The first saint of Lebanon, Saint Charbel Makhlouf, is renowned in Lebanon and all over the world. On the 28th of October, the Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al Rahi is going to inaugurate the shrine of Saint Charbel in the largest Catholic Cathedral in the United States which is the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in New York. In fact, the current Chairman of Société Générale de Banque au Liban Antoun Sehnaoui is the brainchild of this idea. A few months back, Sehnaoui was talking with the Cardinal Timothy Dolan about Mar Charbel. He wondered if it is possible to dedicate a place for this Lebanese Saint in New York. It turned out that there was a big empty wall in the Cathedral that could be used. Sehnaoui decided to create a mosaic of Mar Charbel. The drawing was done by the artist Alain Kouyoumdjian. The picture reflects the nature of Lebanon. Also, two cedar trees are included in the drawing. The mosaic was made by an Italian expert. Sehnaoui also wanted to dedicate a small chapel dedicated to the saint. The Cathedral did not allow to demolish a small part of the wall in order to build the chapel. However, it turned out that there was a door behind the wall that led to a little room which was later turned into a shrine. So, there isn’t only a beautiful mosaic of Saint Charbel in the cathedral, but also a small shrine where people can pray. In fact, the floor was picked carefully so that it reflects the Lebanese style. The mosaic and the painting are dedicated to the parents of Antoun Sehnaoui.
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