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St. Charbel Makhlouf was a Maronite monk and hermit from Lebanon who died on Christmas Eve 1898. Today Catholics all over the world turn to him in illness, in family worries and in moments when they simply need strength and peace. A novena is nine days of prayer asking for his intercession, and below you will find a complete one you can begin today.
Many printed novenas to St. Charbel have known authors and publishers, so the prayers on this page are original, written for mamastorka.sk and inspired by his life. You will find a daily prayer, a short prayer for each of the nine days and a simple guide for praying at home or with your family.
Daily Prayer to St. Charbel
Pray this original prayer, inspired by the life of St. Charbel, every day of the novena right after the prayer for that day, or at any other time.
St. Charbel, you left everything behind to belong completely to God. In the silence of the Lebanese mountains you prayed, worked with your hands and offered the Holy Mass with great love.
I come to you with my request (name your intention). You know how heavy it is for me.
Pray for me to the Lord Jesus, that he may give me what I need for body and soul. And teach me your trust, which accepts the will of God, whatever it may be.
St. Charbel, pray for us. Amen.
St. Charbel Novena: A Prayer for Each of the 9 Days
Begin each day with the Sign of the Cross. Pray the prayer for that day, then the daily prayer to St. Charbel above, and close with one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be. It takes five to ten minutes a day. All nine prayers are original, inspired by his life.
Day 1: The Gift of Silence
St. Charbel, in the silence of your hermitage you heard the voice of God. Help me to become quiet for a few minutes each day, to set aside the noise around me and inside me, and to listen to what the Lord wants to tell me. Amen.
Day 2: For the Sick
St. Charbel, I entrust to you all who are sick, especially (name the person). Ask God to grant them relief, healing if it is his holy will, wise doctors and caring nurses, and the strength to carry their pain with hope. Amen.
Day 3: Love for the Eucharist
St. Charbel, the Holy Mass was the center of your day. Help me to love Jesus present in the Eucharist and to see Sunday Mass not as a duty but as a gift waiting for me. Amen.
Day 4: Humility
St. Charbel, you never looked for the admiration of others. Teach me a humility that does not need to be noticed, and give me a grateful heart for small and ordinary things. Amen.
Day 5: For My Family
St. Charbel, you grew up in a poor but faithful family in the mountains. Bless my family. Give us peace in our home, patience with one another and a faith strong enough to carry us through hard times. Amen.
If your intention is for your little ones, you can add a prayer for my children on this day.
Day 6: For Forgiveness
St. Charbel, you lived a life of penance for yourself and for others. Obtain for me true sorrow for my sins, the courage to go to confession, and the strength to forgive those who have hurt me. Amen.
Day 7: For Peace in Lebanon and in the World
St. Charbel, your homeland has known war and great suffering. I pray for peace in Lebanon, in the Middle East and everywhere people live in fear of violence. Make me a peacemaker in my own home first. Amen.
Day 8: For Priests and Religious
St. Charbel, you were a faithful priest and monk until your last day. I pray for the priests of my parish, for all consecrated men and women, and for young people who are asking what God wants from their lives. Amen.
Day 9: Thanksgiving and Trust
St. Charbel, thank you for walking with me through these nine days. Whatever the answer to my request, help me to thank God, to trust him and to rest in his love. Amen.
Short Prayers to St. Charbel
These short original prayers fit into a busy morning, a hospital waiting room or the end of a long day.
A one-line prayer:
St. Charbel, friend of the sick, pray for us and bring us closer to Jesus. Amen.
A prayer for a sick loved one:
St. Charbel, I place (name) in your care. Pray that the Lord may heal body and soul, guide the hands of the doctors, and give our family peace while we wait. Amen.
A simple prayer to say with children:
Dear St. Charbel, you loved Jesus very much. Please pray for everyone who is sick tonight, and help me to love Jesus too. Amen.
Children can add it to their usual bedtime prayer when a grandparent or friend is ill.
How to Pray the St. Charbel Novena
1. Choose your intention and start date
Decide when you can pray for nine days in a row and name your intention in your own words. You can pray alone, with your family or with the person you are praying for.
2. Pray at the same time each day
A fixed moment, after breakfast or before bed, makes the novena easier to keep. Follow the same order each day as described above. If you miss a day, simply continue with the next one.
3. Connect the novena with the sacraments
If you can, go to confession and attend Mass during the nine days. A person who is seriously ill can ask a priest for the Anointing of the Sick, which is a sacrament of the Church and not only a devotion.
4. Keep seeing your doctor
Pray and seek medical care at the same time. Prayer does not replace a doctor, a midwife or a treatment plan, and the saints never asked anyone to choose between faith and medicine.
