With Catholics in the U.S. marking the National Eucharistic Revival, a new spirituality center in Pittsburgh is encouraging deeper devotion to the Eucharist through the intercession of a beloved Lebanese saint.
The St. Sharbel Spiritual Life Center, which opened its doors Dec. 14, offers opportunities for worship, Eucharistic adoration, education, ministry, training and Scripture studies. The center operates under the direction of the Eparchy of St. Maron in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the Maronite Catholic Church, one of the 24 self-governing Eastern and Latin churches in communion with the pope that together make the global Catholic Church.
Situated on three acres, the center is adjacent to Our Lady of Victory Maronite Catholic Church, and includes a chapel, an extensive library, classrooms, prayer spaces, offices and kitchens.
Liturgies are celebrated Monday through Friday at the center by a rotation of priests from the Maronite, Byzantine and Roman traditions “as a sign of unity within the Catholic Church,” according to a press release from the organization. Opportunities for Eucharistic adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation are available each weekday.
On the 22nd of each month, the center will offer a liturgy in honor of St. Sharbel for the intentions of those present, with Eucharistic adoration, confession and veneration of the saint’s relic. Day retreats will also be offered in the coming months.
Maronite Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, who leads the St. Maron Eparchy, said in a statement that he and fellow Maronite Catholics are “supremely blessed” to be able to share the legacy of St. Sharbel.
“St. Sharbel is well known to Maronites and many other Catholics around the world, but now we will be better able to spread his devotion, his faith and – we pray –extend his blessings even further,” Bishop Mansour said.
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