About Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center [Maronite] · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center is a Maronite Catholic pastoral center in Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood, at 820 Crane Avenue. It sits on more than three acres adjacent to Our Lady of Victory Maronite Parish, in a 10,300-square-foot building that was formerly the Epiphany Center designed by the late Father Adrian van Kaam and Dr. Susan Muto. Operated under the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, it is dedicated to Saint Sharbel Makhlouf and offers daily Divine Liturgy (by a rotation of Maronite, Byzantine, and Latin-rite priests), Eucharistic adoration, confession, retreats, spiritual direction, and formation courses for the laity and clergy. Dr. Anne Borik, a Catholic internal-medicine physician and founder of the Saint Sharbel Global Prayer Net, serves as Director; Subdeacon Vincent Michael is Assistant Director.
- Established
- 2023
- Patron
- Saint Sharbel Makhlouf
- Diocese
- Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
Why belong here
The Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center is a one-of-a-kind Catholic retreat and formation center where Eastern and Western spirituality meet in the same chapel. Daily Divine Liturgy is celebrated by a rotating team of Maronite, Byzantine, and Latin-rite priests, with Eucharistic adoration and confession available most days — and a special Saint Sharbel Day of Healing and Prayer (with veneration of a first-class relic of the saint and blessing with St. Sharbel Holy Oil) on the 22nd of each month. Members also gain access to retreats, spiritual direction, courses in Syriac and Eastern spirituality, catechist training, couples enrichment, parenting courses, and a 10,000-volume spiritual library — all in service of growing deeper in union with Christ through the Eucharist and the intercession of Saint Sharbel.
Mass times at Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center [Maronite]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Daily (per Center press release)
- Thursday during the Saint Sharbel program: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- 22nd of each month (Saint Sharbel Day): Confession available all day
Adoration times
- Daily (per Center press release)
- Thursday: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM Eucharistic Adoration
- 22nd of each month (Saint Sharbel Day): Eucharistic Adoration throughout the day
About the Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center
The Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center is a Maronite Catholic pastoral center in Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood, operated under the direction of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Its stated purpose is to assist each person who comes to the Center — in person or online — to develop an interior spiritual life based on the teaching and example of the great mystics of the Church, and to cultivate a deeper devotion to Christ in the Holy Eucharist through the example and intercession of Saint Sharbel. The Center occupies a 10,300-square-foot building on more than three acres, originally designed by Father Adrian van Kaam and Dr. Susan Muto as the Epiphany Center for spiritual formation. It contains a chapel, a library with more than 10,000 books on spirituality, classrooms, meeting and conference rooms, offices, places for quiet reflection and prayer, and a kitchen. It sits immediately adjacent to Our Lady of Victory Maronite Catholic Church.
- Affiliated with the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
- Located at 820 Crane Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 (Beechview)
- Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00 AM–2:00 PM; Thursday 4:00 PM–8:00 PM; Saturday 8:00 AM–2:00 PM
- A 501(c)(3) organization; donations are tax-deductible
History and Dedication
The Center was opened in December 2023 as the first Catholic spiritual life center in the world specifically devoted to developing the interior spiritual life of Saint Sharbel Makhlouf. On Saturday, April 13, 2024, Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, joined by Bishop David A. Zubik of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and more than 200 invited guests, formally dedicated the Center. The day-long celebration included an open house, the Dedication with Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel, a Divine Liturgy at the adjacent Our Lady of Victory Maronite Catholic Church, a buffet dinner, and a concert by the choir of Saint Anthony of the Desert Maronite Catholic Church of Fall River, Massachusetts, performing Syriac and Saint Sharbel hymns.
- Opened: December 2023 (announced Dec. 27, 2023)
- Formally dedicated: April 13, 2024
- Project cost: approximately $1.25 million
- Building originally designed as the Epiphany Center by Fr. Adrian van Kaam and Dr. Susan Muto
Saint Sharbel Makhlouf — Patron of the Center
Saint Sharbel Makhlouf (1828–1898) was a Lebanese-born Maronite Catholic monk, priest, and hermit, revered during his life as a humble, saintly priest whose prayers brought forth blessings and miracles. Following his death, witnesses reported lights around his tomb; when it was opened, his body was found incorrupt and exuding sweat and blood, and his vestments had to be changed several times. Pope Pius XII approved his heroic virtues in 1954; Pope Saint Paul VI presided over his beatification at the close of the Second Vatican Council in December 1965 and canonized him in 1977.
- Lebanese Maronite monk, priest, and hermit (1828–1898)
- Heroic virtues recognized by Pope Pius XII (1954)
- Beatified by Pope Saint Paul VI (December 1965)
- Canonized by Pope Saint Paul VI (1977)
- A first-class relic of Saint Sharbel is venerated at the Center on Saint Sharbel Day (the 22nd of each month)
Saint Sharbel Day — The 22nd of Each Month
On the 22nd of each month (unless otherwise noted) the Center hosts its Saint Sharbel Day of Healing and Prayer. The Center opens at 4:00 PM and the day includes extended hours of Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, recitation of the Holy Rosary, a Maronite Divine Liturgy in honor of God through Saint Sharbel's intercession, veneration of the first-class relic of Saint Sharbel, blessing with St. Sharbel holy oil, and refreshments.
