Khalīl al-Haddād

Father Jacques of Ghazir quickly distinguished himself as a tireless preacher and an apostle of charity. Assigned to the Bab Idriss convent in Beirut, he traveled throughout Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iran to preach, hear confessions, and propagate the Franciscan Third Order, of which he became a great zealot.

During the First World War, faced with the famine, typhus, and misery ravaging Lebanon, he organized emergency relief and soup kitchens to feed the starving population.

His major work took shape after the war. In 1919, he acquired land on the hill of Jal el-Dib (Bkennaya) to erect a large cross, a symbol of divine love, as well as a church and a hospice intended to welcome elderly or sick priests. To ensure the sustainability and development of his charitable works, he founded the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross of Lebanon (Sisters of the Cross) in 1930.

Under his impetus and managed by the new congregation, the work expanded prodigiously. The Sisters dedicated themselves to the care of the most destitute, orphans, the elderly, and, in a pioneering way in the Middle East, the mentally ill and the physically disabled. Among Father Jacques' major foundations are: * The Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in Jal el-Dib, which became the first establishment of its kind in Lebanon. * The Christ the King hospice in Zouk-Mosbeh (founded in 1950), topped by a monumental statue of Christ the King. * The Sisters of the Cross school in Brummana (1950) for orphans and poor children. * Numerous other dispensaries, schools, and orphanages throughout the country.

Nicknamed the "Saint Vincent de Paul of Lebanon" or the "Apostle of the Cross," he often repeated to encourage his collaborators: "The bank of Providence never goes bankrupt!"

Exhausted by a life of privations, incessant labor, and illness, Father Jacques of Ghazir passed away holily on Saturday, June 26, 1954, in Beirut, at the age of 79, while holding a crucifix in his hands. His death stirred immense emotion throughout Lebanon, bringing together Christians and Muslims to pay tribute to the man they already considered a saint during his lifetime. He was buried at the Convent of the Cross (Deir al-Salib) in Jal el-Dib.

The cause for beatification and canonization was officially introduced on February 24, 1979. On December 21, 1992, Pope John Paul II signed the decree recognizing the heroic nature of his virtues, thereby conferring upon him the title of Venerable.

The path to beatification reached a decisive stage on December 17, 2007, when Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing a miracle attributed to his intercession. This miracle concerns the scientifically inexplicable healing of a sick person. The solemn beatification ceremony was celebrated on June 22, 2008, at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. It was the first time such a rite took place directly on Lebanese soil. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and delegate of Pope Benedict XVI, in the presence of a vast crowd of faithful and the highest religious and political authorities of the country. His liturgical feast is set for June 26, the day of his birth into Heaven.

The spirituality of Blessed Jacques of Ghazir is deeply Christocentric, centered on the mystery of the Cross, the Eucharist, and an absolute trust in Divine Providence. For him, human suffering was a reflection of the Passion of Christ, and serving the poor and the sick was equivalent to serving Christ himself. He also held a tender devotion to the Virgin Mary and to the Holy Spirit, for whom he had composed a daily prayer of consecration.

His legacy remains alive through the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross of Lebanon, who continue to manage large medical, psychiatric, and educational institutions, welcoming all who suffer without distinction of religion.

In December 2025, during his first apostolic journey to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV visited the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross in Jal el-Dib. Welcomed by the Superior General, Sister Marie Makhlouf, the Sovereign Pontiff paid a vibrant tribute to the work of the Sisters and described Blessed Jacques as an "untiring apostle of charity," recalling that this mission among the most forgotten is a "daily miracle."