Biography [1]
On 1 February 1875 Jacques was born to Boutros Haddad and Shams Haddad in Ghazir on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon. He was the third of eight children. The Maronite Christian family was one of deep faith. Baptised in the Marionite Church in Ghazir on 21 February 1875, he received the name Khalil.
At the age of 16, after solid studies, he got a job as an Arabic teacher in Alexandria-Egypt. There he was struck by the negative example of a priest and by the moving testimony of the death of a Capuchin friar. The meeting of a good priest led him to say: “I will be a priest like him”. The unimpressive life of another priest confirmed him in his vocation: “I will be a priest in his place”. The young Khalil, at the age of 19, decided to embrace the consecrated life among the Capuchin Friars.
He returned to Lebanon in 1894 and so begin the novitiate in the Convent of Saint Anthony of Padua not far from his village. In the novitiate, as was the practice at the time, Khalil received a new name, Jacques. He was ordained priest on 1st of November 1901.
In 1905 he was appointed director of the schools conducted by the Capuchin Friars in Lebanon and introduced some important innovations. His ideal was not to have large schools with many students, but small schools and classes with fewer students. By 1910 there were 230 schools with 7,500 students.
Abuna Jacques also revealed a great ability to organise pilgrimages, processions, celebrations and, in particular, First Holy Communions. He used to say, “Sow hosts, reap Saints.”
His specific charism was preaching. He prepared his sermons at night in front of the Blessed Sacrament. We have more than eight thousand pages of Abuna Jacques’ writings. He preached in Syria, Iraq and Palestine.
In Beirut he founded the Franciscan Third Order, which later spread throughout Lebanon. Aware of the importance of the press, he founded the monthly magazine “The Friend of the Family.”
During World War I, the French Capuchins left Lebanon and the Mission was entrusted to Abuna Jacques. New duties did not stop him from working with the Tertiaries, from distributing bread to the hungry, or from burying the dead abandoned on the streets. Providence watched over him! Many times he escaped arrest, prison and even the executioner.
With the war over the French Capuchins returned and continued the work that had been interrupted. The opening of institutes to house children and young women became Abuna Jacques’ new field of action.
Abuna Jacques had a dream to erect a giant cross on a hill in Lebanon as a place of prayer for those fallen in war and for the Lebanese who had left their land. The dream was realized with the help of Providence on the hill of Jall-Eddib, which became known as the hill of the Cross. Our Lady of the Sea church was also built on the hill.
Another cross will be erected at Dier El-Qamar in the Chouf region of Lebanon, a region of mixed religions.
He was called once to hear the confession of a sick priest in a public hospital. Something struck him. Apart from the priest’s pitiful state due to poor medical help, the priest never had the opportunity to celebrate Holy Mass during his stay in the hospital. Abuna Jacques did not think twice and took him to Our Lady of the Sea. There, within a short period, other ill priests also arrived.
In 1930 he founded the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of the Cross of Lebanon. In the statutes of the new Congregation, Abuna Jacques insists above all that the following works of mercy never be neglected: hospital care for sick priests or for priests who cannot exercise their ministry because of advanced age; care of the disabled, the blind, the crippled, the mentally handicapped, the abandoned, the terminally ill; the education and care of orphans.
Abuna Jacques’ love for suffering humanity characterised the course of his entire life. He founded Saint Francis’ school at Jall-Eddib (1919) today known as “Val Père Jacques” at Bkennaya (1979); the Hospital at Dier El-Qamar (1933) for handicapped girls; the Convent of Our Lady of the Well at Bkennaya (1941), including the General House, the postulancy, the novitiate and the guest house for spiritual retreats for priests, religious sisters and prayer groups; the Hospital of Our Lady at Antélias (1946) for the chronically ill and the elderly; also, Saint Joseph’s Hospital at Dora (1948) located in a populated quarter; the school of the Sisters of Cross at Brummana (1950) that welcomes orphan children or victims of material or moral poverty; the Hospice of Christ the King at Zouk-Mosbeh (1950) situated on a hill overlooking the coast road to Byblos, and surmounted by a twelve metre high statue of Christ the King. Providence, Abuna Jacques’ companion of the road, never abandoned him and is still an everyday guest among his sisters.
In 1951 the Hospital of the Cross was dedicated exclusively to the care of mental illness. Today it is the largest psychiatric complex in the Middle East, with a university and academic centre, and with more than 1000 patients, 54% of whom are non-Christian.
A giant in charity recognised by both religious and civil authorities. Abuna Jacques never had any other purpose in life except “to love God and to love man, the image of the Crucified.”
His spirituality was based on the cult of the Cross, devotion to the Virgin Mary and unlimited trust in Divine Providence. His Charity work was admired by all Lebanese. Christians and Muslims admired this model of a priest. He lived in humility. In the twilight of his life he writes: “One thought tortures me: do I love God with all my heart, with all my strength and with my entire mind? The Most High has given me more than five talents. Did I put them to service enough? I do not know the answer’’.
Age and illness impacted on the strength of this athlete of Christ, especially his heart, which Abuna Jacques offered so many times to the Lord: “Lord, you want my heart. Here it is, along with my intelligence, my will and my entire self.”
