Posted on 05/10/2016 4:01:39 PM PDT by NYer
Bishop Edward Sharfenberger of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese and Bishop Gregory John Mansour of the Eparchy of the Maronite Catholic Church in Brooklyn holding the relics of Saint Charbel Makhluf - a 19th century monk, hermit and believed miracle-worker during a special mass Sunday morning at St. Ann’s church in Watervliet. LAUREN HALLIGAN - LHALLIGAN@DIGITALFIRSTMEDIA.COM
WATERVLIET >> One local church welcomed a saint over the weekend, drawing many Catholics from near and far to celebrate the visit.
The holy relic of Saint Charbel Makhluf - a 19th century Lebanese monk, hermit and believed miracle-worker - were in Watervliet over the weekend at St. Ann’s Maronite Catholic Church. The small church was one of 83 stops that the first-class relic, a bone fragment of Saint Charbel contained in a hand-carved wooden reliquary, made on its current tour across America.
The church hosted a weekend of activities focused around the relic, including a special service and veneration on Sunday, May 8 which was both St. Charbel’s birthday and Mother’s Day.
Not one, but two bishops were present for the historical occasion. Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, of the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese and Bishop Gregory John Mansour of the Eparchy of the Maronite Catholic Church in Brooklyn led the Sunday mass, which brought together both Eastern and Western Catholic traditions and filled the local church.
Canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977, St. Charbel is the first Maronite saint included in the Latin-rite calendar of the universal Catholic Church.
The veneration of the saint’s bone relic is part of the worldwide holy pilgrimage of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Divine Mercy, which was officially proclaimed by Pope Francis in December upon entering the Holy Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
“We are so happy for the opportunity to host the Bishops Scharfenberger and Mansour on such an important occasion and to have the major relics of our beloved Saint Charbel in our midst,” said Rev. Alaa Issa, the church’s year-round leader, expressing the delight of the parish in a press release.
“It’s really a special blessing,” said parishioner Beverly Traa, regarding the coincidence in timing of the relic’s visit, St. Charbel’s birthday and Mother’s Day.
In his homily, Bishop Mansour reflected on how mothers, in many ways are like saints. “Saint Charbel was contemplative. His whole life was a yearning for God and a pondering of the mysteries of God in his heart. This is true of mothers. Also, of Mary the mother of God (to whom he was most dedicated),” the bishop said in the release. “This is a great opportunity for people in the Albany diocese to encounter the contemplative monk and Mary. And, the contemplative Mom.”
Known widely throughout the Middle East and Lebanon, and in Russia and Mexico, Saint Charbel is widely considered to be a miracle-worker and many miracles have been attributed to the saint both before and after his death, including curing blindness.
On Saturday morning, as soon as the relic arrived from Massachusetts a blind woman came to venerate, in hopes of a miracle. She traveled on a bus from Brooklyn to be in the small Watervliet church with St. Charbel’s bone, and stayed there praying into the evening, said parishioner Georgette Hannoush, who helped to organize the relic’s visit.
“I am sure, 100 percent, he’s going to do the miracle,” she said.
“The miracles that he has done are unbelievable,” said Hannoush, a native of Lebanon. “It’s an honor to have him in our church,” she continued, calling it a “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Sunday church-goers lined up to touch and kiss the relic, some holding rosary beads or pieces of cloth to its center, as the parish sang “Saint Charbel pray for us.”
Though the saint is long-dead, he still has a large fan base, as shown by the crowd that flocked to venerate his relic on Sunday in Watervliet. Bishop Mansour said during the well-attended service, “Nobody has forgotten the name of Saint Charbel.”
Bishop Scharfenberger called his experience at Sunday’s event spiritually uplifting. “It has change me and it has moved me,” he said.
After the service, attendees feasted on a spread of traditional homemade Lebanese food at the church, in celebration of St. Charbel and his memorable birthday visit.
On Monday, the relic is scheduled to travel on to Utica, continuing its journey. By the end of the relic’s tour, in early June, it will have been touched by many thousands of Eastern and Latin rite Catholics who have come for veneration, prayer and some in hope for a miracle.
An tremendous blessing to have the saint's relics on his birthday and Mother's Day. Catholic ping!
Beautiful costumes in your denomination. They are so vibrant and cheerful.
I was at the service last night with the relic at St Louis Gonzaga church in Utica. Very moving.
Is this your parish?
We call them vestments, not costumes :-)
The colors are driven by the Liturgical calendar with specific colors worn during different parts of the year:
http://www.catholic.org/clife/lcolors.php
Well, whatever you call the costumes, they are very worldly and beautiful.
Yes.
Chorbishop John Ferris' parish. From 1985-1995 and 2009 to the present, Chorbishop Faris has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Canon Law at The Catholic University of America. My pastor assisted at the services last night. Glad you were able to be there. It is not every day that a saint comes to visit.
Yes, they are called vestments and the term “denomination” is not correct either. The Maronites are an Eastern Rite Catholic Church.
Well of course your denomination (or rite) will have a name for the costumes. My only point was that they are vibrant and worldly colors. Even the hats really stand out dramatically.
What do you mean by “worldly colors”?
The vibrant colors you see at celebrations, festivals, etc.
So was that blind lady healed or not?
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