Information: Father of the Maronite Catholic Church. St. Maron spent his whole life on "Kefar-Nabo" on the mountain of Ol-Yambos. The followers of St. Maroun, both monks and laity, always remained faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Birthdate: May 8, 1828, Bekaa Kafra, North Lebanon
Death: December 24, 1898
FeastDay: July 24th
Information: Youssef Antoun Makhlouf was born in 1828, in Bekaa Kafra (North Lebanon). In 1851, he left his family village and headed for the Our Lady of Maifouk monastery to spend his first monastic year, and then he went to the St Maron monastery in Annaya, where he entered the Maronite Order, carrying the name Charbel, a name of one of the Antioch church martyrs of the second century. From there, he entered, on February 15th, 1875, the St Peter & Paul hermitage, which belongs to the monastery. He was a typical saint and hermit, who spent his time praying and worshipping. Rarely had he left the hermitage where he followed the way of the saintly hermits in prayers, life and practice. St Charbel lived in the hermitage for 23 years. On December 16th, 1898 he was struck with an illness while performing the holy mass. He died on Christmas' eve, December 24th, 1898, and was buried in the St Maron monastery cemetery in Annaya.Few months later, dazzling lights were seen around the grave. From there, his corpse, which had been secreting sweat and blood, was transferred into a special coffin. Hordes of pilgrims started swarming the place to get his intercession.In 1925, his beatification and canonization were proposed for declaration by Pope Pious XI.
Information: St Nimattullah Kassab Al-Hardini performed many miracles during his life due to his deep spirituality, his high virtues and his radiant soul that became united to its Creator through prayer. "The Saint of Kfifan" had the charism of prophesy and hence became known as "a man of vision." On one occasion when he was teaching his students and facing a large wall outside the monastery of Kfifan, he had a sense that the wall was suddenly going to fall. Thereupon, he asked his students to move away just before the wall fell down, sparing all present from injury. Saint Nematallah was canonized on Sunday, May 16, 2004 by Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's in Rome.
Death: March 23, 1914, convent of Our Lady of Liberation in Bikfaya, Lebanon
Feast Day: March 23rd
Information: On July 7th, 1832, she was baptized and named Boutroussieh. At the age of seven, she suffered her first great loss with the death of her mother. In 1847, her father had remarried. His new wife wanted Rafqa to marry her brother. A conflict developed when her aunt tried also to arrange a marriage between her son and Rafqa. So Rafqa asked God to help her. Thus, her decision, to devote her life to Jesus Christ and to become a nun was her greatest joy.Entering at St. George Church, to pray for help, she heard the Lord’s voice telling her: "You will remain a nun". In the same night, she dreams and see St. George, St. Simon the stylit and St. Anthony the Great, the Father of monasticism. St. Anthony the Great told her: "Enter into the Lebanese Maronite Order". She began to pray asking Jesus to permit her to experience some of His sufferings He endured during His passion, after that, Saint Rafqa had experience many sufferings includng unbearable pain began in her head and her eyes. After all local attempts to cure her had failed, she was sent to Beirut for treatment. Passing by St. John-Marcus Church in Byblos, where an American doctor ordered an immediate surgery for her right eye. St. Rafqa refused anesthesia. In the course of the surgery, the doctor uprooted her eye which fell on the floor. Rafqa did not complain and told him: "For Christ's Passion, God bless your hands and may God pay you back". On the 23rd of March 1914 she called upon Jesus, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, then she rested in peace after a life of prayer, service and years of unbearable pain. She was buried in the monastery's cemetery. A splendid light appeared on her grave for three consecutive nights. With the intercession of St. Rafqa, Our Lord made lots of miracles and blessings. She was beatified on November 17th, 1985.