Esțfān Nehmé ( ar, يوسف نعمة; 8 March 1889 – 30 August 1938), born Yūsuf Nehmé, was a Lebanese

Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...

professed religious from the

Lebanese Maronite Order The Baladites, formally known as the Lebanese Maronite Order (; abbreviated OLM), is a monastic order among the Levant-based, Catholic Maronite Church, which from the beginning has been specifically a monastic Church. The order was founded in 16 ...

. Nehmé worked to alleviate people's pain during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

through the distribution of food to those suffering from famine and was known for an intense devotion to the

Mother of God ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...

. He worked in the fields of his convent and other monasteries and also worked in construction for a brief period, he became well known and other monasteries sought him to live with them for his spiritual insight and work ethic. Nehmé was beatified on 27 June 2010 in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Life

Yūsuf Nehmé was born on 8 March 1889 in

Lehfed Lehfed ( ar, لحفد, also known as ''Lihfid'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 55 kilometers north of Beirut. Lehfed has an average elevation of 1000 meters above sea level and a total land a ...

as the last of seven children to Estephanos Bou Haykal Nehmé and Christina Badawi Hanna Khaled. He had three male siblings and two female siblings. He was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

on 15 March 1889 at the church of Our Lady in Lehfed; it was Father Gerges Fadel that baptized him. His father died in 1903. Nehmé studied under the

at the Our Lady of Grace school in Sakii Rishmaya. A tale from his childhood reports that he once observed a

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...

enter a cave; Nehmé dug at that spot and unearthed a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...

which is known at present as the "Badger's Fountain". In 1905 he entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of the

at the

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

of Saints Cyprian and Justina in Kfifan. Nehmé made his monastic vows on 23 August 1907 in the name of Esțfan. He made his solemn vows as a professed religious on 13 April 1924. At various monasteries he did manual labor in the fields and gardens as well as working in construction and as a carpenter. Nehmé's contemporaries made special note of his constant repetition of the mantra: "God can see me". During

he distributed food to those suffering from famine. Nehmé died of a severe fever that led to a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at 7:00 p.m. on 30 August 1938 at the convent in Kfifan. Moments before his death Brother Charbel Nehmeh asked him if it would be fine to fetch water and the monk replied Nehmeh could do so if he wanted. The monk died mere moments after as his fellow friar searched for water. His remains reside at the convent of Saints Cyprian and Justina has been said to have been found

incorrupt Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that divine intervention allows some human bodies (specifically saints and beati) to completely or partially avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their ...

. Monks investigating the tomb on 10 March 1951 found that his remains had not decomposed. The remains were moved to a new tomb where visitors seek his intercession and ask for his healing.

Beatification

The beatification process started in a diocesan process that spanned for several weeks from 27 November 2001 until 17 December 2001 while the formal introduction came under

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

on 16 January 2002 after the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pa ...

issued the official "

nihil obstat ''Nihil obstat'' (Latin for "nothing hinders" or "nothing stands in the way") is a declaration of no objection that warrants censoring of a book, e.g., Catholic published books, to an initiative, or an appointment. Publishing The phrase ''ni ...

" to the cause and titled him as a

Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...

. The C.C.S. later validated the diocesan process in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on 26 April 2002 and received the

Positio In the Catholic Church, a ''positio'' (''Positio super Virtutibus'') is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a person is declared Venerable, the second of the four steps on the path to canonization as a saint. Des ...

in 2005 for assessment.

Theologians Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

met and approved the cause on 2 March 2007 as did the C.C.S. members on 16 October 2007 which in turn allowed for

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

to name him as

Venerable The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism. Christianity Cathol ...

on 17 December 2007 upon the confirmation of his heroic virtue. The process for a miracle took place where it originated in and later received C.C.S. validation on 14 February 2003 before receiving the approval of the medical board in Rome on 1 October 2009. Theologians later assented to this on 16 December 2009 as did the C.C.S. on 16 March 2010 before

approved the miracle and beatification on 27 March 2010. Nehmé's beatification took place in

on 27 June 2010,

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Angelo Amato Angelo Amato, S.D.B. (born 8 June 1938) is an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints between 2008 and 2018. He served as Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of t ...

presided over the celebration on the pope's behalf. The miracle in question was the cure of Sister Marina Nehmeh from osteosarcoma. The President and the Prime Minister of the nation were both in attendance as were 50 thousand other people. The current

postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Roman Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Obse ...

assigned to this cause is the Rev. Boulos Azzi.

External links

Hagiography CircleOfficial websiteSaints SQPNSanti e Beati

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nehmé, Stephen 1889 births 1938 deaths 20th-century venerated Christians 20th-century Lebanese people Beatifications by Pope Benedict XVI Eastern Catholic monks Incorrupt saints Lebanese beatified people Lebanese Maronites People from Byblos District Venerated Catholics by Pope Benedict XVI