, he was a good examplefor hisfellowfriends as he was commonly called "Saint" because of his humble nature and piety. uper herding during the day, he would go to a grotto to kneel in prayer in front of an Icon of the Virgin Mary. It would become his altar and his first hermitage, and later a chapelfor prayer and Pilgrimage for the faithful,
In 1851, Youssef Iffi his family and headed to the monastery of
Our Lady of Maffouk in order to become a monk, spending his
Jfrstyear of novitiate there and then in St Maroun's monastery in Annaya the following year, joining the monks of the Lebanese Maronite Order. He changed his birth name and chose the name Charbel after one of the martyrs of the second century in the Church QfAntioch. On November lot, 1853, he took his monastic vows of obedience, chastity and Poverty in that same monastery.
His theological studies took Place in the Monastery Saints Cyprian and Justina, in the town of KJffan-Batroun, under the care of his teacher, St Nehemtallah Kassab El-Hardini, who was himself an example of holinessfor the monks and now one of our most beloved Saints.
Brother Charbel Makhlouf was ordained on July 23, 1850 in Bkerki by Bishop Youssef El-Marid, Vicar of' the Maronite Patriarch
Joining the Lebanese Maronite Order (OLM)

His Life in Saint Maroun's
Monastery - Annaya and in the Hermitage
St Maroun's Monastery, Annaya aus Father Charbel's home for sixteen years.
He zeas much dedicated to monastic life and obedient to his superiors, but his distinct steadfastness motivated him to live in strict austerity and mortification, Denouncing all worldly materials in this earthly life, Father Charbel believed this was the way to serve his Lord and gain salvationfor his soul.
1875 was the year God inspired Father Charbel to live in the hermitage of Sts
Peter and Paul (which belongs to St Maroun's Monastery, Annaya), despite the rarity of the superiors allowing one to live in seclusion in the hermitage. While the father superior was hesitant, he received a sign from heaven, a miracle which has come to be known as 'the miracle of the lamp'. One night, Father Charbel asked one of the servants tofill his lamp with oil, but instead of oil he filled it with •water Despite this the lamp still lit up and gave light.
This miracle opened the/oodgates ofthe miracles that up until this day shower down from God through his intercession. The impor— tance of this miracle is that it paved the wayfor his acceptance into the hermitage, his desired secluded home.
On February 15, 1875, Father Charbel moved definitively to the hermitage, spending his time in silence, Prayer, worship, and manual labor in the fields. He never left the hermitage without Permission from his superior. He followed the path of the hermit fathers, kneeling before the Eucharist* whispering to it, as itfilled his very being throughout those nights spent in prayer and meditation.
He spent 29 years in the hermitage dedicating himself to the service of his Lord and applying the rules of hermits with precision and complete awareness,
While celebrating Mass on December 16, 1898, Father Charbel was struck by hemiplegia and entered in a duel with the illness which continued for eight days, during which he endured the terrible pains of his struggle with death. Although he strove to finish the Mass, the pain was too muchfor him, and while holding the Eucharist during the elevation, he was struck with severe pain once more and was forced to end the Mass then and there. The Mass did not end. In spite of the severe pain he experienced over the course of his struggle, he endured it calmly and silently. In his struggle, Father Charbel continued the prayers which he left ueftnished in the Mass: "Father of Truth, here is Your son a sacrifice pleasing to you!" He would also make petition and repeat the names of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, as well as Sts Peter and Paul, the Patron Saints of the hermitage
At the end of this illness, the spirit Charbel was released and returned once more to the dwelling of the Lord, like a drop of morning dew which returns to the wider ocean. This was Decem— ber 24, 1898, on Christmas Eve. He was laid in the burial St Maroun's Monastery, Annaya.
The Mysterious Light radiating from his Tomb After his death, spiritual lights radiated from his tomb; this was coupled with the miraculous case of his corpse which was perspiring sweat and blood. It was tranyerred into a special co#n, (fier the Permission ofthe Maronitepatriarchate, and he wasPlaced in a new tomb inside the monastery. From that time Pilgrims haveflocked to the tomb seeking his intercession. God has blessed many of' these through healings and by endmving them with other spiritual blessings.
What we can noticefrom the manner Q/his death, and the miraculous events after his death, is a reflection of the death and resurrection Jesus Christ. St Charbel's monastic andpriestly life were centered on the event Christ's act of salvation for us. The Mass, the real offering of Christ's sacrifice in the Eucharist, was lived in a real and mystic way by this great mystic who while offering the sacrifice Christ did offer himself up in sacrifice in likeness to Christ, and likewise did surer and die. I-lotuever, like Christ, his death also brought about a new manner of lifefor St Charbel. The light shone from his tomb reject the light ofEaster Sunday and the life-like body rdected the risen body of Jesus Christ. In him, the words of St Paul have beenfulfilled: "if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united With him in a resurrection like his" (Rom. 6:5).
