A photo of Saint Charbel in the park of the eponymous monastery, in Villiers-sur-Marne. (Photo provided by the monastery)
The first monastery dedicated to Lebanon's Saint Charbel in France will be inaugurated on Saturday in a town on the outskirts of Paris, the Lebanese Maronite Order announced on Wednesday. The event will take place in a park also named after Saint Charbel, in Villiers-sur-Marne and will be attended by Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai.
The order's spokesperson, Father Yaacoub, told L'Orient Today he expects between 500 and 1,000 people to attend, including Lebanese people from France and abroad."Saint Charbel performed 29,600 miracles for people of all religions," he added.
Rai will be accompanied by about 30 priests, monks, and parish priests of the Lebanese Maronite Order, including, in particular, the general president of the Lebanese Maronite Congregation, Father Hady Mahfouz; the bishop of the Maronites in France, Monsignor Peter Karam; and Michel Jalkh, secretary of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches in the Vatican.
The schedule for the inauguration:
- 5 p.m.: Arrival of Maronite Patriarch Rai at the monastery.
- 6 p.m.: Blessing and inauguration.
- 6:30 p.m.: Vespers and procession with the relics of Saint Charbel.
- 7:30 until 9:30 p.m.: Reception.
"In the world we live in today, with all the chaos that surrounds us, we need a space to pray, meditate, and be with God," said Father Yaacoub. "The Saint Charbel Monastery is the best place for that: it's a spiritual refuge."
Located just 40 minutes from Paris by public transport, the monastery is open every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For the official inauguration, accessibility for people with reduced mobility and parking facilities have been provided. All practical information can be found via the QR code, which can be scanned from the announcement above. Contacted, the spokesperson for the Maronite Patriarchate in Lebanon, Walid Ghayad, was not available for comment.
The Saint Charbel Monastery is located at the following address: 31, rue du 11 Novembre, 1918, Villiers-sur-Marne (94350).
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