St. Charbel Novena
Contents
Show HideSt. Charbel was a monk and priest of the Maronite Order who lived in Lebanon during the 1800s. Many healings and graces have been attributed to his intercession!
You can use this novena to ask for St. Charbel’s intercession in your life!
About St. Charbel
St. Charbel was born as Youssef Antoun Makhlouf in 1828. He had four siblings, and his family lived high in the Lebanese mountains. His father died when St. Charbel was just three years old.
St. Charbel’s mother raised him in a spirit of piety. As a young child, he was drawn to the lives of the saints. He was also exposed to the hermit life early on, as he had two uncles who lived as hermits.
One of St. Charbel’s duties during his youth was to care for his family’s flock of sheep. He often brought the flock to a nearby grotto, and he created a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary there. St. Charbel often spent his day in prayer there while tending his family’s sheep.
When he was 23, St. Charbel left home and entered the Monastery of Our Lady in Mayfouq. He spent his first year of monastic life here. Then, he moved to the St. Maron monastery in Annaya. He entered the Maronite Order and took his religious name of Charbel after a second century martyr from Antioch.
During his early years as a monk, St. Charbel began studying philosophy and theology in preparation for priestly ordination. For a time, he studied under St. Nimatullah Kassab.
After St. Charbel was ordained, he spent his days living ascetically as a hermit. He almost never left his hermitage, and he sought to imitate the ways of the saintly hermits who lived before him.
St. Charbel lived as a hermit for twenty-three years. When he was seventy years old, he had a stroke while celebrating Mass. He died on Christmas Eve, 1898.
After St. Charbel’s death, many miracles and extraordinary phenomena were associated with him. Dazzling lights were seen near his grave a few months after he died. It was then discovered that his body had been secreting sweat and blood.
His body remained incorrupt, even when his coffin was reopened four times between his death and 1955. Finally in 1976, his body was found to have decomposed.
Many pilgrims have traveled to the Annaya monastery to seek his intercession. And many have received spiritual graces and miraculous recoveries. News of miracles attributed to St. Charbel’s intercession has contributed to rekindling of faith in Lebanon and elsewhere.
Among the many miraculous events attributed to St. Charbel after his death, the most well-known was of a paralyzed 55-year-old woman. When she woke from a dream in which she saw him, it was discovered that she was completely healed and had two wounds on her neck. He appeared to her the next night in a dream and told her that he did surgery on her so that others would return to the Faith.
St. Charbel’s Feast Day: July 24th
Why Pray the St. Charbel Novena?
While there is no official patronage for St. Charbel, he can be a great saint to turn to for intercession for many causes.
Since many people have found healing from physical ailments after asking for his prayers, you can pray to him for help in sickness or injury. You can pray to St. Charbel if you’re a resident of Lebanon, or for someone you know in Lebanon.
St. Charbel’s intercession has brought about many miracles that have helped people rekindle their faith, so he can be a great saint to seek intercession from if you’re hoping for a loved one to return to the Faith.
You can pray the St. Charbel Novena for any intention!
St. Charbel Novena Prayers
St. Charbel Novena - Day 1
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the piety he practiced throughout his life, beginning when he was a small child at home.
St. Charbel, you grew up in the home of a pious mother. From the time you were very young, you were attracted to the practice of virtue. You were drawn to learning about the lives of the saints, and you strove to imitate their piety.
Pray that I may practice piety as you did!
The foundation of holiness that your mother helped you to develop stayed with you throughout your life. You continued on the path of virtue throughout your life as a monk and a priest.
Pray for me, that I may remain firm in virtue and holiness my whole life, as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 2
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holiness he showed in responding generously to Your call to serve You as a monk and a priest.
St. Charbel, you were exposed to examples of holiness from a young age. Along with the piety of your mother, the examples of your uncles helped to form you in holiness. You saw your uncles following God’s call and you desired to serve God similarly.
Pray that I may be inspired by holy examples around me!
