The Venerable Jacques Haddad:

A Capuchin Friar from Ghazir (Lebanon), faithful disciple of Francis.
He loved the Cross till the end
and saw in his suffering brothers and sisters the image of the Crucified Christ !

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Our Fraternal Life is built upon reciprocal listening, mutual forgiveness and especially upon moments of recreation spent together. A sad or lonely Capuchin doesn’t exist! Fraternity is the most important characteristic of our life.

"Speak. Lord, for your servant listens". Following the example of Saint Francis, we are trying to become people of prayer, to live a balance between our apostolate and our prayer life. In prayer we find a new power to serve our brothers and sisters, and in our apostolate we find the expression of our prayer.

Work is a grace. It makes us participate in God's project of salvation. Work reminds us of our condition as poor and enables us to live in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, the poor.

Following the example of Francis, our mission is lived, preferably, among the poor and the marginalised. The Capuchin is anywhere: in the parishes, the schools, the ecclesial Movements, the Secular Franciscan Order, the Franciscan Youth, in the popular missions, in the summer camps, among the immigrants,…

St. Joseph School (Batroun), St. Francis House (Mtayleb), St. Anthony Parish (Baabdate), Our Lady of the Angels Parish and School (Badaro), Saint Francis Parish and School (Hamra), St. Louis Parish (Bab Edriss) .
Christ King Parish (Soueida), Christ King Parish (Deir Ezzor). Our brothers participate to the Gulf Mission: Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The young man, who feels God’s call, contacts our Friars to reflect with them on his proper vocation and to learn how to be ready to answer generously and gradually to that call, in freedom and responsibility. Generally, he will be invited to participate at week-ends or days of reflections on his vocation. In this way, he is helped to discern God’s will in his life.

After an adequate time of preparation (Pre-postulancy), the young man can join our formation house, at Mtayleb, to become a member of a new family and to receive a human, Christian, spiritual, Franciscan and Capuchin formation. This time (Postulancy) helps him to better discern his vocation and to confirm his choice of our Form of Life.

The Noviciate is a time of a more intense initiation and a deeper experience of our evangelical, Franciscan and Capuchin life. The young novice will be introduced to a life of prayer, fraternal charity, joy and readiness to share. He will be helped to become always conscious that consecration is at the basis of a religious life.

At the end of the Noviciate, the young brother makes his simple profession. He learns how to be faithful to the rhythm of the fraternity in all its forms, and especially to common prayer, contemplation, intellectual and manual work, moments of recreation and to the apostolate.

The post-novice learns how to integrate and assimilate the values of our Form of Life: Capuchin simplicity, fraternal life, faithfulness to the commitments of the Consecrated Life and concrete service to the poor and to our sick and old Friars.

The Post-novice’s spiritual life (and that of each Friar) is nourished by: God’s Word, the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, Adoration to the Holy Sacrament, meditation, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and spiritual direction.

"Lord, I come to do your will". Solemn Profession is the definitive commitment of the young brother in our Capuchin family. It’s the moment of the total gift of his life to God, in the hands of his minister and in the presence of his brethren. At this moment, the whole Fraternity would rejoice in receiving this new brother as God’s gift.

"Let heaven trembles when the Son of God is upon the altar, in the hand of the priest". Some of us may discover that we have been called to God’s service as priests. After a few years of Philosophical and Theological studies, they are ordained deacons then priests.