On Saturday, June 28, 2003, Rich Mahan addressed approximately 200 people who had gathered at Coonskin Park in Charleston, WV for a reunion of the Haddad Family of Jib Jannine. Rich captured the essence of the reunion as he described "the spirituality of the immigrant experience." He reminded everyone that "the Haddad family has made an impact on the spiritual life of our community" and he encouraged all of the Haddad cousins to "be proud of your heritage, your ancestry, and your family."

Below is the complete text of Rich's address.

 
Family Reunion Address - 2003
by Rich Mahan

We've come together this weekend to celebrate our immigrant ancestry of which we are proud. It's part of our emotional past and even our spiritual makeup. Anyone who has had a chance to visit Ellis Island, to walk through the Great Hall, and to see and hear the powerful images of the past, has felt the spirituality of the immigrant experience.

Your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles left their homes as a result of religious persecution and hardships under the Turks and the Ottoman Empire to come to America in search of a new life filled with prosperity. They left family, friends, and familiar surroundings to come to a strange place, with very little money, not knowing the culture, not even knowing the language, in order to build a new life. They ventured out trusting in God.

As immigrants they were very conscious of their spiritual roots, and the church played a central and decisive role in their lives. The most important thing they brought with them was their faith in Jesus Christ. They brought it from the Holy Land, the birthplace of Christianity. Many could trace their Christian heritage back to the days of the early Christian Church, possibly to the days when St. Paul traveled through the Middle East preaching the Gospel.

For many of them, their spiritual journey began at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Jib Jannine, built by Makoul Haddad, one of the 7 children of Suleyman and Sada Haddad. One of Makoul's sons, Nick Haddad, was married to Aunt Bahia, whose father was the priest.

In the 1970's, Nathan Haddad, the 4th son of Makoul and Miriam Haddad, built a fellowship hall and a residence for the priest at St. Nicholas. The church is still an active parish today.

When they came, they took refuge in the new world, where they encountered religious freedom and liberty. They found better means and opportunities in order to offer their children a bright and secure future. America was to be their permanent homeland.

The next natural step for those who hungered for spiritual nourishment was to organize their religious life and find someone to become their priest. The priest would celebrate the liturgical services for them and take care of their spiritual needs, to marry, to bury, to baptize and to spiritually nurture their faith.

It's amazing how the Haddad family has made an impact on the spiritual life of our community, not only in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, but in other denominations as well. When my wife, Donna Jean (the daughter of Mary Frances Haddad Ellis, granddaughter of Nathan Haddad, great-granddaughter of Makoul Haddad, and great-great granddaughter of Suleyman Haddad who, with Sada, started all this off!) was putting the picture board together, we were talking about the spiritual life of the family. She asked me if I realized that within our congregation at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in So. Charleston, WV, the following all had the same great-great-grandfather: Kathy Haddad Hudnall, Chris Haddad Workman, Louise Corey Palumbo, Daphne Ghiz Boder, John (Buzzy) Skaff, Donna Jean, her brother and sister, Bill Ellis and Toni Ellis. And some of them have offspring, so that makes the ancestral group at our little church even larger. I was really amazed.

In July 2000, Donna Jean and I joined a few other Lutheran Pastors to visit the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jerusalem and Jordan (ELCJ) which was organized in the 1970's. On our visit, we met the first Arabic Lutheran Bishop of the Middle East, Bishop Daoud (David) Haddad of Jib Jannine, who was a 3rd cousin to Donna Jean's grandfather Nathan. While still a priest, Bishop Haddad had met with Nathan on several occasions when he visited Jib Jannine. We also met Dr. Charlie Haddad, son of Bishop Haddad, who is currently the Director of the ELCJ Schools in Palestine. It was a pleasant surprise to discover more Haddad family connections. Read more about Bishop Daoud Haddad, the first Arab Lutheran bishop in the whole of the Middle East

The family not only established churches but also established benevolent associations like The Ladies Aid Society, Syrian-American Society, Shums IL Bir and others. Clergy came from the Old Country to serve the parishes and minister to their spiritual needs in churches all over the United States.

One of the churches established was St. George Orthodox Church in Charleston. Many of your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were responsible for it being built. Having grown up in that church, I remember many of them because they were the founding fathers and mothers of the church: Nathan Haddad… Nick Haddad… Joe Haddad… Mike Haddad… Sam Haddad… George Corey… Lee Corey… Sam Corey… Tarraf Salamie… Tom Salamie and others.

You should be proud of your heritage, your ancestry, and your family. Norman Haddad and David Ellis have done an outstanding job in making this weekend happen and preserving the history of the family, for which they deserve our heartfelt thanks. I am sure they want to encourage all of us to continue sending information, articles, and pictures to be shared on the Haddad Family Web site. Send your contributions to: webcomments@davidellis.net.