I have been listening to a lot of talks and programmes from the late Fr Benedict Groeshel recently. Some of you may not have heard of him but he was a wonderfully wise and saintly priest from New Jersey in the USA. There are loads of videos of his on Tube. But one thing he often mentions is concerning the saints he had met in his life and some stories of their goings on. But one thing he mentions is that we tend to home in on the well known saints. But that there are many, many saints we will never know about who live and die unknown. But sometimes ,as in the case of St Charbel God reaches down from heaven , points His Great Big finger at them and forces us to know. So it was with St Charbel . If it were not for the massive supernatural circumstances that happened after his death we might never have know. The light round his grave, the constant oil seeping from his body, but perhaps nowadays the most incredible constant miracles. https://aleteia.org/2025/07/24/the-only-photograph-of-st-charbel-was-a-miracle/ The only photograph of St. Charbel was a miracle © Antoine Mekary | ALETEIA Philip Kosloski - published on 07/24/25 According to local monks, St. Charbel was never photographed during his life, but miraculously appeared in a photo taken at his tomb. St. Charbel lived in the 19th century in Lebanon. He was attracted to the hermit’s life of the desert and eventually entered the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya. After many years, Charbel felt God calling him again to become a hermit and was granted permission to live the rest of his life at a hermitage set on a hill near the monastery. He died in 1898 and was reportedly never photographed during his lifetime. Even if he was photographed, no photograph exists that is from the time period. However, there does exist a mysterious photograph of him that was later used for most of his official portraits. The story behind the photograph Fr. George Webby, a Maronite priest from Pennsylvania, went on a pilgrimage to St. Charbel's tomb on May 8, 1950, St. Charbel's birthday, with a group of fellow Maronite monks. They took a picture outside the monastery walls and after the picture was developed, they noticed an unknown figure in front of everyone. The figure in the photo was not part of their group and so they asked the monks at the monastery if they knew who it was. A few older monks knew immediately who it was: St. Charbel. Public Domain These monks had known St. Charbel during their lifetime and could recognize him. What's fascinating is that most modern-day portraits of St. Charbel are based on this miraculous image. There is another case of a mysterious photo: a photograph taken in 2016 that reportedly shows St. Charbel blessing a woman who had cancer. She had come to his tomb to pray for healing, but the monastery was shut. So she asked an elderly monk to bless her and only found out later that no monk lived at the monastery with that description. She took it as a sign that St. Charbel himself had blessed her. When she returned, it was discovered that her cancer was gone. It is a reminder of how St. Charbel remains a powerful heavenly intercessor and miracles continue to happen many years after his death.
From Totus Tuus page: "Among the healing miracles attributed to Saint Charbel Makhlouf, the 1993 healing of Nohad El Shami is the most famous and thoroughly documented. Nohad El Shami, a 55-year-old Lebanese woman, suffered from partial paralysis caused by severe blockage of the carotid arteries. Her condition left her unable to move normally, and doctors considered surgery too risky. After praying a novena to St. Charbel, she dreamed that the saint, accompanied by another monk (widely believed to be Saint Maron), operated on her neck. When she awoke on January 22, 1993, she was completely healed. She could walk, speak, and move normally again. She also found two fresh, surgical-like scars on her neck that remained visible for years. Following an investigation by Church authorities and medical experts, the healing was recognized as extraordinary. St. Charbel's monastery asked Nohad to return regularly as a witness to God's grace through the saint's intercession. Her testimony has inspired countless pilgrims, and the event remains one of the best-known healing miracles associated with St. Charbel."
SAINTS OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 25 JULY, 2026 SAINT JAMES THE GREATER (APOSTLE) SAINT CHRISTOPHER SAINT JAMES THE GREATER (APOSTLE) APOSTLE AND MARTYR (First Century) In Spain, he is called El Senor Santiago, the patron saint of horsemen and soldiers, and his great shrine at Santiago de Compostela in that country has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. He is one of those that Jesus called Boanerges, "son of thunder," the brother of John the Evangelist and the son of Zebedee the fisherman from Galilee. St. James the Greater and his brother John were apparently partners with those other two brothers, Peter and Andrew, and lived in Bethsaida, on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. How and where James first met Jesus, we do not know; but there is an old legend that makes Salome, his mother, a sister of Mary, and if this were the case, he would have known Jesus from childhood. Along with Peter and his brother John, James was part of the inner circle of Jesus, who witnessed the Transfiguration, were witnesses to certain of His miracles, like the raising of the daughter of Jairus, and accompanied Him to the Garden of Gethsemani. Like his brother, he was active in the work of evangelization after the death of Jesus, and one legend, very unlikely, even has him going to Spain after Jesus' resurrection. His prominence and his presence in Jerusalem must have been well known, for scarcely a dozen years after the Resurrection, he became involved in the political maneuverings of the day and was arrested and executed by King Herod Agrippa. This was followed by the arrest of Peter also, so his death must have been part of a purge of Christian leaders by Agrippa, who saw the new Christian