Br GEORGE HADDAD, ofm Custody of the Holy Land "I am Brother George Haddad, a Franciscan, from the city of Jenin, a city where there is still a living presence of Christians, thanks to the small parish and a simple church. In this church I also discovered my vocation." "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you came forth into the light, I consecrated you," says the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5). The Lord's call captivated George's heart more than any call of the world or money. For two and a half years, George did not stop asking the Lord to understand what He wanted from him, "Yes, thy will be done, O Lord." Br GEORGE HADDAD, ofm Custody of the Holy Land "I had a very difficult two and a half years, because I was living this all alone. And what made it even more difficult was the attitude of my parents, their incomprehension and their failure to welcome the experience I was having in the footsteps of St. Francis." It was not easy for Brother George's family to accept his vocation, and for this son to leave the comforts of life, the family's financial plans and many years of study abroad, to become a friar. Br GEORGE HADDAD, ofm Custody of the Holy Land "For about three years, my parents did not accept my choice, and this was very difficult for me. But even in the most difficult moments, God gives strength to man to bring him to inner maturity, and everything I went through was very important for both me and my parents to reach this maturity together, and to better understand God's message in our lives." ABEER HADDAD Mother of Br George Haddad "I am truly sorry and repentant because I have been fighting my son all this time. This is a divine calling, and now that he is completing his journey I ask God to bless him. Lord bless my son and be with him every step of the way. May God protect you." Br GEORGE HADDAD, ofm Custody of the Holy Land "I ask God that soon he will also give me the grace to serve more in his field. God's field needs each of us, not only consecrated people, but every Christian, because this is our fundamental vocation: to be true witnesses of Christ's love in our lives." God calls all human beings, each one personally, to be His child and to become His chosen one for the sake of others.