Saint Charbel Makhlouf
Maronite monk and hermit of the Lebanese mountains
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Priest, Religious, Mystic
- Life
- 1828 – 1898
- Era
- 19th century
- Feast
- 24 July
- Countries
- Lebanon
Life story
Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born on 8 May 1828 at Bekaa Kafra, the highest village in the Lebanese mountains, to a Maronite farming family. His father died while he was small. He tended animals and then, in 1851, left home for the monastery of Our Lady of Mayfouq and afterwards the monastery of St Maron at Annaya.
He was given the religious name Charbel, after a second-century martyr of Antioch. He made his perpetual vows in 1853 in the Lebanese Maronite Order, studied theology at Kfifan and was ordained a priest in 1859. Afterwards he lived many years in the monastery of Annaya, doing manual work, praying and keeping the strict rhythm of the order.
In 1875 he asked to live as a hermit and moved to the hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul near the monastery, where he lived for about twenty-three years. On 16 December 1898 he suffered a stroke while celebrating Mass, and he died on 24 December 1898 at the age of seventy.
His tomb at Annaya later drew many pilgrims, including non-Christians; accounts of healings are still passed on today. Paul VI beatified him in 1965, at the end of the Second Vatican Council, and he was canonised in 1977. His feast is kept on 24 July. The monastery of St Maron at Annaya is still a major place of pilgrimage in Lebanon, and he is among the best known saints of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
Works and witness
- Entered monastic life in 1851, perpetual vows in 1853
- Ordained a priest in 1859
- Lived as a hermit for about 23 years from 1875
- Died at Annaya on 24 December 1898
- Canonised in 1977
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.