Relics of St. Sharbel to visit Utah's Maronite parish

Friday, Nov. 20, 2015

MURRAY — For three days in December, St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church in Murray will host the relics of a Lebanese monk who has been called “the second St. Anthony of the Desert.”

Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon will bring the relics of St. Sharbel to Utah during his tour through the Maronite parishes in the United States. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beatification of St. Sharbel (also called St. Charbel Makhlouf), who lived as a hermit in Lebanon in the 1800s. A few months after his death in 1898, bright lights were reported at his tomb; it was opened and his body was found intact. Since his death, hundreds of miracles have been attributed to his intercession. Pope Paul VI, who canonized him in 1977, described the saint as an “eminent member of monastic sanctity. ... May he make us understand, in a world largely fascinated by wealth and comfort, the paramount value of poverty, penance and asceticism, to liberate the soul in its ascent to God.”

St. Sharbel and others who lived the Catholic Church’s monastic tradition offer reminders of the Christian ideal, said Subdeacon Claudio Covacci of St. Jude Maronite Parish. 

“They lived those austere lifestyles in their search for God,” the subdeacon said. “If you look at them not only as saints but also as role models, it provides you that ability to strive for sanctification and also to have a better balanced lifestyle.”

During the visit, the faithful will be invited to venerate the relics, attend the Divine Liturgy, Eucharistic Adoration and Evening Prayer. They also will have the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and personal meditation.

“The focus isn’t the fact that his relics are coming here, it’s the fact that St. Sharbel’s life was focused on Eucharistic adoration and being as close as he could to God,” Subdeacon Covacci said. “It’s a reminder of what we should strive for.” 

The saint is usually depicted looking downward because “he practiced strict custody of his eyes, only raising them to look at the Tabernacle and the Eucharist,” Subdeacon Covacci said. “He teaches us to look past our frivolous lifestyles and focus on what’s really important: Christ!”

The relics’ visit will allow people to “maybe learn from him about how to practice penance, how to pray, how to live a simple life. He lived a simple life, praying, fasting, practicing penance,” said Fr. Joubran BouMerhi, pastor of St. Jude Parish, who is encouraging local Catholics to take advantage of the opportunity to spend time in silence in the presence of the Lord and also of the Sacrament of Reconciliation “to learn how to enlighten the dark side deep inside us.” 

As a Lebanese saint, Sharbel is a good reminder of those in today’s world who are being martyred because of their faith, losing their lives or their homes, or living in fear, said Subdeacon Covacci. “We must use this gift as a reminder to pray for the many persecuted Christians throughout the world, to include those in the Middle East.”

This is the first time that Maronite relics have come to Utah, said Pam Watkins, the parish secretary. “This is very, very exciting. … I can’t imagine what blessings are going to come from this!”

During the visit, in addition to the prayers and liturgy in the church, a movie of the life of St. Sharbel will be shown in the basement. Refreshments will be offered and various items will be available for purchase.

“He was a Maronite monk, but he is a Catholic saint. Everyone, regardless of if they are a part of our parish or not, is welcome to come, and we would love to be able to host outsiders,” Subdeacon Covacci said.

The celebrations associated with the visit of the relics of St. Sharbel to St. Jude Maronite Catholic Church, 4900 Wasatch St. in Murray, will begin Sunday, Dec. 6, with Divine Liturgy at 7 p.m. Bishop Zaidan will celebrate a Pontifical Liturgy on Monday at 7 p.m. Eucharistic Adoration and veneration of the relics will continue throughout the visit.

For a complete schedule, see the ad in the print version of the Nov. 20 Intermountain Catholic or call 801-205-5550. 

The Maronite Rite is one of many churches within the universal Catholic Church. While in union with Rome, the Maronites maintain traditions that stretch back centuries, such as the use of Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ.

The Maronites began with St. Maron, a hermit who lived in the fourth century in the area of the Near East. 

There are two Maronite eparchies (dioceses) in the United States, the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles and the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn.

While some rituals during the Mass, such as the sign of peace, take a different form in the Maronite Rite, “the beauty of our Divine Liturgy is – because we’re one holy, Catholic, apostolic Church – frankly, that we’re all doing the same thing,” said Subdeacon Claudio Covacci of St. Jude Maronite Parish, who encourages all Catholics to participate in the Eucharistic celebrations that will accompany the visit of St. Sharbel’s relics to Utah.

Attending Mass in another rite can be intimidating, the subdeacon acknowledges, but “don’t be afraid to come in. … Catholics believe that the Church is the house of God. He invites all His children into his home to give thanks, praise and worship.”

Visitors who identify themselves to the ushers will be guided through the liturgy, Subdeacon Covacci said, and “our missals are straightforward.”

One of the more obvious ritual differences is the sign of peace, which comes first from Christ to the priest, then from the priest to the ministers, then to the servers, who carry it row by row to the congregation. Also, Communion is given only on the tongue and is by intinction (the priest will dip the host into the wine during the Eucharist.)

St. Jude Parish is looking forward to hosting visitors while the relics are in Utah, Subdeacon Covacci said. “We aspire and hope that many other people from the local area will come, especially the Hispanic community that has a devotion to St. Sharbel.”