Charbel's Monastic Life in Kfifane

From Charbel's Early Life.

Charbel became the examplary monk for following rules and accomplishing duties, his thoughts were always about God, his tongue was always speaking about God and his voice was always praising God. Boutros Moussa witnessed:"our faith was strengthening and we blamed ourselves for our attachment to this vanishing life".

The hermit, Father Alishaa discovered Charbel's call since he knew him as a novice in the monastery of Annaya, as Charbel often visited him in the hermitage and considered him as his exhorter at the beginning of his monastic life. After that Charbel took his vows, it was decided that he would stay in Annaya for three years as a worker brother. Father Alishaa seized this opportunity to teach Charbel linguistics and theology. When the Vatican appointed the monastic authority in 1856 and Saint Nehmatallah Al Hardini as Vicar-General, father Alishaa asked his brother to send Charbel to the school of Saint Cyprien in Kfifane to attend theological courses. Father Nehemetallah Al Kafri used to run this school, and Saint Al Hardini used to replace him whenever he was absent.

Monastery of Saint Cyprien and Justina Kfifane

Charbel was one of the best students, smart and perseverant, skilled in literary theology and excellent in theological studies, and he was an example for all. In the church, he used to kneel down on the floor in one particular place and there was no benches, his posture showed extreme piety and his brothers were inspired by his sight, which lead them to name him Saint. Saint Al Hardini himself said:" I have a student who is a Saint, he is brother Charbel from Bekaakafra". Charbel witnessed Al Hardini's death on the 14th of December 1858.

Charbel was ordained a priest on the 23rd of July 1859. His niece Wardeh came with some family members to congratulate him for his ordainment and they asked him with insistance to come to his home village Bekaakafra to celebrate his first Holy Mass, so he answered her: "The monk who comes to the monastery then returns back to his village, when he is back to the monastery he will have to start from the beginning."

He was sent to the monastery of Saint Yaacoub Al Hosn in the area of Jbeil where he spent a few months in hermitage, penance and prayer; Then Alishaa asked for him again to watch over him and to cultivate his monastic call and enjoy his company. Charbel was transferred to Annaya where he worked with the novices until his death.

Charbel Becomes a Monk

From Charbel's Early Life.

Youssef Makhlouf remained in his home village until he was 23 years old. One day his uncle, father Daniel came from the Monastery of Mayfouq to Bekaakafra as he was willing to visit the monastery of Saint Antonios Kozhaya, so he told his nephew Hanna (Youssef's brother) that he would like Youssef to accompany him. Then Hanna told him: "my uncle I'm afraid that Youssef might leave with you to the monastery and stay there", then Daniel answered: "It will be good for him to become a monk, afterall what's in this world!". So Youssef went with his uncle to the monastery of Kozhaya where his other uncle Father Augustin was.

Eight days after his return to Bekaakafra, Youssef left his family and his home to become a monk at the monastery of Our Lady of Mayfouq. He started as a novice and was named Charbel (a Syriac name composed of Charb: story and Il: God). On the 8th of August 1851 and after having spent eight days in his own clothes, he was dressed with the monk's robe. During his novitiate he used to perform his duties impeccably and was very happy with his monastic call. His uncle and tutor Tannous, his mother and his two brothers Hanna and Beshara tried in vain on many occasions to bring him back from the monastery but he wouldn't return.

Monastery of Our Lady of Mayfouq

It happened once that one of the farm girls harrassed him by throwing silkworm insects on him, then by putting an insect on his hand. So he fled the monastery by night without talking to anyone and went to the monastery of Saint Maron Annaya. On the journal of the monastery of Mayfouq, next to Brother Charbel's name, it is mentioned: "left the order".

Charbel told the Superior of the monastery of Saint Maron Annaya about  what happened, and the Superior reviewed his case with the General Superior who then granted him the permission to be admitted to the monastery in Annaya to resume his second year of novitiate.