In the year 1925, a Petition to canonize him and declare his sanctity, along with Father Nehemtallah Kassab El-Hardidni and Sister Rafca El-Rayess, was raised to his Holiness Pope Pius X], by the Superior General ofthe OLM Father lghuatious Dagher Tannoury, and his Vicar, Father Martinous Tarøbay. Thispetition was accepted in the year 1927. In 1950, the grave ofSt Charbel was opened in the presence of the Official Committeefor his cause as well as certified doctors. They •verified the wholeness of the corpse writing a medical report, placing it in a bar inside the coffin.
All of a sudden, the healings greatly increased in number and in an amazing way. Tens of thousands ofPilgrims, both of Christianfaith and of many different sects and rites/ocked to the tnonastery of St Maroun, Annaya, seeking the intercession of the Saint.

Canonization and Declaration of the Sanctity of Father Charbel and the Healings fulfilled through his Intercession
In theyear 1954, Pope Pius XII signed a decree accepting the request to canonize the Hermit Charbel Ma/ih101{f.
On December 5, 1965, Pope Paul VI celebmted the beatification Mass of Father Charbel at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council.
In the year 1975, Pope Paul VI accepted the miracle which led to Father Charbel's canonization. He was canonized on Oct. 9, 1977. From the numerous miracles which took place through the intercession ofthe man of God, the Church chose two to declare his beatification, and a third to declare his canonization:
A — Healing ofSister Mary Abel Kamary
A nun ofthe sisters ?fthe Sacred Hearts; she had an ulcer and underwent severe Painfor 14 years followed by two surgeries. The Lord healed her by a miracle through St Charbel's intercession on July 12, 1950 in Annaya, as she was lying beside his grave
2- Healing Iskandar Naoum Obeidfrom Baabdat
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— Healing ofIskandar Naoum Obeidfrom Baabdat
I-le lost sight in one his eyes in 1937 and the doctors recommended he remove it to maintain thefunction ofhis other eye. HePrayed to St Charbel and he regained his sight (fier he visited the tomb of the Saint in Annaya in 1950.
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— Healing ofMariam Awadfrom I-lammana
Mariam Awad was a Syrian woman living in Lebanon. She discovered that she had stomach cancer spreading to her intestines and throat. Operations in 1963 and 1965 proved to be of no help, and there was no hopepr any cure. She was dischargedfrom the hospital and told to go home to spend herfinal days there. Mariam began to call on St Charbel's assistance. One night in 1967, before going to sleep, she prayed to St Charbel to be healed through his intercession. In the morning all her symptoms had disaneared, Her doctors were amazed to see Mariam moving about unaided. Detailed tests cowfrmed that she had been cured inexplicably.
The prevailing of Virtues and Miracles of Saint Charbel worldwide
Saint Charbel's miracles surpassed the borders ofLebanon, and the letters and reports kept in St Maroun's Monastery, Annaya are clear evidence of the widespread impact ofhis sanctity all over the •zvorld, This unique phenomenon has brought about a return to traditional morals, a return tofaith, and a revival of virtues in theøeoftle's daily lives. St Charbel's tomb is the center of attraction to all people of different social classes and ages where all are made equal before him through their Prayers and piety. There is also no distinction made between religion, rite, or sect. For him, they are all called the children r God.
But the healings registered in the records St Maroun's Monastery, Annayø achieved by God through the intercession of St Charbel, are in the tens of thousands not counting the healings that hawe taken place worldwide Which are not registered in the monastery's records.
Ten Percent Q/ the healings occur to those who are not even been baptized. The miracles and healings occur in drerent ways, either by prayer, or by means Q/' oil and incense, even by means of the leaves from the oak tree located at the hermitage, orfrom the soil takenfrom his initial burialplace, but mostly by visiting his tomb and by simply touchingglass which separates the believersfum his tomb, or through prayer before an icon or statue Q/St Charbel.
These healings were experiencedPhysically, but the most important is the spiritual healing that takes place as a result, witnessed through the countless who have repented and returned to God by means ofhis intercession. These countless people aho repent come back to God by visiting the tomb ofthe Saint, or the hermitage of Sts Peter and Paul, in order to give thanks to God and to St Charbelfor such a blessing.