Priest, 1875-1954

Father Jacques Ghazir Haddad was born on Feb. 1, 1875, in Ghazir, Lebanon, the third of five children. He studied Arabic, French, and Syriac at the College de la Sageese in Beirut. In 1892, he went to Alexandria, Egypt, to teach Arabic at the Christian Brothers' college, where he felt the call to priesthood. The following year he entered the Capuchin convent in Khashbau and was ordained a priest on Nov. 1, 1901.

Father Jacques dedicated his life to preach the Word of God and to rescue the poor, the orphans, and the handicapped. His vocation was matured through his experience in life and his skills as a teacher, which helped him understand the difficulties and struggling of the Lebanese family during the turn of the century. By 1910, he had opened 230 schools for 7,500 students.

Father Jacques walked all over Lebanon proclaiming the Word of God as an itinerant preacher from 1903 to 1914 and was given the name "the Apostle of Lebanon." He was also seen preaching in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and Turkey. He built a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Sea and erected a great cross nearby. Father Jacques was willing to help anyone in need following in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. With the help of his brother Capuchins and other helpers, he organized 15 soup kitchens and started 24 orphanages. He also founded the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Cross of Lebanon to assist him in this mission.

Father Jacques died on June 26, 1954, in Lebanon. He was beatified on June 22, 2008, by Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.