At dawn on Saturday 26 June 1954 he said, “Today is my last day!” and he died at 3 p.m. He was 80 years old. The radio, the press, his friends, the bells in the villages – they all announced his death. Thousands flocked to the Friary of the Cross to weep, to pray, to receive a blessing from the one who now lives in the Eternal.
In these words the Apostolic Nuncio summarised the life of Abuna Jacques: “He was the greatest man that Lebanon has given to our times.” President Naccache, in the name of the President of the Republic, Camille Chamoun, pinned on Abuna Jacques’ chest the Gold Medal of the Cedar, First Class, a sign of gratitude for all the good Abunas Jacques had done. The body was placed in the tomb of the new Calvary Chapel.
Faced with the rising fame of his holiness, his cause of beatification was presented to Rome who recognized the heroic virtues and declared him Venerable in 1992. On December 17th 2007, the Holy Father Benedict XVI recognized the miracle attributed to intercession of the Venerable Father Jacques and signed the Decree for his beatification which was celebrated for the first time outside the Vatican, in Lebanon on the 22th of June 2008.
At the age of 16, after solid studies, he got a job as an Arabic teacher in Alexandria-Egypt. There he was struck by the negative example of a priest and by the moving testimony of the death of a Capuchin friar. The meeting of a good priest led him to say: “I will be a priest like him”. The unimpressive life of another priest confirmed him in his vocation: “I will be a priest in his place”. The young Khalil, at the age of 19, decided to embrace the consecrated life among the Capuchin Friars.
He returned to Lebanon in 1894 and so begin the novitiate in the Convent of Saint Anthony of Padua not far from his village. In the novitiate, as was the practice at the time, Khalil received a new name, Jacques. He was ordained priest on 1st of November 1901.
In 1905 he was appointed director of the schools conducted by the Capuchin Friars in Lebanon and introduced some important innovations. His ideal was not to have large schools with many students, but small schools and classes with fewer students. By 1910 there were 230 schools with 7,500 students.
Abuna Jacques also revealed a great ability to organise pilgrimages, processions, celebrations and, in particular, First Holy Communions. He used to say, “Sow hosts, reap Saints.”
His specific charism was preaching. He prepared his sermons at night in front of the Blessed Sacrament. We have more than eight thousand pages of Abuna Jacques’ writings. He preached in Syria, Iraq and Palestine.
In Beirut he founded the Franciscan Third Order, which later spread throughout Lebanon. Aware of the importance of the press, he founded the monthly magazine “The Friend of the Family.”
During World War I, the French Capuchins left Lebanon and the Mission was entrusted to Abuna Jacques. New duties did not stop him from working with the Tertiaries, from distributing bread to the hungry, or from burying the dead abandoned on the streets. Providence watched over him! Many times he escaped arrest, prison and even the executioner.
With the war over the French Capuchins returned and continued the work that had been interrupted. The opening of institutes to house children and young women became Abuna Jacques’ new field of action.
Abuna Jacques had a dream to erect a giant cross on a hill in Lebanon as a place of prayer for those fallen in war and for the Lebanese who had left their land. The dream was realized with the help of Providence on the hill of Jall-Eddib, which became known as the hill of the Cross. Our Lady of the Sea church was also built on the hill.
Another cross will be erected at Dier El-Qamar in the Chouf region of Lebanon, a region of mixed religions.
He was called once to hear the confession of a sick priest in a public hospital. Something struck him. Apart from the priest’s pitiful state due to poor medical help, the priest never had the opportunity to celebrate Holy Mass during his stay in the hospital. Abuna Jacques did not think twice and took him to Our Lady of the Sea. There, within a short period, other ill priests also arrived.
In 1930 he founded the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of the Cross of Lebanon. In the statutes of the new Congregation, Abuna Jacques insists above all that the following works of mercy never be neglected: hospital care for sick priests or for priests who cannot exercise their ministry because of advanced age; care of the disabled, the blind, the crippled, the mentally handicapped, the abandoned, the terminally ill; the education and care of orphans.
Abuna Jacques’ love for suffering humanity characterised the course of his entire life. He founded Saint Francis’ school at Jall-Eddib (1919) today known as “Val Père Jacques” at Bkennaya (1979); the Hospital at Dier El-Qamar (1933) for handicapped girls; the Convent of Our Lady of the Well at Bkennaya (1941), including the General House, the postulancy, the novitiate and the guest house for spiritual retreats for priests, religious sisters and prayer groups; the Hospital of Our Lady at Antélias (1946) for the chronically ill and the elderly; also, Saint Joseph’s Hospital at Dora (1948) located in a populated quarter; the school of the Sisters of Cross at Brummana (1950) that welcomes orphan children or victims of material or moral poverty; the Hospice of Christ the King at Zouk-Mosbeh (1950) situated on a hill overlooking the coast road to Byblos, and surmounted by a twelve metre high statue of Christ the King. Providence, Abuna Jacques’ companion of the road, never abandoned him and is still an everyday guest among his sisters.