movement as a threat to Judaism. Jesus had foretold this kind of fate when He prophesied that James and his brother John would "drink of the same chalice" of suffering as Himself. The two brothers had asked to be seated at the right of Jesus and at His left in His kingdom, and Jesus told them that they would be with Him in a far different way than they expected. James's death is the only biblical record we have of the death of one of the Apostles, and he was the first of that chosen band to give his life for his Master. PATRON: Against arthritis; against rheumatism; Antigua, Guatemala; apothecaries; blacksmiths; Chile; Compostela, Spain; druggists; equestrians; furriers; Galicia, Spain; Guatemala; horsemen; knights; laborers; Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Nicaragua; pharmacists; pilgrims; Pistoia, Italy; rheumatoid sufferers; riders; soldiers; Spain; Spanish conquistadors; tanners; veterinarians. PRAYER: Almighty ever-living God, who consecrated the first fruits of your Apostles by the blood of Saint James, grant, we pray, that your Church may be strengthened by his confession of faith and constantly sustained by his protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. SAINT CHRISTOPHER (Death - 251) The story of St. Christopher and the St. Christopher Medal is a captivating part of Christian gospel. He was a Canaanite 7.5 feet tall with a fearsome face. He is believed to be a large man of immense strength who lived in the third century during the reign of Decius. According to legend, Christopher's given name was Reprobus and that he once served the king of Canaan, who he believed to be “the greatest king there was”. One day he saw that the king feared the devil. Upon learning this, he decided to depart from the king's service and seek out the devil. He came across one of whom declared himself as the devil and Reprobus decided to serve him. However, when he saw his new master avoid a wayside cross, he learned that the devil feared Christ. He left the devil's service and set out on a journey to find Christ. He encountered a hermit who instructed him on the Christian faith. The hermit told Reprobus that in order to serve Jesus, he recommends fasting and prayer. This option did not suit him very well. As an alternative, the hermit suggested that he might use his strength to help travelers cross a dangerous river. This was a service that suited him perfectly. One day a child arrived to be carried across the river. Reprobus took the child upon his shoulders, but as he crossed the river, the child grew heavier until Reprobus feared he would fall and that they would both drown. When he asked the child why he was so heavy, the child revealed that he was Jesus Christ and answered that he was heavy with the weight of the world's sins. Not one to give up, he forged ahead with considerable difficulty and crossed the river with the Christ child on his shoulders. When they reached the opposite bank, Christ asked Reprobus to press his staff into the ground. When he did, the staff turned into a beautiful flowering tree, and he was rewarded. Christ then baptized Reprobus in the river and gave him his Christian name which - Christopher - means "Christ-bearer." The St. Christopher medal depicts a bearded, middle-aged man. Upon his shoulders sit a child representing Christ, and in his hand is a staff. The inscription "Svts. Christophorvs Protector Noster," which means "Saint Christopher Our Protector" circles the medallion. Christopher spent the remainder of his life in the service of Christ and worked tirelessly to spread Christ's teachings. He died a martyr in Lycia, in 251 A.D. PATRON: of bachelors, transportation, traveling, storms, epilepsy, gardeners, holy death, and toothache. MOTORIST'S PRAYER TO ST. CHRISTOPHER Grant me, O Lord, a steady hand and watchful eye. That no one shall be hurt as I pass by. You gave life, I pray no act of mine may take away or mar that gift of thine. Shelter those, dear Lord, who bear my company, from the evils of fire and all calamity. Teach me, to use my car for others need; Nor miss through love of undue speed the beauty of the world; that thus I may with joy and courtesy go on my way. St. Christopher, holy patron of travelers, protect me and lead me safely to my destiny. Amen.
I have grown very fond of St James. His personality comes across so well from Scripture, especially his own writings. He reminds me of the Down to Earth Irish Parish Priests of my childhood and youth. Men whose word was fiery law and who could put the fear of God into peoples hearts with a formidable glance. I loved what he had to say about the rich and the poor in Church. 1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. (James 5:1-6 ) The Spanish have an unusual depiction of St James as the Moor slayer. It goes back to the days when Islam ruled Spain and the Catholics had to battle to get their country back.
From Totus Tuus: After St. James the Greater was beheaded in Jerusalem under King Herod Agrippa, tradition holds that his disciples carefully brought his body across the sea to Spain. For centuries the tomb remained hidden… until around the year 813. A hermit named Pelagius (Pelayo) began noticing mysterious lights shining night after night over a quiet field near what is now Compostela. Disturbed and intrigued, he reported the strange phenomenon to the local bishop, Teodomiro of Iria Flavia. When the bishop investigated, he discovered a forgotten tomb containing the remains of St. James and two of his disciples, Athanasius and Theodore. That discovery changed Christian history. King Alfonso II of Asturias ordered a chapel built over the site. Over time it grew into one of the greatest pilgrimage destinations in the world — Santiago de Compostela — drawing millions of pilgrims along the Camino for more than 1,200 years. From a forgotten field lit by unexplained lights… to a shrine that has shaped the faith of countless souls. God often reveals His greatest treasures in the most unexpected places and through the simplest of signs. St. James the Greater, pray for us!
