Youssef Makhlouf was born on May 8th, in 1828 in the city of Bakarkafra, North Lebanon, one of 5 children. He lived a simple life in devotion to God and obedience to his family until he was 23, in 1851, when he left home to attend a monastery without informing anyone. There, he joined the Lebanese Maronite Order, adopting the name “Sharbel,” for Charbel of Edessa, after a second century Syriac saint and martyr from Antioch. Sharbel was ordained a Maronite priest in 1859. Yet he desired a life devoted to prayer, and after 23 years as a monk and a priest, he requested to move to a religious life of solitude from 1875 to 1898, to offer extreme sacrifices for Jesus. He stayed in a chapel dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul for 23 years. He separated himself from the world so he could easily attach himself to Christ. Sharbel only ate one meal daily (fasting), prayed unceasingly, did manual labor, observed silence and emptied his life of all earthly things. He performed extra ordinary acts of penance. He was deeply devoted to the Eucharist and spent hours in prayer both before and after mass. He thought that silence and love is the language of God. He became an instrument of his truth and wisdom by listening to God’s words. Sharbel gained a reputation as a wonder worker for some Muslims and a healer of both physical and spiritual maladies, able to cast out demons. His humility was renowned. He kept his eyes downward, lifting them only toward heaven or the tabernacle at church; thus, the images we have of him depict him with downcast eyes.
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Eight days after Christmas Eve, 1898, Sharbel died of complications from a stroke at the age of 70. He died while saying the Divine Liturgy. He slumped on the floor still with the Holy Eucharist in his hands. He was buried in a monk’s grave without a coffin, as was the rule. For 45 days after he was buried, a constant white light surrounded his area where he was buried. An unexplainable event as hundreds came to see this. The church with permission exhumed and found that his body was incorrupt but also excreting what appeared to be blood and water. His body was subsequently transferred to a coffin and a new tomb, and the clothes covering his body were frequently replaced due to the bloodlike liquid that continued to ooze. His body was exhumed multiple times and confirmed incorrupt through 1965, until it was found to have decomposed when exhumed in 1976, roughly 67 years. Today only his bones remain but thousands of cures and miracles have emerged from those who visited his tomb for his intercession. Saint Sharbel feast day is July 24th. He is known as a miracle worker. Sharbel was beatified by Pope Paul VI on December 6th, 1965, during the Second Vatican Council. He was canonized on October 9th, 1977.
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Miracles
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Sister Marie Kamari was suffering from a severe stomach illness. She was near death. While she was praying at the tomb of Sharbel. She was instantly cured on July 12th, 1950. Later that year a blind man was healed. These two miracles led to the beatification of Sharbel.
In 1977, Miriam Awad was miraculously cured of throat cancer. This third document healing also led to his sainthood.
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Another miracle of a paralyzed mother Nohad Shami at age 55. In 1993, she had a dream where Saint Sharbel operated on her neck. When she woke up, she had two wounds on her neck from the operation which completely healed her paralysis. The following night, Saint Sharbel returned to her in a dream. He told her “I cut you by the power of God so they (the people) could see you, because many have strayed from praying.”
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Saint Sharbel was never photographed during his lifetime. Only a few monks ever saw him after he entered the monastery. In 1950, some Maronite monks from the United States visited Saint Sharbel’s grave on his birthday and took a photo. When the film was developed, a mysterious hooded figure with a white beard appeared among them. When shown the photo, some elderly monks from the monastery had no doubt it was Sharbel.
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Besides the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, her husband, Saint Sharbel has over 33,000 confirmed healing miracles. He is the only Saint that has the highest number of miracles reported. Pope Leo is schedule on 12/01/25 to visit the tomb of Saint Sharbel as he travel his apostolic journey in Lebanon and Turkey.
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Relics of Saint Sharbel
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Saint Sharbel has an oil given to Catholics. The oil is pure Olive Oil with no additives. That oil is place inside a barrel and the bones of Saint Sharbel are added to it and allowed to sit there awhile. So all the oil, whether it is on a cotton swab or in a small container is blessed with the bones of Saint Sharbel. The oil comes from the monastery and is really a Relic. Miracles have been reported of this oil curing serious illness such as cancer. Some people have even drink the oil.
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Small pieces of cloth. The cloth used underneath the body of Saint Sharbel during his examination. That cloth has been taken and small pieces of it have been distributed as a second class Relic.
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Another small pieces of cloth. This cloth was used to dust the inside of his coffin when his body was exposed. That cloth has been cut into small pieces and have distributed. Because of these cloths have touched the body of the Saint as a result healings have occurred. It is their faith that heals them. It is the faith that we come to God with through the intercession of Saint Sharbel.
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When an object touches a Saint, or something belonging to a Saint, God's grace falls upon it and the believer who has faith in Saint Sharbel who gets healed.
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