Prayer:Prayer to St. Charbel Makhlouf
Stored: Prayer to St. Charbel Makhlouf
| Prayer to St. Charbel Makhlouf | |
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| Author | Unknown |
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| Language | English |
| Approval | None |
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| Added on | 2026-08-13 |
St. Charbel Makhlouf (1828–1898) was a Lebanese Maronite Catholic monk, priest, and hermit whose life of radical asceticism and deep contemplative prayer made him one of the most beloved saints of the Eastern Catholic tradition and, indeed, of the universal Church. Born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf in the mountain village of Biqa-Kafra in Lebanon, he entered the Lebanese Maronite Order and took the name Charbel, after an early martyr of Antioch. He eventually withdrew to a hermitage near the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, where he spent the last twenty-three years of his life in intense solitude, prayer, and mortification.
St. Charbel died on Christmas Eve, 1898, and was beatified by Pope Paul VI on December 5, 1965, during the final session of the Second Vatican Council—a momentous occasion that brought worldwide attention to this humble Lebanese hermit. He was canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 9, 1977. Following his death, countless miracles of physical healing have been reported at his tomb and through his intercession around the world. His body, which has remained incorrupt and has been observed to emit a mysterious oil and light, continues to draw pilgrims to the Monastery of Annaya in Lebanon to this day.
This prayer to St. Charbel reflects the deep Maronite devotion to his intercessory power and asks for his mediation before God in matters of healing, spiritual fortitude, and the grace to embrace the cross. The prayer is widely recited among Maronite Catholics in Lebanon and throughout the global Lebanese diaspora, and its use has spread broadly among Latin-rite Catholics who have discovered in St. Charbel a powerful intercessor.
The Prayer
O God, infinitely Holy, You were pleased to give us, in St. Charbel, the monk and hermit, a shining example of divine love.
Grant us the grace to follow his example of penance and love of the Cross, so that we may obtain Your blessings in this life and eternal happiness in the next.
Almighty God, You glorified Your servant Charbel Makhlouf by the gift of miracles.
Graciously grant that, through his intercession, we may receive the healing and help we seek.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
History and Background
The cult of St. Charbel grew organically out of the awe inspired by the extraordinary phenomena surrounding his death and burial. It was reported that, for forty-five days after his interment, a bright light surrounded his tomb, prompting the monks of Annaya to exhume his body, which was found perfectly intact and exuding a liquid substance. This incorruption has been verified and documented by Church authorities on multiple occasions across more than a century.
The formal devotion to Charbel spread rapidly throughout Lebanon and the broader Maronite world following his beatification in 1965, and it was at this time that specific intercessory prayers composed in his honor became widely disseminated. Testimonies of miraculous cures—particularly of paralysis, cancer, and blindness—have been collected by the postulator of his cause and documented in ecclesiastical records. The Vatican officially recognized two miracles for his beatification and further extraordinary events for his canonization.
St. Charbel occupies a unique place in the Maronite Church's spiritual heritage, embodying the ancient Syriac tradition of the ihidaya ("solitary one")—the desert monk who, by dying to the world, becomes a beacon of divine presence for the living. His intercessory prayer reflects this tradition, asking God to grant to the faithful the same share in the Cross that Charbel embraced so wholeheartedly in his own life.
The prayer is sometimes recited as part of a novena to St. Charbel, prayed over nine consecutive days for a particular intention, especially healing of body or spirit. Maronite parishes throughout the world celebrate his feast on July 24 with special liturgies and often with the reading of testimonies of miraculous favors received through his intercession.
How to Pray / Devotional Use
Novena Use: This prayer is frequently prayed as a novena—once daily for nine days—for a specific intention such as physical healing, relief from chronic illness, restoration of peace in the family, or spiritual renewal. Devotees are encouraged to accompany the prayer with a short period of meditative silence, recalling the hermit's characteristic spirit of stillness.
Posture and Setting: In keeping with the ascetic spirit of St. Charbel, the prayer may be offered kneeling, with hands folded, before an icon or image of the saint. Many devotees keep a small relic card or a bottle of the oil of St. Charbel's Monastery near the place of prayer.
Integration with the Liturgy: Maronite Catholics may pray this prayer following the Divine Liturgy of the Maronite Rite, particularly on Fridays—the traditional day of penance—or on the eve and feast day of St. Charbel (July 24). In some parishes, a votive candle is lit before the saint's image as the prayer is recited.
Personal Devotion: Many who have received favors through St. Charbel's intercession report having prayed this prayer daily, often combining it with the recitation of the Rosary or with lectio divina drawn from the Pauline Letters on the Cross, so dear to the saint's spirituality.
Act of Petition: Following the formal prayer, it is customary to add a personal, spontaneous petition naming the specific grace or healing being sought, trusting in the saint's well-attested compassion and intercessory power before God.