July 24 marks the feast of St. Charbel, the Lebanese monk beloved worldwide and credited with interceding for countless miracles. While many people dream of making a pilgrimage to his monastery, one Lebanese entrepreneur has found a way to bring St. Charbel to them.
Meet Louis-Philippe, who along with his family founded Our Lady of Gifts and the newly launched Saint Charbel Shop. These small, family-run shops make it easy for people anywhere in the world to access icons, statues, and other holy items.
During the early months of COVID-19, he had a simple but powerful idea. Since most people couldn’t travel to holy sites, why not create a “reverse pilgrimage,” where the holy site comes to you?
Saint boxes bring the saints to you
“We started on May 13, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Louis-Philippe said in an interview with Aleteia. “It was just a small online initiative to share St. Charbel devotional gifts during a difficult time.”
The timing wasn't coincidental. As people worldwide faced isolation and uncertainty, Louis-Philippe saw an opportunity to offer something more than material comfort.
“The goal was simple: bring spiritual comfort and spread devotion to the saints when people were isolated and uncertain about the future,” he recalled.
There are many reasons why a person might want to make a pilgrimage but not be able to do so — a lack of physical ability, financial resources, time, or other factors, including conflict in the places the saints lived.
“Not everyone can afford to go on pilgrimage to Lebanon, to Cascia, or to Jerusalem, but we can bring a part of these holy places to their home,” Louis-Philippe said.
Sending a mini monastery to your home
More recently, Louis-Philippe and his family opened Saint Charbel Shop, which focuses exclusively on items related to St. Charbel. You can find rosaries and bracelets, statues and icons. More variety will be available soon, as the family plans their annual trip to Lebanon to source more treasures.
The bestselling Saint Charbel Gift Set is a great example of this mission. It contains blessed oil, holy water, incense, prayer cards, a rosary, and even soil from the Monastery of St. Maron in Annaya, Lebanon, where St. Charbel lived.
“It's like sending a mini Saint Maron Monastery to someone's house,” Louis-Philippe said.
The company also offers beautiful Saint Boxes for other beloved saints like St. Rita, St. Thérèse, St. Benedict, and St. Jude. Each is sourced from the place where the saint lived while on Earth.
“We help people ‘invite the saints into their home.’ That's our mission.”
The tragedy that brought new purpose
The August 2020 Beirut port explosion changed the family’s business model. The devastating blast left thousands homeless and destroyed entire Christian neighborhoods.
After that, “we launched a small charitable program. People could receive a Saint Charbel gift in exchange for a donation, and 100% of those donations went directly to help Lebanese Christian families,” he said.
Despite being a small operation, the response was overwhelming. The donations helped families pay rent, cover medical bills, and even rebuild homes.
This charitable mission reflects the heart of Saint Charbel Shop. At its core, Louis-Philippe and his family see this work as a ministry, an outpouring of their vocation as Lebanese Christians. They hope to spread awareness about Lebanon's saints and support Lebanon’s struggling Christian community:
Lebanon is becoming increasingly expensive. In many ways, living there now costs as much as in the West, sometimes even more. But the average salary remains very low, and immigration has become the norm, especially among young Christians. Supporting monasteries and local artisans is a concrete way to help sustain the Christian presence in Lebanon.
Authentic connection that’s accessible to all
Operating from Canada allows the family to serve a global audience effectively. Religious goods imported into Canada are tax-exempt, helping keep prices fair despite high shipping costs from Lebanon.
“Canada offers more reliable and affordable international shipping services than Lebanon,” he explained. This setup lets him source products directly from holy places in Lebanon while ensuring worldwide delivery with peace of mind.
The company takes Catholic teaching seriously. All items with relics are third-class only, respecting canon law and the sacred nature of the items. Blessed oil and water are never sold — only given freely or offered for donations.
Not surprisingly, customers are finding great meaning and joy in the Saint Boxes. On Etsy alone, Our Lady of Gifts has received over 170 five-star reviews praising the items’ beauty, packaging quality, and spiritual authenticity.
But the most meaningful reviews are the personal testimonies. “We often receive beautiful messages from people who were healed after using St. Charbel oil or who had prayers answered after asking for his intercession,” Louis-Philippe said.
A saint for our time
Lebanese Christians know just how special and beloved St. Charbel is to all Lebanese people:
It’s a point of pride for every Lebanese to see how beloved St. Charbel has become around the world. He’s said to be the saint with the most miracles today, and he comes from our homeland.
These shops show us modern technology at its best. So many people would be delighted to have a “reverse pilgrimage” bring a holy place and person right to their home, especially someone who may not be able to travel.
Divine inspiration seems at work in this idea to use the tools of our digital age to help Christians worldwide form a real connection with holy places and people.
“It brings us so much joy to be a small instrument in God's plan,” Louis-Philippe said.
In partnership with Saint Charbel Shop
