Order of Saint Sharbel

The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic Church which is in union with the Holy See in Rome. The Maronite Church in the United States is divided into two eparchies (dioceses), the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn (the eastern US) and the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles (western US). Our seminarians study at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Seminary in Washington, DC (www.maroniteseminary.org). The seminary celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011, and continues to play a vital role in the education of our priests for the 21st century. While we trust in Divine Providence to provide for our needs, we realize that the financial support for our seminarians comes from the generosity of our laity. We ask that you prayerfully consider supporting our seminarians by becoming a member of the Order of Saint Sharbel. The enrollment donation to join the Order of St. Charbel provides financial support to our seminarians. The Order of Saint Sharbel was named for Sharbel Makhluf (1828-98), who was canonized by Pope St. Paul VI in 1977. St. Sharbel was a priest of the Maronite Church in Lebanon who, following the example of St. Maron for whom our Church is named, lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death. His life of holiness and dedication to the priesthood of Jesus Christ make him an outstanding role model for priests.