In 1951 the Hospital of the Cross was dedicated exclusively to the care of mental illness. Today it is the largest psychiatric complex in the Middle East, with a university and academic centre, and with more than 1000 patients, 54% of whom are non-Christian.
A giant in charity recognised by both religious and civil authorities. Abuna Jacques never had any other purpose in life except “to love God and to love man, the image of the Crucified.”
His spirituality was based on the cult of the Cross, devotion to the Virgin Mary and unlimited trust in Divine Providence. His Charity work was admired by all Lebanese. Christians and Muslims admired this model of a priest. He lived in humility. In the twilight of his life he writes: “One thought tortures me: do I love God with all my heart, with all my strength and with my entire mind? The Most High has given me more than five talents. Did I put them to service enough? I do not know the answer’’.
Age and illness impacted on the strength of this athlete of Christ, especially his heart, which Abuna Jacques offered so many times to the Lord: “Lord, you want my heart. Here it is, along with my intelligence, my will and my entire self.”
At dawn on Saturday 26 June 1954 he said, “Today is my last day!” and he died at 3 p.m. He was 80 years old. The radio, the press, his friends, the bells in the villages – they all announced his death. Thousands flocked to the Friary of the Cross to weep, to pray, to receive a blessing from the one who now lives in the Eternal.
In these words the Apostolic Nuncio summarised the life of Abuna Jacques: “He was the greatest man that Lebanon has given to our times.” President Naccache, in the name of the President of the Republic, Camille Chamoun, pinned on Abuna Jacques’ chest the Gold Medal of the Cedar, First Class, a sign of gratitude for all the good Abunas Jacques had done. The body was placed in the tomb of the new Calvary Chapel.
Faced with the rising fame of his holiness, his cause of beatification was presented to Rome who recognized the heroic virtues and declared him Venerable in 1992. On December 17th 2007, the Holy Father Benedict XVI recognized the miracle attributed to intercession of the Venerable Father Jacques and signed the Decree for his beatification which was celebrated for the first time outside the Vatican, in Lebanon on the 22th of June 2008.
Almighty God and Father, you made Blessed Jacques, your priest, zealous for the Gospel and fervent in charity for those in distress. Through his example and intercession, may we be wholly dedicated to the service of our neighbour. We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [2]
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Quotes from Blessed Jacques [3]
Anyone who seeks heaven but without suffering is like someone who wants to buy goods without paying.
Prayer without trust is like a letter in ones pocket. It never reaches it destination.
As light streams from the sun, so does love of neighbour flow from love of God. Our neighbour is the child of God, the image of God, the beloved of God. Like us, he has the right to inherit heaven and, if he is in the state of grace, he is the home of the Blessed Trinity.
Love’s object is two-fold: God and neighbour. In reality there is one single object: God and His image. If you want to be loved, start by loving.
Be sure that we never love our neighbour as we should as long as we do not see God in our neighbour. Be sure that we never love our neighbour as we should as long as our charity stops short at certain people and excludes others. Be sure that we never love our neighbour as we should, as long as any of our neighbour’s faults keep us at a distance from him. And just as a person who denies a single point of dogma has lost his faith, so to hate a single person means that you have lost charity.
Charity has to be universal, which means we have to love everyone, because all are children of God; all have been redeemed by the Saviour’s precious Blood; all are temples of the Spirit; all are called to praise God in heaven for all eternity. The human race is one family.
May our heart be gentle, Christ‐like, towards the wretched and those who suffer. May they be to us sons and daughters. How sweet this service, how precious this life, when it is consecrated to the love of God and of neighbour, His visible image on earth.
Prayer without trust is like a letter in ones pocket. It never reaches it destination.
As light streams from the sun, so does love of neighbour flow from love of God. Our neighbour is the child of God, the image of God, the beloved of God. Like us, he has the right to inherit heaven and, if he is in the state of grace, he is the home of the Blessed Trinity.
Love’s object is two-fold: God and neighbour. In reality there is one single object: God and His image. If you want to be loved, start by loving.
Be sure that we never love our neighbour as we should as long as we do not see God in our neighbour. Be sure that we never love our neighbour as we should as long as our charity stops short at certain people and excludes others. Be sure that we never love our neighbour as we should, as long as any of our neighbour’s faults keep us at a distance from him. And just as a person who denies a single point of dogma has lost his faith, so to hate a single person means that you have lost charity.
Charity has to be universal, which means we have to love everyone, because all are children of God; all have been redeemed by the Saviour’s precious Blood; all are temples of the Spirit; all are called to praise God in heaven for all eternity. The human race is one family.
May our heart be gentle, Christ‐like, towards the wretched and those who suffer. May they be to us sons and daughters. How sweet this service, how precious this life, when it is consecrated to the love of God and of neighbour, His visible image on earth.
Sources
[1] Biography extracted from: Capuchin Friars Australia and Eparchy of Saint Maron Canada
[2] and [3] Capuchin Friars Australia
[1] Biography extracted from: Capuchin Friars Australia and Eparchy of Saint Maron Canada
[2] and [3] Capuchin Friars Australia