The Hungarian capital Budapest has witnessed lately the inauguration and dedication of a square to the Lebanese hermit Saint, Mar Charbel, in a ceremony attended by the Hungarian Prime Minister and the Ambassador of Lebanon in Hungary, Joanna Azzi.
The ceremony was attended by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest Governor Istvan Tarlos, Cardinal Budapest Bishop Peter Ardo, and the head of the Lebanese Maronite Order Nabatallah Hashem, and a crowd of heads of state and Lebanese Maronite priests and monks.
The ceremony was celebrated by the SANCTA MARIA CHOIR from Lebanon led by Engineer Jamil Tawfik. The choir sang Hungarian and Lebanese anthems and hymns inspired by the occasion. The choir also presented traditional gifts from Lebanon to the Governor and the Cardinal of Budapest.
The choir also hosted the World Youth Festival in Hungary Máriabesnyői, which is associated with the World Youth Festival in Mediguria for three days from May 24 to 26.
This festival was attended by young people from all over Europe invited by Father Gergo Peter Bezier and with the support of the Hungarian Parliament. The festival attracts the youth to the Church through the songs and testimonies of life and the revival of mass and various prayers.
The choir has the key role in the revitalization of this large gathering, which was held for the second year in a row.
Sancta Maria Choir is an international choir founded in 2006 by Eng. Jamil Toufic. Its main concern is to pray with the youth and for the youth.
Saint Charbel Makhlouf was born in1828 in the northern mountain village of BekaaKafra. He entered the Maronite priesthood in 1851 and became a hermit in 1875.
Known worldwide as Saint Charbel, and as Mar Charbel in Lebanon, he lived a remarkable life of sainthood in the monastery of Saint Maroun in the Annaya mountain of Byblos.
Canonized by the Pope in the Vatican in 1977 for his countless miracles all over the world, all the way to South America where he is similarly venerated, Saint Charbel has gained a wide reputation for his miraculous healings.
His sanctuary in Annaya, Lebanon, is always packed with pilgrims from around the world and people seeking healing, especially every 22nd of each month when people gather to pray and celebrate the Mass in his hermitage.
St. Charbel is widely known among the Lebanese Christian and Muslim communities for his miraculous healings in answer to prayers and, as per the Catholic News Agency, for his ability to unite Christians and Muslims.*
* “Lebanese St. Charbel Makhlouf known for miraculous healings and uniting Christians and Muslims.” Brockhaus, Hannah. Catholic News Agency. January 10, 2019.