St. Nimatullah Youssef Kassab Al-Hardini (1808-1858)

He was born in 1808 in Hardin, Lebanon. As a child, he was strongly influenced by the monastic tradition of the Maronite Church. Four of his brothers became priests or monks, and Youssef himself entered the Lebanese Maronite Order in 1828. In 1833 he was ordained a priest and was named a professor at the scholasticate. Nimatullah was especially noted for his love of the Blessed Sacrament. During his free time – frequently at the sacrifice of sleep – he was often found in the chapel on his knees, arms raised in the form of a cross and eyes fixed on the tabernacle. Fr Nimatullah was at times also reprimanded by his superiors for being too hard on himself and too merciful and indulgent towards his brothers. He considered the Virgin Mary his “source of strength”. He never tired of repeating her holy name, and carried a special place in his heart for the mystery of the Immaculate Conception (a dogma proclaimed by the Church in 1854). After the Angelus he would often repeat: “Blessed be the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin”. In 1845 the Holy See appointed him Assistant General of the order. He served as Assistant General for two more terms, but refused to be appointed Abbot General: In December 1858, while teaching at the monastery of Kfifan, he became gravely ill, a result of the bitter cold in that region. His condition worsened, leading to his death on 14 December. He died holding an icon of the Blessed Virgin and saying: “O Mary, to you I entrust my soul”. Fr Nimatullah was beatified in 1998 and was canonixed in 2004.
(From the Vatican website)