Saint Charbel's Clothes

From A Life Of Hardship.

Saint Charbel’s clothes were so deteriorated as if he was the poorest beggar. Even the novices at the Maronite Order had better clothes that him, he never put on a new cowl but always requested humbly to wear the used clothes left by the monks and brothers. Therefore, his cowl was old and full of patches, the wires were visible and made from local hard wool. It was reddish because of the excessive wear and tear, but always clean as he used to wash it by himself, and sew patches on it improperly with a stitch every 5 to 10 cm. He did not have different robes for summer and winter, but always wore the same one until it became completely ruined and desintegrated, then he would be given another one.

Saint Charbel's priest vestments

He had a leather belt like all the other monks, but it was torn at many places because of the rocks and logs of wood that he used to carry. He had a single black pants, a shirt from virgin fabric, an old vest and the monastic cowl overall. He never wore any socks during his whole life even in cold winter days. He always covered his shoulders with a shawl at church and outside the hermitage and removed it at work. He never took the hood off his head, not even in winter or summer, nor during day or night, but only during the holy mass as per the Maronite liturgy. His hood was big, covering his head, his eyes and ears, and part of his cheeks and neck. His shoes were very old and patched, known as the old monastic heels, and his handkerchief was from hard virgin fabric known as tissue.
Moussa Moussa witnessed:” I saw him once wearing a torn pair of shoes so I asked him: why are you humiliating yourself? Ask for a decent pair of shoes, your feet have become like a camel feet!” but he did not answer!

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