5. Give thanks on the last day
On the ninth day thank God and St. Charbel, whatever the outcome. If you have received a grace, share it with those close to you to strengthen their faith.
When to Pray the Novena to St. Charbel
- Before his feast day. In the General Roman Calendar, St. Sharbel Makhluf, priest, is an optional memorial on July 24 (General Roman Calendar). To finish on the eve of the feast, begin on July 15 and pray the last day on July 23.
- Before the Maronite feast. The Maronite Church celebrates him on the third Sunday of July. Count back nine days from that Sunday.
- On the 22nd of the month. Pilgrims gather at his hermitage in Annaya on the 22nd of every month for prayer and Mass, a custom connected with the healing reported by Nohad El Shami in 1993.
- In illness. Before surgery, after a difficult diagnosis, or during long treatment of a loved one.
- In any hard season. When you need calm and courage more than answers. If you are drawn to a longer commitment, the Pompeii novena is a 54-day rosary novena you can pray alongside it or afterwards.
If you are expecting and want to entrust your pregnancy to St. Charbel, you may like to add a prayer for pregnancy to each day of the novena.
Who Was St. Charbel?
St. Charbel was born on May 8, 1828, in the mountain village of Bekaa Kafra in Lebanon and was baptized Youssef Antoun Makhlouf. In 1851 he entered the Lebanese Maronite Order at the Monastery of Our Lady of Mayfouq and later moved to the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya. There he received the religious name Charbel, after an early Christian martyr of Antioch. He was ordained a priest on July 23, 1859.
In 1875 his abbot allowed him to live as a hermit at the Hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul, near the monastery. He spent the last twenty-three years of his life there in silence, prayer, manual work and severe asceticism. He died of a stroke on December 24, 1898 (Wikipedia).
Months after his burial, a bright light was reported around his tomb, and when it was opened his body was found intact. Pope Paul VI beatified him on December 5, 1965, in the final days of the Second Vatican Council, and canonized him in Rome on October 9, 1977. In December 2025 Pope Leo XIV became the first pope to pray at his tomb in Annaya (Vatican News).
The Oil of St. Charbel and Reported Healings
St. Charbel is known above all as an intercessor for the sick. For both his beatification and his canonization, the Church examined healings attributed to his prayers through medical and theological review and recognized them as miracles, as the normal process requires.
Many other healings are reported by pilgrims. The best known is the story of Nohad El Shami, a Lebanese woman who was partially paralyzed. She said that in January 1993 she dreamed of Maronite monks performing surgery on her, and afterwards she was able to walk again. Her testimony is the origin of the monthly gathering in Annaya on the 22nd, but personal testimonies like this are not the same as a miracle formally recognized by the Church.
The monks in Annaya bless oil with the relics of the saint and give it to those who ask for his intercession, in keeping with the long Eastern Christian practice of praying with blessed oil. Blessed oil is a sacramental. The Catechism explains that sacramentals do not work the way the sacraments do, but prepare us to receive grace through the prayer of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1670). The oil has no power on its own, it is not a charm, and it never replaces medical treatment. No novena guarantees a cure. What St. Charbel offers is the example of a man who trusted God completely.
FAQ
How do you pray the St. Charbel novena?
For nine days in a row you pray the prayer for that day, then the daily prayer to St. Charbel, and finish with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be. Keep one clear intention for all nine days.
When is the feast day of St. Charbel?
In the General Roman Calendar his optional memorial is on July 24, so a novena before the feast begins on July 15. The Maronite Church celebrates him on the third Sunday of July, which falls on a different date each year.
Why do people pray to St. Charbel for healing?
Many healings have been reported through his intercession, and the Church recognized miracles attributed to him for his beatification and canonization. Praying to him is a way of asking a friend of God to pray with you, but it is not a promise of a cure and it does not replace medical care.
Is St. Charbel the same as St. Sharbel?
Yes. Charbel and Sharbel are simply different spellings of the same name, just as Makhlouf and Makhluf are. The General Roman Calendar uses Sharbel Makhluf, while Charbel Makhlouf is the spelling most often seen in English.
Who canonized St. Charbel and when?
Pope Paul VI canonized him in Rome on October 9, 1977. The same pope had beatified him on December 5, 1965, at the close of the Second Vatican Council.
What is St. Charbel oil and how is it used?
It is oil blessed by the monks at the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya and given to people who ask for his intercession. As a sacramental it is used together with prayer, often while praying for a sick person, but it has no power of its own and must never replace treatment from a doctor.