- Center hours on the 22nd: 4:00 PM–8:00 PM
- 5:00–6:00 PM Confession; 5:00 PM Eucharistic Adoration
- 6:00 PM Holy Rosary; 6:30 PM Divine Liturgy
- Veneration of the relic and blessing with holy oil follow the Liturgy; refreshments and Gift Shop afterwards
Staff and Leadership
The Center is overseen by the Most Reverend Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, Bishop of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. Day-to-day operations are led by Director Dr. Anne Borik, a Catholic internal-medicine physician who was the lead medical investigator of the 2016 miraculous healing of Dafne Gutierrez in Phoenix and the founder of the worldwide Saint Sharbel Global Prayer Net. Subdeacon Vincent Michael serves as Assistant Director. Liturgies are celebrated by a rotation of Maronite, Byzantine, and Latin-rite priests, including Fr. Jason Charron.
- Bishop Gregory J. Mansour — Eparchial Bishop and overseer
- Dr. Anne Borik — Director
- Subdeacon Vincent Michael — Assistant Director
- Fr. Jason Charron — celebrant (rotation)
Ministries, Formation, and Retreats
The Center describes itself as offering a variety of faith-filled opportunities across Eastern and Western spirituality. It is intended to serve single people, couples, young adults, the elderly, and any person of goodwill who wants to grow in spiritual life. Programming combines contemplative formation (spiritual direction, Syriac and Eastern spirituality, Sharbel Days) with practical lay formation (catechist training, couples enrichment, parenting courses, choir leader formation) and Saturday day retreats led by a faculty of presenters.
- Spiritual Direction
- Eastern Spirituality and Syriac Spirituality
- Sharbel Days (monthly Saint Sharbel Day of Healing and Prayer)
- Catechist Training
- Couples Enrichment
- Choir Leaders & Members formation
- Parenting Courses
- Spiritual Theology courses
- Saturday day retreats (faculty of presenters)
Virtual Programs and Online Resources
Through its Virtual Programs page, the Center extends its formation beyond Pittsburgh. Online offerings include video excerpts on the healing power of God through the intercession of Saint Sharbel, the Nine-Day Novena to Saint Sharbel, a 33-Day Consecration to Saint Joseph, Thoughts on St. Paul by Pope Benedict XVI, homilies preached at the Center, and a series of talks by Dr. Anne Borik on Eucharistic miracles from a medical standpoint.
- Nine-Day Novena to Saint Sharbel
- 33-Day Consecration to Saint Joseph
- Thoughts on St. Paul by Pope Benedict XVI
- Talks on Eucharistic Miracles from a Medical Standpoint (Dr. Anne Borik)
- Homilies preached at the Center
The Maronite Catholic Tradition
The Maronite Catholic Church is one of the (now 24) Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Pope, following the Antiochene Tradition and tracing its origins to the early Christians of Antioch in ancient Syria (cf. Acts 11:26). Its liturgy incorporates Syriac, a dialect of the Aramaic spoken by Jesus Himself, and the Church takes its name from Saint Maron, an hermit-priest who died in 410 AD. Today the Maronite Church is led by Patriarch Bechara Peter Cardinal Rai in Lebanon; the United States is home to two Maronite eparchies (dioceses) with more than 90 parishes and missions, a seminary, two monasteries, convents, a National Shrine to Our Lady of Lebanon, and now the Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center.
- One of the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome
- Liturgical tradition: Antiochene / West Syriac (Aramaic)
- United States: Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn (and Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon)
- Center is affiliated with the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
Facilities, Library, and Future Building
The Center's 10,300-square-foot building on more than three acres was purpose-built for spiritual formation by Father Adrian van Kaam and Dr. Susan Muto. Its chapel seats the community for daily Liturgy and adoration, while the on-site library holds more than 10,000 volumes on spirituality for retreatants and visitors. The Center has been approved to build more than a dozen overnight housing units on the property so that retreatants can stay for a prolonged period of time; fundraising is currently underway for that expansion.
- Chapel for daily Liturgy and Eucharistic Adoration
- Library of 10,000+ books on spirituality
- Classrooms, conference rooms, and meeting space
- Places for quiet reflection and prayer; kitchen
- Planned overnight housing units for extended retreats (fundraising in progress)
Giving and Membership
The Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center is a 501(c)(3) organization; all donations are tax-deductible. Donations can be made online via the Center's website or by mail to 820 Crane Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15216. Contributors become Affiliate Members, which entitles them to the monthly newsletter, online talks and courses, and invitations to upcoming events.
- Online giving: saintsharbelcenter.org/donate
- Mail: Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center, 820 Crane Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15216
- Affiliate Member benefits: monthly newsletter, online talks and courses, event invitations
Visit, Contact, and Hours
Visitors are welcome during the Center's posted hours. For questions about programming, retreats, or to schedule spiritual direction, contact the Center by phone or email.
- Address: 820 Crane Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216
- Phone: (412) 745-8715
- Email: [email protected]
- Hours: Tue/Wed/Fri 10 AM–2 PM; Thu 4 PM–8 PM; Sat 8 AM–2 PM
- Website: https://saintsharbelcenter.org/