Celebrating the Feast of Saint Charbel Makhlouf in Brooklyn, New York

Saint Charbel Makhlouf, ora pro nobis

When my friends asked me to join them in celebrating the feasts of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Charbel Makhlouf at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral (113 Remsen St.) in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, on Sunday, I jumped at the opportunity. It has been over three years since I last visited the Cathedral and attended the Maronite Divine Liturgy in Syriac. While the Roman Calendar commemorates his feast on July 24th, the Maronites celebrate it on the third Sunday in July.

After Mass, we were invited to partake in a magnificent luncheon in the church hall. Warmly welcomed by Fr. VanHeusen and the parishioners, we, unfortunately, could not stay for more than a cup of coffee because we had arranged our own celebratory meal at Le Sajj (8221 5th Ave.), a terrific family-owned Lebanese and Mediterranean restaurant in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We enjoyed stuffed grape leaves, spinach and meat pies, hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, flatbread, chicken kebabs, stuffed cabbage, baklava, and much more.