in classroom 3
About St. Charbel
Joseph Makhlouf was born in 1828 in Lebanon. His peasant family lived a strong faith, were attentive to the Divine Liturgy, and had a great devotion to the Mother of God.
At the age of 21, Charbel left his loving and closely knit family to enter the Lebanese-Maronite Monastery called Notre-Dame de Mayfouk. Following studies and perpetual profession at St. Cyprian de Kfifane Monastery, he was ordained in 1859.
For the next 7 years, Charbel lived in the mountainous community of d’Anaya. After that he spent the next twenty-three years in complete solitude at Sts. Peter and Paul Hermitage near d”Anaya. He died there on Christmas Eve, 1898. Charbel had a reputation for his austerity, penances, obedience, and chastity. At times, Charbel was gifted with levitations during prayer, and he had great devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament.
In all things, Charbel maintained perfect serenity. He was beatified in 1965 by Pope Paul VI and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1977.