St. Sharbel Church | Clinton Township, MI

By Valerie Menassa

The Feast of our Patron, St. Sharbel, was a joyous four-day celebration that took place at St. Sharbel Maronite Church in Clinton Township, Michigan, from 19-22 July. Several priests of different rites celebrated Liturgies throughout the days while hundreds of faith-filled people gathered each night in prayer seeking the intercession of St. Sharbel, the Healing Saint!

We also had the honor of hosting the first-class relics of St. Sharbel, which were made available for veneration throughout the day. Parishioners, friends, family, and visitors from far and near made their way to our church to bring their heartfelt petitions to Saint Sharbel. They participated in the Healing Liturgies, spent quiet time in prayer before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and venerated the relics of Saint Sharbel.

So many wonderful and hard-working individuals helped with the preparations, set up, and execution of activities during the four days of festivities. The spirit of St. Sharbel was truly alive to all who came! May the Lord God continue to bless the efforts of St. Sharbel Parishioners!

By Valerie Tamer Menassa

On 8 September 2019, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, the community of St. Sharbel Church in Clinton Township, Michigan, welcomed a man of deep faith, Mr. Raymond Nader. Raymond came from Lebanon to give a testimony about the importance of being a true disciple of Our Savior Jesus Christ. He shared his story about his childhood and how he grew deeper in faith. He also talked about the transformational spiritual phase of his life when St. Sharbel's hand touched him and left a visible mark on his left upper arm.

Raymond emphasized the importance of the Sacred Scriptures and the Eucharist in our own spiritual transformation, and the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the ongoing messages from St. Sharbel to him. He spoke of how incredible and personal God’s love for each of us is, that we have been given a unique and special fingerprint by God. Because of His immense love for us, His will is for us to become saints, with our final destination being with Him in His kingdom for all eternity.

Raymond talked about the significant impact we offer to others when we truly live what we learn from Our Lord Jesus. In fact, he stated that he is called to do God's will in all he does in life. He is a son, a spouse, a father, an engineer, a co-founder of St. Sharbel Family prayer group (along with Mrs. Nohad El-Shami), and a board member of Noursat/Telelumiere (the largest Catholic channel in the Middle East).

Chorbishop Alfred Badawi, Pastor of St. Sharbel Church, thanked Raymond for his great faith and for the inspirational testimony he offered after the 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Liturgies. Parishioners and visitors from sister churches were deeply touched by his love and devotion to Our Savior Jesus Christ. Praise and Glory Be to God always!