Clerical Organization

Fih's citizens are: 92% Greek Orthodox as being in El-Koura which is considered their capital in Lebano , others: Maronite & Sunnite.

It is important here to note that a good part of Balamand Monastery's properties were donated by people from Fih.

Moreover, Fih is a parish in  the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Tripoli & Koura & Dependencies.

Priest
Reverend Louis Hanna Haidar (Father Semaan) born on the 25 th of April 1938 , Ex. teacher in FIH Public School , is the priest & thus the president of the "Committee of the Parish" of FIH.

Churches

Saint. Simon

It was built on the ruins of an old sanctuary in a oak forest . It began as a small church, then was reconstructed starting 1865 with the help of faithfuls, and was inaugurated on the 1 st of September 1892 in the occasion of St. Simon Day.
It consists of two crossed arches ending with the curve of the altar to the East, with a big entrance decorated with stone ornaments.
It included, till the near past, the “Women's house”, which is the rear part, separated from the nave of the church by a wooden grid.
There are wide fields around the church, characterized by the old oaks, the mills stones, the mortars and two water tanks, in addition to a cemetery for priests.
The first endowment school in FIH was built in the church fields, where is now the official school

Saint. Saba

It is the most ancient church in FIH, and was constructed of the white limestone. It consists of a single cave arch and the altar curve. Most of its icons were stolen. Its western façade dominates the old town yard, and thus the valley from the top of the hill.
The walls of the eastern façade are ribbed around the altar, topped with the roof stairs starting from its higher middle. It contains an icon of Antiochian pattern that represents the Last Judgment, with a number of saints around it. There is also the icon of St. Saba, and goes back to the last two centuries.

St. Mary

The Lady Church ( Town Cemetery )

It was built after the inauguration of St. Simon church and the abolishment of the cemetery around it. The church was built thanks to Cheikh Moussa Sleiman who offered also its real estate to the town. It was reconstructed thanks to the emigrant Ya'coub Hanna Haidar on behalf of his two children Hanna and Takla in 1947.

That's what is written on the marble plates above the southern door of the church, its only entrance.

The church consists of a white stone arch together with stone iconostases.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the town began using this cemetery, which was described by Fouad Sleiman as follows: “This cemetery is one of the blessings, in which rest our pious and blessed age”.

Families

Some Families that migrated to foreign countries

Abdallah (Ironwood, Argentina), Haidar (Scranton Olyphant, Argentina, Venezuela , Santo Domingo, Cuba), Haddad (USA, Uruguay), Hnein  (Cuba), Hosni (Argentina), Issa (USA), Joseph (New York),  Karam (USA, Cuba, Uruguay),  Khoury (Argentina),  Makdessy (Iron Mountain),  Merheb (Uruguay), Nakat (Brazil), Najjar (Argentina), Saba (Wilkes Barre, Argentina), Shahda (Kearney), Sleiman (Argentina, Mexico), Yanni (Sanis & Australia), Yazbeck (Lexington)...

Nowadays, the young citizens leave to the Arab Gulf (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), U.S.A. (mostly to Boston, Massachusetts) , Canada ( Montreal ) & Australia ( Sydney ) trying to fight against the high cost of living & the inflation which Lebanon is suffering from. 

Hayek (link to the Lebanese in Kearny)

The earliest Lebanese immigrant to travel to Kearney and settle there was Michael Hayek. His journey to America from Fih , Lebanon , was in 1884 at the age of seventeen. He resided in Omaha a short time, then realizing the tremendous business possibilities and the booming community, he moved to Kearney in the late 1880's. He was a peddler for a few years, but soon after the turn of the century he opened the Hayek Grocery Store at 1806 Central Avenue . Later he built a new store at 1822 Central Avenue and operated it until he retired.

George (link to the Lebanese in Kearny)

Brothers Charles, Simon and Sam George traveled to America from Fih , Lebanon , probably around the turn of the century, and located first in Omaha.

Shada (link to the Lebanese in Kearny)

The Shada family is possibly the largest Lebanese family in Nebraska . Three brothers, John, Gabriel and Mose, left their village in Fih , Lebanon to embark on a journey to America , more specifically to Omaha , Nebraska . Gabriel had a camel freight business in Fih and had not planned to go, but the morning of the brothers' departure his camel died, so he packed his bags and went along. They arrived in New York in the fall of 1896 on the S. S. LaTouraine. A brother Abraham may have been with them, or may have come a few years earlier. Abraham had settled in Kearney by 1904, the first of many Shada immigrants to come to the city.

Yanney (link to the Lebanese in Kearny)

Nicola E. Yanney was born in Fih , Lebanon on February 5, 1873 . He was married to Martha George AlByke of Al Haat, Lebanon on November 8, 1892 . They emigrated to Nebraska that same year, settling in Omaha . There, on October 29, 1893 , their first son Elias Khourv, was born. Two years later, on July 4, a sister Anna joined the family.

Nicola then located on a farm north of Gibbon, in Buckeye Valley , where the family lived in a two-room soddie. A son John was born on May 22, 1897 , and a son Mose on July 19, 1899 . Those were happy, prosperous years until Nicola lost his wife Martha on February 11, 1902 , and his infant daughter nine days later. He found it difficult to adjust to his loss and it was at this point that Nicola changed the direction of his life. A group of Orthodox Christians in Kearney were seeking a leader and a priest. Knowing that Mr. Yanney was well educated, the group asked him if he would attend seminary in Brooklyn , New York , and become an ordained priest for the St. George Parish. He accepted, and on March 4, 1904 , he was consecrated by Bishop Raphael, the first Syrian Orthodox Bishop in the United States . The Reverend Yanney served St. George's until his death from Spanish influenza on October 28, 1918 . He was 44 years of age.

Some Families originating from Fih

Fadel, Fihany (living now in different regions in Lebanon , but also in Java), Fouhany, Joseph , Hamaty,  Haidar, Hosni, Hreiky, Makdessy, Nakhloul, Nehme, Saba , Yanni, ...

Families that are living in Fih currently

Abdallah, Abdo, Abboud, Aoude, Ayoub, Chami, Gergis, Haidar, Haddad, Hajj, Hnein, Hosni, Issa, Karam, Khoury, Makdessy, Melhem, Merheb, Nakat, Nassif, Najjar, Nehme, Nkoula, Saba, Semaan, Sleiman, Yanni, Youssef...

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