St Charbel heals thousands of Orthodox Christians in Russia.

The Russia medical newspaper called “Lekar” (The Folk Physician) was established in 1996 in the city of Lipetsk which is 500km southeast of Moscow, Russia. The Lekar newspaper is published once a fortnight and is distributed in 75 out of the 89 regions of Russia which has a population well over 130 million people. The newspaper has a modest circulation due to the unusual character of its contents writes about unconventional methods of medical treatment.

In 1997 the Lekar newspaper wrote an article about St Charbel’s history and miracles and asked their readers to write back to their head office to explain their healing and miracle performed by St Charbel. Once the subscribers received the Lekar newspaper and read the article about St Charbel, they started to write about their miracle and healing performed by St Charbel and then sent off their letters to the Lekar newspaper head office.

After a few days the Lekar newspaper head office received over 5000 thousand letters from their readers explaining their healing and miracle performed by St Charbel. The letters started pouring in from all corners of Russia, from Voronezh, Tambov, Penza, Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Kamchatka, Perm, Yakutia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Mahachkala, Vladivostok, Kaliningrad and Tula to just name a few.

The Lekar newspaper chief editor compiled some of the letters and testimonies from their readers which describes their healing and miracle performed by St Charbel. Here are some letters from the readers:

 

Mrs. V .V. Antoniak, Lipetsk:

“I’m a retired teacher. I’m eager to tell you in what way Saint Charbel helps me and my family. The saint has become a kind of relative of ours. His image is of particular help in relieving pains, and when applied to an aching pancreas, the pains disappear in a matter of a few minutes. Recently, I happened to hurt my hand and a blue swollen mark appeared. I applied the image, prayed, and it was gone in a few minutes. It was a pure miracle. The portrait of Saint Charbel is also of use with my neurosis. Sometimes I contemplate his image for some time, murmur the Lord’s Prayer, appeal to Saint Charbel for help, beg Jesus to forgive my sins and then thank God and Saint Charbel for the deliverance from pain.”

Ivan G. Pokrovsky (a World War II veteran, retired secondary school director, and chairman of the local branch of the disabled persons’ organization association):

“… Recently, the doctors began considering amputation of my leg which is highly undesirable because of my advanced age. As a long standing subscriber to ‘The Folk Physician’, I have decided to submit myself to the reviving power of the Lebanese saint. It was with profound faith in a successful outcome that I applied his picture to my sore leg at length, patiently pleading with God and Saint Charbel to spare me from surgery. Believe me, the non-healing [open] wounds began skinning over [scabbing]. There’s no talk of amputation any more. This is why I’m making it public to the Lekar newspaper (The Folk Physician) that Saint Charbel whose body is to be found so far from Russia is relieving the sufferings of the Russian people at such a long distance.”

Tatiana Taganova, City of Tambov, Karbyshev:

“I’m so very grateful to you for the Lebanese saint’s image. Thanks to it, I’ve got rid of nutritional allergy.”

1. Yakovleva, S. Diakonova, O. Gorbunova, T. Pyatich, Town of Tchaplyghin, Lipetsk region:

“I, Vasina Liubov Petrovna, write this letter on behalf of the inhabitants of our block of flats. I have a daughter, twenty years old, who was suffering with severe headaches and I suggested that she should apply the image of the saint which was published in the Lekar newspaper ‘The Folk Physician’. At first my daughter refused point blank to do so, because she believed neither Tchumak, nor Kashpirovsky who are popular Russian mass media psychotherapists, and she was quite right in doing so. But then she agreed since the headaches became intolerable. Soon she informed me: ‘Mummy, I’m feeling warmth in the back of my head as if some evaporation has started’. A half an hour later, the headaches disappeared. Later, the bottom of my belly ached. I also applied the picture of the saint to the spot and prayed, pleading with God for help by means of Saint Charbel. The pain lessened and went away. My husband was always mocking me but recently he was experiencing pains in his knee cap. I suggested that he apply the image of Saint Charbel. Soon the pain subsided. I also would like to add that with the blessed help of the saint, I succeeded in bringing my elevated blood pressure down to normal. On the very day I intended to post this letter to you, my daughter started to feel pain in her left side. You may believe it or not, but our saint helped. I was told that it is not recommended to pass the image of Saint Charbel on to other sick persons for it is likely to lose its power because diseases heap up, one upon another. Nonetheless, once I lent this ‘medicine’ to my neighbor Mrs. Yakovleva. And it did help her as well.”

