St. Sharbel Makhlouf

Their story

Youssef Makhlouf was born in 1828 in a mountain village in northern Lebanon, into a poor Maronite Catholic family. His father died when he was three, and he was raised by his mother and an uncle. As a boy he tended the family's animals and loved to pray in a small cave near his village. At 23 Youssef secretly left home to join a Maronite monastery, taking the name Sharbel after an early martyr. He studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1859. For sixteen years he lived as a monk at the monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, known for his obedience, humility and devotion to the Eucharist. Then, in 1875, he received permission to live as a hermit in a small hermitage near the monastery. For the next 23 years he lived there in silence, prayer and hard work, eating one simple meal a day and celebrating Mass with great reverence. In December 1898, while celebrating Mass, Sharbel suffered a stroke. He died on Christmas Eve. Soon after his burial, people reported a bright light around his tomb, and when it was opened, his body was found incorrupt. Many healings have been attributed to his prayers, and pilgrims of every faith come to his tomb. Pope St. Paul VI canonized him in 1977. He is one of the most beloved saints of Lebanon and the Middle East.