Charbel Succeeds to Alishaa

From Charbel the Hermit

When father Charbel moved to the hermitage, the wishes of hermit father Alishaa were fulfilled, as he had discovered Charbel’s call for hermit seclusion. Father Charbel used to serve the holy mass for Alishaa and used to take care of his daily necessities and bring him food and beverage from the monastery.

The Hermitage in Annaya

After that Father Charbel had served Alishaa in the hermitage for six years, and after that Alishaa had spent in the hermitage of Annaya forty four years and a half, he died on the thirteen’s of February 1875 and was buried on Sunday the fourteenth of February. On the next day, the Superior of the monastery father Elias Al Meshmeshani ordered father Charbel formally to stay at the hermitage. Charbel stayed at the hermitage with the hermit father Libawos Al Ramati, then father Makarios Al Mishmishani joined them on the 25th of April 1880.

Father Charbel used to come to the monastery to bring the weekly needs of food and beverage to the hermits, and used to put the provisions in a hemp bag and carry it on his back all the way to the hermitage. He used to do that because he considered himself a servant of God and of his brothers.