When his brother Hanna and his mother Brigitta knew that he left Mayfouq, they came to bring him back to Bekaakafra. As he was out in the field with his fellow novices, his mother ran to him and held him by his robe firmly to bring him back home. But when she saw his determination and his attachment to his monastic call she said to him: "either you stay definitely in the order and become a good monk, or you come back home with me now", Charbel answered her: "You said it".

Charbel took his monastic vows on the first of November 1853 and he was 25 years old. Brigitta came back again to check on her son at the monastery in Annaya and she insisted to face him, but he wouldn't accept. He only said a few words to her from inside his room without facing her while she stood outside his door weeping. So she asked him: "Is this how you baffle me my son and prevent me from seeing you?", he answered her: "if I don't see you now, we'll see each other in heaven". So she left in tears and profound sadness. 

In Bekaakafra

His Father is Antoun Zaarour Makhlouf from Bekaakafra, his mother is Brigitta Elias Yaacoub Al Shidiac from Bsharre. His two brothers are Hanna and Beshara and his two sisters: Kawneh and Wardeh and he was the youngest of the family. He was born on the 8th of may 1828 and was baptized at the church of Our Lady of Bekaakafra. The original name of Saint Charbel is Youssef and he changed it when he joined the Maronite Order. His father was a simple peasant like most of the villagers, he lived from cultivating his land, his mother did the housekeeping. Both were pious and good people, they raised their children and gave them a solid Christian education.

The Village of Bekaakafra

In 1831, Antoun Zaarour had a donkey which he used for work in the area of Majdlayya (a village between Zgharta and Tripoli). One day he was caught by men believed to be followers of Emir Bashir Al Shahabi (some sources say Ottomans), and was forced to a corvée by transporting amassments from Majdlayya to Jbeil that were meant to be sent to Beiteddine. On his way back from Jbeil to Bekaakafra he reached Gherfine where he got very sick, he died and was buried. His widow took care of the family and her brother-in-law Tannous Zaarour helped her. Brigitta used to flee the coldness of winter and poverty and take her kids and cows to her parents at Al Khalidya where she helped them amassing olives, and where she used to stay for around four months.

Later on, Brigitta married Lahoud Ben Gerges Ibrahim on october 1833 and she moved with him to the area of Shlifa and Btedhi where he owned lands. Around 1850 Lahoud became a priest and was named Priest Abdel Ahad. He did not serve in Bekaakafra but in the Baalbeck area and he died around 1853.

Youssef lived as an orphan with his uncle Tannous who raised him with his siblings as they remained at their father's house after their mother's marriage. The mother often visited them, and the kids took care of each other, their uncle and other close family members looked after them.

Youssef learned to read and write according to the traditions, at the school of the village in the monastery of Saint Hawshab, the priests of the villages were his teachers. He always carried a book of prayer in his hand and used to work in his father's land, away from people and from socializing, and he liked loneliness. He often looked after the cow in his family's field called The "Bheiss Fortress" where he used to sit on a large rock shaping like a cave, the book of prayer in his hand. Later on the place was called after him "The Saint's Fortress". He used to wait for the cow to finish grazing and talked to her saying: "sleep now flower, now your time is up and it's my turn, I need to pray". He prayed while the cow was asleep and he asked her not to wake up before he finished his prayer because he cannot talk to God and watch over her at the same time, and God is more important! He used to spend long hours in prayer.

Inside the village of Bekaakafra

Everyday he knelt down in the church never looking to anyone, often went to a cave to pray, where he had placed a picture of the Virgin and a bouquet of flowers, and brought incense with him. This cave is now called the "Saint's Cave". He was so dedicated to prayer, so pious, disciplined and polite, he never missed a holy mass or any liturgical celebration to the point that the children of the village used to call him "The Saint" to make fun of him, but they failed to realize that soon he will become one, and that the whole world would be calling him Saint Charbel!