Abouna St Charbel Hermit Icon Brushed Aluminum

As Father Charbel (St Charbel) worked the land and performed manual labor at the St Maroun’s Monastery in Annaya, he continued a life of purity, obedience and humility that has yet to be surpassed.

In 1875, Father Charbel (St Charbel) showed “supernatural power” and was granted permission to live as a Hermit at the Hermitage of St Peter and St Paul in Annaya, Mount Lebanon which is near the Monastery of St Maroun in Annaya, Mount Lebanon.

The Hermitage of St Peter and St Paul was built as a Monastery in 1798 and became a hermitage in 1829 when the Lebanese Maronite Order decided to build the Monastery of St Maroun on a nearby property. The first monk to live as a hermit in this newly established hermitage was Father Alisha’ Al-Hardini, the brother of St Namatallah Al-Hardini who was Father Charbel’s (St Charbel) teacher and mentor at Kfifan. He was followed by Fathers Yohanna Al-‘Akoury, Yowakim Al-Zouki, Libaous Al-Ramati and Father Charbel (St Charbel) Bekaa-Kafra.

As a Hermit, Father Charbel learned and followed the rules of his Order to the letter, which include:

a) He must say Mass and visit the chapel frequently night and day.

b) He must pray, meditate and read the Holy Scriptures and Bible.

c) He must do manual labor as a powerful remedy for many temptations, as a proof that he is not deserting his human obligations and in accordance with the stern injunction of St Paul: “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat”.

d) He must live a life of strict poverty.”

Father Charbel (St Charbel) did penance alone and in silence, for the rule states:

a) The hermit can eat only one meal a day, which is sent by the monastery.

b) He must never eat meat or drink wine. During Lent he can only have vegetables with a little oil.

c) He must not sleep more than five hours.

d) He must observe strict silence. In case of necessity, he must speak briefly and in subdued tones.

e) He must not leave the hermitage without the express consent of his superior.

At the hermitage, Father Charbel (St Charbel) companions were the Son of God, as encountered in the Scriptures and in the Eucharist, and the Blessed Mother. The Eucharist became the centre of his life. Though this Father Charbel (St Charbel) did not have a place in the world but the world had a great place in his heart. Through prayer and penance he offered himself as a sacrifice so that the world would return to God.

It was in this secluded sanctuary that Father Charbel (St Charbel) spent the remaining 23 years of his life practicing severe mortification. It is recorded by his companions that he wore a hair shirt, practiced corporal punishment, chained himself, slept on the hard ground and ate only one meal a day – the leftovers from his fellow monk’s meals.

Father Charbel (St Charbel) pillow was a piece of wood covered with an old cloth, a remnant from an old habit. His bed was made of goat hair and laid directly on the floor. Although a hermit, he was not exempt from the supervision and orders of his superiors. He was to follow strict religious practices and carry out a severe ascetic way of life.

Father Charbel (St Charbel) day would start with adoration of the Eucharist, prayers and celebration of the Holy Mystery, followed by manual labor, fasting, penance, continuous prayer, little sleep and mortification of the body, all of which Father Charbel (St Charbel) practiced with utmost humility and love.

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Brushed Aluminum Icon

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