Nina Plotnikova, Matyrsky Settlement, Lipetsk region:

“My dear Folk Physician: Thanks to your assistance, I provided four families with pictures of Saint Charbel and they proved to be very helpful in treatment of different ailments. Here’s just an example: “My child was running high temperature. A doctor was not available to assist. I applied Saint Charbel’s portrait and, believe me, in some fifteen minutes the temperature was down. If it is possible, send us one and a half dozen images of Saint Charbel from Lebanon.”

Mrs.Valentina P. Pisareva, Voronezh:

“My mother is 72 years old but she finds help and solace only in the image of Saint Charbel. The great Charbel has become her irreplaceable doctor.”

Lykova Raissa Semyonovna, Kirovsk region:

“The photo of Saint Charbel has assisted me in recovering from a medium degree brain concussion. It helps relieve heart pain and colds. I have a profound belief in the saint’s power.”

Tyrina Valentina Michailovna, Matyrsky Settlement, Lipetsk region:

“Last year my daughter-in-law started bleeding. Her hands and feet grew cold. I knelt beside her bed and began praying. Then I placed an image of the saint from Lebanon upon her breast. In half an hour the young woman grew warm. The next morning, she told me that Charbel’s image radiated a powerful stream of warmth….”

Ann of Elets:

“I had a child who died. My husband told me to leave the body lying until tomorrow morning when he would bury it. I stayed next to the body and prayed over it and finally placed Saint Charbel’s image upon it and went to bed. In the morning the child ran up to her bed and woke me up”.

Mrs. Natalia Kudiaeva, The Settlement of “Vesyoly”, the Rostov region:

“Saint Charbel rendered assistance to my father who was going to be operated on to remove a malignant tumor. Now he is still with us although his condition seemed hopeless. My daughter suffered from inflammation of the lymph nodes. After applying Saint Charbel’s image, she recovered completely. But I would like to tell in what way the Lebanese saint saved even our cat. It was dying. The veterinarian said that there was no sense in treating it. But I laid the cat upon the Saint’s image, covered it with another image and sat down beside it while praying for about three hours. The breathing of the animal became regular. That night, our pet ran and climbed up into my bed. The cat is still alive. Thank God, Saint Charbel and you, the employees of the newspaper, which introduced this phenomenon to us, the Russians. God bless you!”

Evgenia Nickolaevan Vachrushina, Bashkortostan:

The nurses showed the photo of Saint Charbel to us. We became convinced in the healing power of this photo in which Saint Charbel looked as if he were sleeping. I am writing about what I witnessed. An acquaintance of mine who was very nearsighted (she was not able to read at all without glasses) applied the photo on her eyes and, after returning home, she was able to read without her glasses.

Another friend of mine developed a lump from an injection that accidentally struck the bones. She applied the photo to the lump and in the course of two days, the lump had disappeared.

Another friend, who was having acute pains in the arm above the elbow and was not able to raise her arm, hired two girls to put wallpaper on the walls of her room. However, the night before, she applied the photo of Saint Charbel to her arm. The next morning she was surprised to have been healed and able to do the work herself.

Another friend could not practically see anything from one of his eyes. It was as if a mist covered it. After having applied the photo of the Saint, she can now look out and see with her defective eye. I burst out crying on hearing this from her.”

Mrs. Tchovzhik Irina Petrovna, Shevtchenko, Lipetsk:

“I intended to take some holy water from the springs in our park, but slipped, fell on my arm and could not get up. The pain was so intense and I became frightened that I might have broken my arm. It took great effort to get home. I was given injections for a few days, the painful area was massaged and ointments were applied. Unfortunately, the pain did not subside. Then a strange feeling came over me, as if someone prodded my memory of the newspaper at home with Saint Charbel’s picture in it. I applied the picture to the painful spot a few times and I definitely felt better. Soon the pain disappeared completely.”

