“God knows our whole being. Those who ask for His grace with confidence will not be disappointed. Ask Him to give you all you need.”
Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born on May 8, 1828, in Bekaa Kafra, small mountain village in Lebanon. He was the 5th child in a poor, devout family.
His father died when he was 3 as he was returning after mandatory enlistment with the Turkish Army.
He had 2 uncles living as monks in the monastery of Saint Anthony of Kozhayah and were a source of inspiration for him.
He as very pious, so much so that this fellow villagers used to call him “the Saint.” Daily he would take his small herd into the fields where he would let them graze while he went to a nearby grotto for deep prayer in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother.
His mother wanted him to marry but instead, at the age of 23, he left his family without notifying anyone to start his novitiate in the monastery of Mayfouk. He chose the name of “Charbel” in the honor of a 2nd century martyr. His teacher was Saint Nemtallah Kassab El-Hardin and at the age of 31 he was ordained a priest of the Lebanese Maronite Order.
For 16 years he prayed and worked in the fields of the Annaya Monastery. He was obedient, faithful, and lived a life of sacrifice under strict conditions.
His superiors observed God’s miracles at work in his life, and he became known as a wonder-worker even amongst the Muslims of the area.
At the age of 47, he was granted permission to live as a solitary monk in a nearby hermitage dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.
Rigorous asceticism and deep devotion to God’s Eucharistic presence continued to characterize the next 23 years of his life. He suffered a stroke while performing Mass on December 16, 1898 and died on Christmas Eve.
His tomb in the Saint Maron Monastery cemetery in Annaya has been a site for pilgrimages since, with hundreds of miracles reported, including dazzling lights around the grave shortly after his burial.
He is the patron saint of Lebanon.
His feast day is July 24.
For God’s Glory.
The Novena to Saint Charbel, usually prayed for 9 consecutive days, that many turn to in a time of need:
Lord, infinitely Holy and Glorified in Your Saints,
You have inspired Charbel, the saint monk,
to lead the perfect life of a hermit.
We thank You for granting him the blessing
and the strength to detach himself from the world
so that the heroism of the monastic virtues of poverty,
obedience, and chastity,
could triumph in his hermitage.
We beseech You to grant us
the grace of loving and serving You,
following his example.
Almighty God, Who has manifested
the power of St. Charbel’s intercession
through his countless miracles and favours,
grant us …
[Mention your intention here]
through his intercession.
Amen.
