Here we are in 2026, with the Jubilee Year of Hope fading into memory. But surely one point of all such celebrations is that they help us deeply own particular virtues in a richer way for all of our ensuing days. Right? And one way we can continue to help HOPE thrive within us is to tell our stories of hope to each other. I have one to share.
Back in Autumn 2024 when I was praying about which saints to feature in the chapel on which months of 2025 — trying to line up the relics we already had in our vault with the relevant feast days and the kinds of hope we might especially want, the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to my heart, telling me to include St. Charbel. “But, Lord, we don’t even have a relic of Charbel! We just have that statue someone gave us,” I semi-protested. “And I gotta write this stuff now so we can get it printed!” He laughed and told me to do it anyway. “Fine,” I said, “but I’m putting him in December!” He kept laughing, and I got busy letting people know that we needed a relic of Charbel — even if it was just to borrow — in December of 2025.
In late spring, I heard a rumor that Father J.J.’s friend Bishop Kalabat had a relic for us. (To keep? Or borrow? What kind of relic?) Many weeks passed with no further news. In July, as the increasingly loud deadline for the December signage approached, I boldly emailed Bishop Kalabat’s office myself. The next day, while working at Mary’s Mantle (as I do every Wednesday), Bishop Kalabat himself (!!) called me. In the course of our conversation, when he mentioned he felt like he was just keeping his head above water, I prayed for him. Afterward, he and I determined that we were currently quite close to each other geographically, and he was running errands anyway, so he could personally bring St. Charbel to me at Mary’s Mantle – a Catholic maternity home he didn’t know about before that day.
So, in a pouring rain, he hopped out of his little car into that puddly driveway and brought the relic of Charbel into the maternity home, where he also learned about the ministry, which was co-founded by his pal Fr. J.J. While chuckling at the large photo of his buddy on the wall there, Bishop Kalabat let us know that the beautifully mounted first-class bone relic was for the Cathedral to keep. He met the residents, blessed us, and told us a bit about St. Charbel, patron saint of Lebanon and wonder-worker. Did we know there are over 30,000 recorded miracles attributed to St. Charbel since his death?!?! The staff member with familial links to that region was especially moved.
I joyfully brought the relic to the Cathedral. Father, Brian, Keith, and I made further plans to permanently install the relic and the statue together in the chapel by the first of December, which did happen … at the exact time that Pope Leo made a historic trip to Charbel’s shrine and Cardinal Pizzaballa visited Detroit to help us understand the struggles of people living in the Holy Land.
Surely a God who can clearly direct our steps with such beautiful timing is a God who still cares, a God who is in control, a God who is never anxious, rushed, or worried. A God of Hope. Every day, every year, in every heart.
St. Charbel, pray for us!
Marian Bart