Mrs. Ivanova, Moskovskaya, Lipetsk:

“I would like to tell about the miracle associated with Saint Charbel’s picture which happened to me. All of a sudden I literally lost the power to use my legs. Namely my left leg was encased in a plaster cast following the surgery performed for transverse platy podia on my big toe. My right foot was sutured after the removal of part of a needle and this foot supported me with the aid of crutches. The sutured area of my right foot became inflamed, swelled, grew red, and started to ooze fluid. It was painful to touch and even more painful when I walked on it. I could only be patient and continue treating it. I covered the suture area with ointment and a piece of paper and then tied the Saint’s image to that spot. I fell asleep and awoke at daytime, a couple hours later. I removed the newspaper with the Saint’s picture and the paper wrapping from my foot. I was stunned to see that there were no redness, no welling, and no discharge. I had not felt any pain as well. I thanked God and Saint Charbel with all my heart. From that moment on, I have never parted with Saint Charbel’s image.”

Ms. Natalia Lependina of Voronezh:

“I have been working as a nurse for many years and have seen a lot in my professional life. I have always believed only in conventional medicine, particularly in surgery. Forgive me, but I have never believed in cures by saints, and even believed less in cures by their images. Nevertheless, I am a believer and I often attend church. Quite by chance, a fibroid nodule was detected in my breast. I was sent urgently to the oncologist. Perhaps you understand how one feels when facing such a news and challenge. I came across Saint Charbel’s portrait published in a booklet written by A. Bayukansky. I read it and decided that there was nothing to lose and no harm in trying this remedy. I started placing the picture on the nodule and prayed zealously. For a month, I kept Saint Charbel’s image near as I slept. I pleaded with God and appealed to the Saint for help. Believe me or not, a genuine miracle took place. I could hardly believe it myself when I was medically examined by ultrasound and various analysis. I heard the doctors exchanging opinions in an agitated way. The senior doctor said: “We are unable to understand what has happened. There is no tumor any more, it has resolved itself.” I said nothing to the doctors. But on my return home, I thanked God and Saint Charbel with all my heart. It is obvious that not everyone is likely to believe me, but this has happened. Maybe the tumor was affected by psychotherapy, but most probably it was removed by the monk Charbel whose power I now trust infinitely.”

Ivalentina Ivanovna, Tambov:

“Thank you very much indeed for bringing to our knowledge the phenomenon of Saint Charbel, for your sympathy with humanity. I have already written telling you how helpful the Saint’s portrait is to me, but I have to add something. I had been undergoing treatment for my eyes because I was suffering from an opaque lens. Upon completion of the treatment, I visited the doctor. During the examination, I learned that vision in the left eye had improved and the cataract had disappeared. The doctor was at his wits end. The doctor said: “I really don’t know what I should ascribe this spectacular improvement. You have not got a cataract at all, you are just myopic!” I said nothing to the doctor about the portrait of the Saint which had initiated this miracle.”

Anonymous Reader:

“Saint Charbel helped me immensely. I was suffering with acute pains in the foot. I did not know in what way to mitigate the pain when quite by chance I came across a picture of Saint Charbel. The pain subsided after a single application of the picture on the painful area. I felt better. Consequently, I have applied the picture to my foot for long periods with that the swelling lessened and the pain disappeared. It do not know how explain it but I am thankful with all my heart to Saint Charbel. His dead body no only sweats but perceives the plight of the sick as well. Accept my gratitude for publishing the photo of hermit who after his death is still doing good for people. God bless you for this act of kindness”

1. N. Besedin, Town of Tchaplygyn:

“I am a retired colonel of the space forces. When I was still in the military service, I took part in the creation of the “Soyuz-Apollo” space systems and the spaceship “Buran.” Now, I carry out a treatment of numerous diseases by means of Saint Charbel’s image. I even managed to develop my own techniques to treatment. First I concentrate upon one disease, pray to God and plead with him to aid me through Saint Charbel. Then I proceed with another disease. It is the only way for me because neither medicine nor doctors proved to be any use. I have deep gratitude for this Lebanese monk who is still aiding people after his death.”