Do you know who is the Saint with the most miracles?
Well….just do a little research & here you go…
SAINT CHARBEL our Lebanese Saint 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. He has over 26,000 miracles attributed to his intercession since his death in 1898.
Youssef Antoun Makhouf was born on May 8, 1828 in the village of Bkaakafra North of Lebanon. He was one of five children & was raised in a Christian family surrounded by Christian faith. He was inclined to hermit kind of life following the path of his hermit uncles.
Villagers in Bkaakafra called him the Saint for his piety, his unwavering faith in Christ & his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Early in his life, he desired to become a monk so in 1851 he left his family & went to the Monastery of our Lady of Mayfouq. Later on, he was transferred to the Monastery of Saint Maron in the village of Aanaya where he received his habit & took the religious name Charbel, after the 2nd century Christian Martyr of Antioch.
Charbel took his religious vows of obediance, poverty & chastity on November 1, 1853 at Saint Maron’s Monastery.
He completed philosophy & theological studies at the Monastery of Saints Cyprian & Justina in Kfifan. Among his professors was Saint Neemtallah Kassab who was himself later declared a Saint.
Saint Charbel was ordained a priest on July 23, 1859 in Bkerke.
He formally requested to become a hermit after spending 16 years as a monk in the community of the Monastery in Aanaya.
One night, Priest Charbel asked the servant to fill the lamp with oil but instead of oil he filled it with water. But the lamp gave light though filled only with water . The miracle of the lamp convinced Saint Charbel’s superiors that his request was truly of divine origin.
On February 15, 1875, Saint Charbel moved definitely to the Hermitage of Saints Peter & Paul affiliated with the Monastery of Saint Maron in Aanaya where he consecrated himself to a life of prayer, worship & manual labor. He lived a life of severe asceticism.
After spending 23 years in the hermitage, on December 16, 1898, during the Holy Ceremony, Saint Charbel was struck by hemiplegia.
He spent 8 days enduring terrible pains silently, calmly repeating the prayers which he could not finish during the Mass “Father of righteousness, here is your Son a pleasing sacrifice…” as well as the names of Jesus & Mary, St Joseph & Peter & Paul the patron Saints of the hermit. Saint Charbel went to eternal rest at the age of 70 on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1898.
Several months after his burial, light shone from his tomb.
In 1950 & 1952, upon the approval of the church authorities, Saint Charbel’s body was exhumed & was found to be incorruptible & further examination showed that his body transpired blood & water like any living organism.
Following that. people flocked to the Monastery of Saint Maron in Aanaya soliciting his intercession. Physical & spiritual healings were reported.
Saint Charbel was beatified on January 5, 1965 by Pope Paul VI.
He was the only person to be beatified at the end of the Second Vatican Counsil.
On October 9, 1977 Saint Charbel was canonized by also Pople Paul VI.
At the time, Bishop Francis Zayek, wrote, “St. Charbel is called the second St. Anthony of the Desert, the Perfume of Lebanon, the first Confessor of the East to be raised to the Altars according to the actual procedure of the Catholic Church, the honor of our Aramaic Antiochian Church, and the model of spiritual values and renewal. Charbel is like a Cedar of Lebanon, standing in eternal prayer, on top of a mountain.”
Numerous healings & miracles are attributed to his intercession.
Saint Charbel’s miracles surpassed the boarders of Lebanon to all over the world.
Aanaya is our blessed place where pilgrims come from all over the world to visit our Lebanese Saint, asking for his intercession, thanking him & feeling His presence everywhere.
Here is the one novena (usually prayed for nine consecutive days) to St. Charbel that many turn to in their 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 favors, grant us … [Mention your intention here] through his intercession. Amen.
Saint Charbel pray for us! 🙏🏻
With all reverence,
Maja ❤️
Majatraveling 