Newsroom (07/22/2025 20:29, Gaudium Press) On the 22nd of every month, thousands of people around the world unite in prayer, fasting, and celebration in honor of a miracle that moved Lebanon. At the heart of this devotion is Nohad El Shami, a mother of twelve who, in 1993, was healed of incurable paralysis through the intercession of St. Charbel Makhlouf, the mystical Maronite monk known as the “miracle worker.”
Nohad, a native of Mezarib in Mount Lebanon, was 55 years old when she was diagnosed with hemiplegia, a paralysis that affected half of her body due to blocked cerebral arteries. Medical science offered no hope. “There was no treatment possible,” the doctors declared. The situation was irreversible.
In desperation, his eldest son, Saad, traveled to the hermitage of St. Charbel in Annaya, also in Lebanon, where the saint spent 23 years in silence, prayer, and penance. There he collected consecrated oil and earth from the saint’s tomb to bring to his mother, imploring a miracle.
For days, Nohad remained in bed, suffering constant and acute pain. Then, on the night of January 21, 1993, he had an extraordinary dream: he saw himself receiving Holy Communion from the hands of St. Charbel during a Mass at the hermitage.
The miracle that gave birth to a monthly devotion.
What happened the following morning would mark his life and the history of devotion to the Lebanese saint. In her dream, she saw two monks (St. Charbel and St. Maron) at her bedside. One of them was holding her, while the other was touching her neck as if he were operating on her. Upon awakening, Nohad felt something different. To her amazement, she could move completely – she had been healed! Two incisions were visible on her neck, a sign of the divine mystery she had just experienced.
The following night, St. Charbel again visited her in a dream. He told her, “I performed the surgery so that people may see and return to the faith. I ask you to visit my hermitage in Annaya on the 22nd of every month and attend Mass regularly for the rest of your life.”
Since then, thousands of people have followed Nohad’s example. Every month, on the 22nd, faithful from all over the world – Catholics, Orthodox, and even Muslims – make a spiritual or personal pilgrimage to Annaya to participate in the Mass in memory of his healing and ask for the saint’s powerful intercession.
This miracle, along with many others attributed to St. Charbel, has revitalized the faith of generations. His austere life was dedicated to God. It was marked by silence, prayer, and an extraordinary Eucharistic devotion. Today, it stands as a witness to holiness.
St. Charbel was born on May 8, 1828, in Bekaa Kafra, northern Lebanon. At the age of 23, he entered the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, where he later embraced the life of a hermit. He died in 1898 while celebrating Holy Mass. Since then, his tomb has been a place of miracles and conversion.
Faithful to the promise to the end
Nohad El Shami, whose testimony became the heart of this monthly devotion, passed away recently, on May 14, 2025, after decades of faithfulness to the promise made to St. Charbel. Until the end, he attended Mass every 22nd, sharing his story with humility.
In the words of St. Charbel himself, etched in the hearts of those who come to him with confidence, “I did this so that the world may see and return to the faith.”
With information from ChurchPOP
Compiled by Dominic Joseph
Related Images:
