Stephen Nehmé
Encyclopedia
Stephen Nehmé was a Lebanese
Maronite Catholic monk
in the Lebanese Maronite Order
. He was beatified
on 27 June 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI
.
enter an underground cave; Nehmé dug at that spot and unearthed a spring
, which is known today as "Badger's Fountain".
In 1905, Nehmé entered the novitiate
of the Order of Maronites at the Monastery of Ss. Cyprian and Justina in Kfifan. Nehmé made monastic vows on 23 August 1907, taking the name Stephen (variously transliterated as Estefan or Estephanos). He made solemn vows on 13 April 1924. At various monasteries, he did manual labor in the fields and gardens, as well as in carpentry and construction. Nehmé's contemporaries made special note of his constant repetition of the mantra, "God can see me".
Nehmé died of a severe fever that eventually led to apoplexy
at 7 p.m. on 30 August 1938 at the monastery in Kfifan.
by Pope Benedict XVI
, given on 17 December 2007. A decree of miracle was promulgated on 27 March 2010 by Pope Benedict, as it had been determined by papal authorities that the healing of Sister Marina Nehmeh from osteosarcoma
had been due to his intercession. On 8 June 2010 it was announced that the pope had approved Nehmé's beatification. The ceremony of beatification was performed on 27 June 2010 in Kfifan, and was presided over by Archbishop Angelo Amato
, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
. Nehmé is the fourth member of the Lebanese Maronite Order to be beatified.
His body, which resides in the Monastery of Ss. Cyprian and Justina, has reportedly been found to be incorrupt
. Monks investigating the tomb on 10 March 1951 found the body had not decayed. The relics were thus moved to a new tomb, where visitors seek his intercession and ask for healing.
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
Maronite Catholic monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
in the Lebanese Maronite Order
Lebanese Maronite Order
The Lebanese Maronite Order , is a monastic order among the Levantine Catholic Maronite Church, which from the beginning has been specifically a monastic Church...
. He was beatified
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
on 27 June 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
.
Life
Joseph Nehmé was born on 8 March 1889 in Lehfed, Jabeil, Lebanon, the youngest of seven children of Estephanos Bou Haykal Nehmé and Christina Badawi Hanna Khaled. Baptized on 15 March 1889, at Our Lady Church of Lehfed, Nehmé studied under the Maronite Order at Our Lady of Grace School in Sakii Rishmaya. A story from his childhood reports that he once observed a badgerBadger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
enter an underground cave; Nehmé dug at that spot and unearthed a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
, which is known today as "Badger's Fountain".
In 1905, Nehmé entered the novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
of the Order of Maronites at the Monastery of Ss. Cyprian and Justina in Kfifan. Nehmé made monastic vows on 23 August 1907, taking the name Stephen (variously transliterated as Estefan or Estephanos). He made solemn vows on 13 April 1924. At various monasteries, he did manual labor in the fields and gardens, as well as in carpentry and construction. Nehmé's contemporaries made special note of his constant repetition of the mantra, "God can see me".
Nehmé died of a severe fever that eventually led to apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
at 7 p.m. on 30 August 1938 at the monastery in Kfifan.
Veneration
The cause of canonization for Nehmé began with a decree of heroic virtueHeroic virtue
Heroic virtue is a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs and used by the Roman Catholic church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman abilities and great goodness, and "it connotes a degree of bravery, fame, and...
by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, given on 17 December 2007. A decree of miracle was promulgated on 27 March 2010 by Pope Benedict, as it had been determined by papal authorities that the healing of Sister Marina Nehmeh from osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is an aggressive cancerous neoplasm arising from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin that exhibit osteoblastic differentiation and produce malignant osteoid...
had been due to his intercession. On 8 June 2010 it was announced that the pope had approved Nehmé's beatification. The ceremony of beatification was performed on 27 June 2010 in Kfifan, and was presided over by Archbishop Angelo Amato
Angelo Amato
Angelo Amato, S.D.B. is a cardinal of the Catholic Church and currently serves as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He previously served as Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2002 to 2008.-Education:He entered the Salesians, after completing...
, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification...
. Nehmé is the fourth member of the Lebanese Maronite Order to be beatified.
His body, which resides in the Monastery of Ss. Cyprian and Justina, has reportedly been found to be incorrupt
Incorruptibility
Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness...
. Monks investigating the tomb on 10 March 1951 found the body had not decayed. The relics were thus moved to a new tomb, where visitors seek his intercession and ask for healing.