You did not hesitate to leave behind your home and worldly possessions to serve God in the monastic life. You served God faithfully in your religious vocation the rest of your life.
Pray for me, that I may respond generously to whatever God may call me to in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 3
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the devotion to Our Lady that he showed from the time he was a young boy.
St. Charbel, you were drawn to the example of the saints from the time you were young. You had a particular devotion to Our Blessed Mother and you made a shrine to her. You prayed often at this shrine while you were tending your family’s sheep.
Pray that I may have a devotion to Our Lady like yours!
You must have known what a great help Mary can be to us in our greatest needs. You must have turned to her often as you grew in holiness.
Pray for me, that I may turn to Our Blessed Mother often in my needs.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 4
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holiness he showed in choosing a life of monasticism and in living out his vocation to monastic life faithfully.
St. Charbel, you grew up witnessing the holy example of your two hermit uncles. You decided to follow their holy example, and you entered the monastic life as well.
Pray that I may respond to holy inspiration in my own life!
As a monk, you lived ascetically for many years. You almost never left your hermitage, and you sought to imitate the saintly hermits who lived before you. You renounced worldly possessions and society, choosing instead to serve God alone in a life of monasticism.
Pray for me, that I may carry out my vocation as faithfully as you did.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 5
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holiness he showed in following Your call to become a priest and in living out his vocation faithfully.
St. Charbel, you chose to serve God in a unique way. Not only did you become a hermit and live out the monastic life of constant prayer and solitude. You also answered His call to become a priest as well.
Pray for the holiness and faithfulness of all priests!
You remained faithful to your priestly vocation your entire life. When you died from a stroke at age seventy, you were in the midst of celebrating Mass. You carried out the duties of your vocation to the end of your life.
Pray for me, that I may respond faithfully and generously to God’s call in my life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 6
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holiness and devotion to You that he lived out his entire life, up until he died from a stroke while offering Mass.
St. Charbel, you remained faithful and pious your entire life. You chose a life of self-denial as a monk and spent most of your days in solitude. Your life as a hermit was full of virtue and piety.
Pray that I may persevere in holiness throughout my whole life!
You were carrying out the duties of your vocation even up until the moment of your death. When you died of a stroke, you were in the midst of offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Pray for me, that I may dutifully carry out the duties of my state in life until my death.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 7
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holiness he showed throughout his lifetime and the devotion he inspired in others after his death.
St. Charbel, you lived out your life as a monk and a priest with faithfulness and devotion. After your death, many recognized that the holiness of your life had been extraordinary. And many turned to you for help and inspiration.
Pray that I may be inspired by the holy examples of others!
After your death, your intercession helped bring about many miracles. Your body was incorrupt for many years, and people sought your intercession for healing or spiritual graces. These miracles inspired many people throughout your country to return to the Faith.
Pray for me, that I may never miss the opportunity to bring others back to Christ.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 8
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate the holy example he lived throughout his life that continued to inspire others even after his death.
St. Charbel, you practiced great virtue and holiness throughout your life as a monk and a priest. After your death, others turned to your example for inspiration, and many sought your intercession for their needs.
Please intercede for all who turn to you, and ask God to assist them in their needs!
The graces and miracles you helped bring about through your intercession after your death inspired many. In your home country of Lebanon and elsewhere, your intercession contributed to a rekindling of the Faith.
Pray for me, that I may live a virtuous life and be a holy example to others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Charbel Novena - Day 9
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Charbel as an example of holiness. Help us to imitate his virtuous example that led many to turn to him for inspiration and intercession after his death.
St. Charbel, after your death, many recognized that you had lived a saintly life. Many turned to you for intercession, and your prayers brought about many miracles. You assisted in bringing about numerous spiritual graces and healings.
Pray for all who are in need of healing!
The healings and graces brought about through your intercession were so numerous and noteworthy that the faith of many people was rekindled. You even brought about the healing of a woman who was paralyzed, so that others would return to the Faith.
Pray for me, that I may always seek to inspire others to holiness.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Charbel, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.