Maronite Catholic spiritual center opens in Beechview
The Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center — named after a Lebanese-born Maronite Catholic saint — celebrated its grand opening Saturday in Beechview.
The open house and dedication ceremony at the center on Crane Avenue was officiated by Maronite Catholic Bishop Gregory Mansour, head of the Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn, N. Y., and Bishop David Zubik of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese.
More than 125 people attended.
Maronites are an ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia, with the largest concentration of followers in Lebanon. They are in communion with Roman Catholics but have some distinct rites. They take their name from Saint Maron, a hermitpriest who died in 410 AD and whose death sparked hundreds of monks to adopt his way of life.
Saint Sharbel Maklouf, for whom the spiritual center was named, was a reclusive priest and monk who lived from 1828 to 1898 and has been credited with miraculously healing thousands through prayer.
The new 10,300-squarefoot facility, adjacent to the Maronite Our Lady of Victory Church, provides programming aimed at helping members grow in spirituality.
The building includes a chapel, library with more than 10,000 books, classrooms, offices, kitchens and space for quiet reflection.
“Our goal is not just to be a retreat center but also a center where people come to go deeper in spirituality,” Anne Borik, director of the Saint Sharbel Spiritual Life Center, said in an interview ahead of the dedication.
The center welcomes visitors between Monday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will hold Mass at 11 a.m. on weekdays, while also celebrating a monthly day of remembrance to honor Saint Sharbel on the 22nd of each month.
“The center will be a beacon of light, hopefully, for the community and we’re just so excited,” Ms. Borik said. “It’s like a dream come true.”
To signal unity within the Catholic Church, the religious services will be led by priests from the Maronite, Byzantine and Latin Catholic traditions.