The Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Pasquale Silvestri, who had recently developed a personal devotion to St. Charbel. The Lebanese saint is celebrated for spiritual gifts and intercessions, and is known for miracles during and after his lifetime. According to Silvestri, the oil used for anointing the sick had been supplied by the Maronite Curia in Rome specifically for the occasion.

During the July 24 service, over 500 people, many seeking healing, filled the pews of the Naples church. Demand for anointing was so high that the clergyman worried the oil would not suffice for everyone. Silvestri recalled tilting the jar upside down to extract the last few drops.

Jar Appears Refilled Without Explanation

As the priest returned the used jar to its case and placed it back in the safe, he noticed something strange. The container, which had just been emptied, now felt heavier. Upon inspection, it appeared to be full again. Silvestri described it as something he “couldn’t believe.”

He returned to the church altar and presented the refilled jar to the congregants, who responded with applause. “Everyone applauded when they saw it,” he later told ACI Prensa, a Catholic news agency. The Mass had already been marked by an overwhelming turnout that exceeded the church’s preparations, resulting in a shortage of communion hosts.

The day had begun with another startling report. That morning, a 20-year-old woman from the parish informed Silvestri that her previously untreatable breast tumor had vanished. She attributed her healing to the intercession of St. Charbel.

Aroma Allegedly Linked to Saint’s Homeland

The day after the Mass, a group of pilgrims from Lebanon visited the church and were granted a moment with the jar. Silvestri said the visitors noted a distinct scent coming from the oil—an aroma they identified as resembling the cedars of Lebanon, a symbolic tree native to St. Charbel's birthplace.

“They asked me if they could smell the oil,” Silvestri said. “When they did, they assured me it gave off the aroma of the cedars of Lebanon.” He, too, found the fragrance inexplicable and called the scent something that "seems impossible."

Silvestri emphasized that he did not perform a miracle himself, but rather that the phenomenon should be understood as spiritually significant. He highlighted the importance of notifying ecclesiastical authorities. “When one learns of a miracle, it must be communicated to the saint’s postulator,” he wrote in a letter dated July 27 to Father Elias Hamhoury.

Devotion to St. Charbel Inspires Continued Worship

St. Charbel, born in 1828 in Beqaa-Kafra, Lebanon, has long been venerated in the Catholic Church for purported miraculous interventions. He was canonized in 1977 by Pope Paul VI after being beatified in 1965. Reports of unexplained physical and spiritual healings have been attributed to him for decades.

Silvestri's dedication to the saint began only recently, sparked by the story of Charbel’s life. After placing an image of the saint in his church, he claimed to have had a dream in which the normally solemn figure appeared smiling at him. This personal moment inspired him to hold monthly Masses in St. Charbel’s honor.

“When I put up this picture,” Silvestri explained, “one night I dreamed that St. Charbel was looking at me and was laughing. This struck me because the photo of St. Charbel is always that of a very serious man.”

Witness Accounts and Future Inquiries

Since the July 24 Mass, Silvestri has received several additional reports from people claiming to have experienced healing—physically or spiritually—after attending the event. He has asked those individuals to write down their testimonies and intends to document each case for potential future review.

He stressed that his church is ready to cooperate with scientific or ecclesiastical investigators. “The bottle is safely stored away and at the disposal of the authorities, in case anyone wants to come and inquire and study the contents,” he said.

ACI Prensa reported the story and attempted to obtain a reaction from the Italian Bishops’ Conference. As of press time, no comment had been provided by the ecclesiastical body regarding the claims.

Broader Significance of the Event

Although the Church has documented thousands of cases related to St. Charbel’s intercessions, the Naples event stands out for the immediacy of public witness and the detailed account by the presiding priest. Silvestri’s words aim to place the occurrence within the larger context of faith rather than speculation.

He framed the experience not as evidence of personal holiness but as a demonstration of divine grace. “I’m not a miracle worker, absolutely not,” he stated. “But in this case, there was a production of matter; this is a very serious thing.”

The parish intends to continue its veneration of St. Charbel on the final Fridays of June and July, adding to a growing devotion among local and international communities drawn to the mystic legacy of the Lebanese saint.