The tomb of Lebanon’s most famous saint is preparing to receive a pope for the first time
Annaya (Lebanon), Nov 19
Nestled among the mountains of central Lebanon, the Monastery of Saint Maron is finalizing preparations for a visit by Pope Leo XIV in early December, when this complex with the tomb of Lebanon’s main saint will host a pope for the first time in its history.
While several excavators are renewing the asphalt on the access road to the monastery, a group of workers are installing new lights and making repairs to the tomb of Saint Charbel, an ascetic born in 1828 to whom tens of thousands of miracles are attributed, even outside of Lebanese territory.
“The Pope’s visit to this place is to encourage us to follow the lifestyle of Saint Charbel, because he lived the Bible, he didn’t talk about it much (…) With the Pope’s visit I believe we are called to live the Bible more than to talk about the Bible, to embody the word in our way of life,” Father John Semaan explained to EFE.
The saint par excellence
Semaan, one of the 14 monks currently residing at this Maronite facility, highlights the importance of this monastic complex for Christians in the Middle East, with its two churches, tomb, and a museum containing everything from habits to coffins used by Saint Charbel.
According to him, from his death in 1898 until his canonization in 1965, the Maronite monk was moved to a different coffin several times, since “during all that time blood and water came out of his body,” and his remains remained “without corruption.”
The subject of statues, paintings, and street altars throughout Lebanon, Saint Charbel has a huge number of miracles to his credit, which are being recorded by a priest of the congregation, mainly thanks to emails sent by the beneficiaries.
A short walk from the monastery is the place where the religious man spent 24 years of his life as a hermit, the priest adds.
“Many popes have visited Lebanon, but this is the first one who will come to visit the tomb of Saint Charbel, which is a very unique event for us,” Semaan said.
“Right now we are restoring the tomb for the Pope’s visit. We are preparing this site to accommodate more people, because there are many people who want to come and participate in this ceremony,” he explains, specifying that the “small” space can only hold 120 to 150 people.
However, the rest of the monastery will also be open for the occasion, divided into “zones” to accommodate attendees without “chaos”.
Semaan, who feels especially connected to Leo XI because they both studied with the Augustinian order, doubts whether he will be able to meet him given the brevity of his busy visit to San Marón, which lasts only one hour.
“As a community, we’ll be waiting for him near the souvenir shop when he gets off the bus, but then we won’t be there because there are other people who want to see him. So I don’t know if we’ll have the chance to talk to him, but it’s important that he passes by,” he adds.
Our Lady of Lebanon
Thousands of people gather at the monastery on the 22nd of each month, coinciding with the date of one of Saint Charbel’s most important miracles. Many others come and go at all hours to pray to the former hermit, like Nahi, who comes at least once a month.
“She is a very important holy figure for us, she performs many miracles for us and we pray to her every day. When we are sad or feel that we need something in our lives, we come here to the temple and ask her,” the devotee tells EFE.
While the monastic complex of Saint Maron is preparing to host a Holy Father for the first time, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon, further south, is preparing to repeat its role as a stop on a papal visit.
The Pope will visit this Marian shrine, which was founded in 1908, on December 1.
“Since then, people have continued to come to the shrine and it has become a national pilgrimage site, first for all Lebanese and then for the world, since at that time it was also the only shrine of the Virgin Mary in the Middle East,” its rector, Father Khalil Alwan, told EFE.
The official explains that, in their case, they began repairing and lighting the road two months ago in preparation for the Pope’s visit, while also forming a committee to distribute invitations to the 2,500 people chosen to attend the event.
According to him, he already had the same role during Benedict XVI’s visit to Lebanon in 2012.
“I was the rector of the sanctuary at the time, and he wanted to celebrate a special divine sacrifice in the temple before leaving for Beirut (…) I was fortunate enough to participate with His Holiness the Pope in this festive Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon,” Alwan concluded.
