Saint Al Hardini At Work

Saint Al Hardini often went to funerals with his superior to offer his condolences and comfort the family of the deceased. He never wasted his time during such events to pay visits to friends and parishioners but went straight away to the church, and after the funeral he returned directly to the monastery. People ran to him whenever they saw him, asking for his blessing and giving him water to pray over it, and he never rejected or frustrated anyone, but he always blessed the water for everybody and prayed for anyone who asked for his prayer. 

Many people from the surrounding areas came to him with their anguish and trouble, to take blessed water for their land and cattle, and for the curing of their sickness and disease. With the strength of his prayer and his intercession before the most high, he healed the sick, and the crops were saved from many natural disasters. 

Father Al Hardini gave the absolution for the sinners, he relieved them by spreading in their hearts the seed of hope, and he never refused to give advices to anyone, but he gave his guidance to praise God and to save souls with a remarkable honesty and love. 

Monastery of Saint Antonios Kozhaya at the Kannoubine Valley

In the morning, he offered his day and his work to God, especially before the beginning of any task, and he spent most of his time at work and prayer. His work was mainly with the monks at the fields and he also did the archiving job (which he learned at the monastery of Saint Kozhaya, and kept doing it even after he became vicar general). He never had any empty time during his day, but he always occupied himself either with a spiritual task or with a job for the monastery. Very often at night, after that his brothers the monks have gone to sleep, he went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Al Hardini's Daily Way of Life

Al Hardini was 175 cm tall, he had a straight posture and was a handsome man. He had a brown skin, a black hair and a short beard. His face was clear and skinny and it became extremely skinny with time due to his excessive acts of penance, which made his face look pale as if he had just recovered from illness. His voice was always low and his head always inclined, his eyes were always looking at the ground with humbleness and piety. He was very smart, decent in his walk and in his manners, and was very eloquent in his conversations. He was very respected and highly revered by everybody, whenever he was at the monastery there was silence, as if nobody was there.

The Church inside the Monastery of Kfifane, where Saint Al Hardini
used to spend most of his time.

Father Al Hardini used to wake up with the other monks at midnight upon the bell for the midnight prayer. After the prayer, all the monks used to return to their rooms while Al Hardini, and with the permission of the Superior, used to stay at the church to pray and meditate and to prepare himself for the holy Eucharist of the next day. In the morning he would participate in the morning prayer with all the monks, then he would serve the Holy Mass for his brothers the priests. At ten o’clock, everybody sits down to eat, but Al Hardini does not, and he would celebrate the Holy Mass at eleven o’clock for around an hour, afterwards he would pray the thanksgiving prayer, then an entire Rosary with a strong voice and an incredible fervor and love for the Virgin Mary the mother of God.

After the Holy Mass, Al Hardini would go to the table to have something to eat, he refused to be asked whether he liked the kind of food or not, but he always insisted to have the same food of his brothers the monks and not to be distinguished. Sometimes the Kararji (the monk responsible for the provision) used to offer him another dish from the one that was served because it became cold, but he never accepted to eat as he totally refused to be privileged or indulged.

Father Al Hardini often explained that the reason why he doesn’t have any food in the morning was not because of his fasting but rather because of the lack of time as he needed to finish his prayer and spiritual meditation. He never spent evenings with anybody, he was always alone in his room or at the church. This is how he lived his twenty three years of priesthood, making from prayer and fasting his daily life, even on Sundays and on Feast Days.

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