Saint Sharbel, An Amazing Saint of Miracles

Rosemary Bogdan introduces a nineteenth-century saint who has numerous miracles attributed to his intercession.

You’ve never heard of Saint Sharbel Makhluf? Perhaps this day will hold a special blessing for you. Over 33,000 miracles through his intercession have been recorded at the Monastery of Saint Maron in Lebanon. Yes, 33,000. Three zeros. And there are doubtless thousands more in Lebanon and around the world that have not been reported.

Today, July 24th, is his feast day on the western liturgical calendar. On the Maronite calendar it is always the third Sunday in July. Saint Sharbel, born Youssef Antoun Maklouf, was a Lebanese priest, a Maronite Catholic. The Maronite rite is an Eastern Catholic rite in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and under the authority of the Pope.

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Saint Sharbel (whose name is sometimes spelled “Charbel”) was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977 who once described him as “an admirable flower of sanctity blooming on the stem of the ancient monastic traditions of the East.” He is the patron saint of those who suffer in body and soul. I’d say that includes everyone on Earth, so let’s all claim him as a patron!

Saint Sharbel is a very remarkable saint. He is less well known in the West, but let’s all hope and pray that quickly changes. Some say that more miracles have been documented through his intercession than any other saint besides the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph. Describing many of these miracles in his lecture on Saint Sharbel, Father Chris Alar says that Saint Sharbel is one of the “biggest power hitters in the history of the Church.” Indeed.

Numerous miracles were reported even during the saint’s lifetime. In the monastery where he lived Saint Sharbel asked a worker to refill the lamp he was using. The worker filled it with water. Incredibly, the lamp continued to give light and burned through the night, though it only contained water.

Rarely did anyone ever see Sharbel’s face. He was usually looking down from his monk’s hood. It is said that he only lifted his eyes to heaven.

He was known as the “saint inebriated with God.” He healed people of physical and spiritual afflictions and even cast out demons. As did Sister Lucia of Fatima, Saint Sharbel prophesied that the devil wants to destroy the family.

Father Antonios Mishimshany, his superior, said of Sharbel, “What God will perform after his death will be sufficient proof of his exemplary behavior in the observance of his vows, to a degree such that we can say that his obedience was angelic, not human.”

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Saint Sharbel is buried at the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaye, Lebanon where four million visitors, including both Christians and Muslims, come to honor him and make requests. Four million. On his feast day some of the monks have said that Communion is distributed to some 300,000 people.

In 1898, Sharbel died of a stroke. After his death, light was seen emanating from his body and later from his tomb. When his tomb was opened, he was found to be incorrupt. Sweat and blood exudes from his body, so the tomb had to be changed several times.

The miracles from Saint Sharbel’s intercession are increasing in number. It is said that in the past two years there have been more reported than in the past two decades. Most of the cures attributed to his intercession are from conditions described as incurable and malignant. Blindness and paralysis have been cured, as well.

Once, the saint’s statue moved and blessed the crowd.

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In 1993, Nohad Elshami, a 55-year-old mother of twelve, suffered from a partial paralysis. She dreamt of two Maronite priests at her bedside. She saw one operate on her. In the morning she had two wounds on her neck and the paralysis was gone. The following night, Saint Sharbel appeared to her in a dream. He said, “I cut you by the Power of God so they (the people) could see you, because people have strayed from praying, from attending church and from respecting the saints, and you cannot do anything to people! But whoever needs anything from me, I, Father Sharbel, am always present in the hermitage. I ask you to visit the hermitage on the 22nd of each month and the attend the Divine Liturgy, as long as you live.”

If the story seems a little far-fetched, you can see a photo of Nohad with the wounds on her neck on the Family of Saint Sharbel website.

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Saint Sharbel: some say more miracles have been documented through his intercession than any other saint besides the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph. #CatholicMom

There is a wealth of information available about this great saint. In this article I used details from these websites, which I urge you to visit:

In his lifetime, Saint Sharbel performed many acts of penance so that the world would return to God. May the world be converted by the evidence of the many miracles resulting from his intercession from heaven.

Saint Sharbel, pray for us!

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