Relics Of Maronite Catholic Church Arrive In Scott Twp.
SCOTT TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A sarcophagus bearing relics - bone fragments - of St. Sharbel of Lebanon arrive at Our Lady of Victory Maronite Church in Scott Township.
The two-day stop is one of many on a pilgrimage from San Francisco to Rhode Island, visiting every Maronite church in America.
Rev. Rodolph Wakim says it's a chance to think of what's important.
"When we have the relic of a saint come, it's like, put everything on hold, let's give a little time to God. It brings the whole church as a family, it's beautiful. It's powerful," he said.
They celebrate a monk born in a small Lebanese town. One of the parishioners, born in Pittsburgh, is a direct descendant. Having the relics nearby is something she's waited for all her life.
"To touch him and to pray to him and to ask him to keep any member of your family healthy, safe, or whatever your needs are, and he'll answer," says Vickie Coury Primiero. "I have all the faith in the world that St. Sharbel will answer."
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St. Sharbel died on Christmas Eve, 1898. But reports of miracles occurring in his name continue to this day.
Dr. Anne Borik of Phoenix, Arizona, spoke of a woman's unexplainable recovery from blindness, when the relics entered her city.
"What's fascinating is that the optic nerve, the appearing of the disc was abnormal, within 48 hours it was restored to normal. And you just don't see that normally," she said.
Final stop, Uniontown, then the relics of St. Sharbel return to his native Lebanon.
