Tag Archives: Christians in the Holy Land

2011 Christmas Message: Latin Patriarch Jerusalem

23 Dec

During a press conference on Wednesday, December 21, 2011, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem delivered his Christmas Message in the presence of his Patriarchal Vicars. Below are two paragraphs from the text.

Arab Spring and situation of Christians

I would like to go back to current events, to situations that we continue to follow closely, to what happened and is happening in the Arab countries. I have always defended the changes taking place in favor of freedom and democracy. I have repeatedly emphasized that Christians are not excluded from these movements. That said, I fervently hope that human rights and the dignity of each individual are respected. I also hope and pray that the competent authorities make every effort to calm the spirits without violence, and to protect the minorities who are an integral part of the population in the region. We must grasp this moment of opportunity to build a new society based on equal citizenship for all. The Catholic Patriarchs of the East together have asked our faithful to set a day of prayer for reconciliation and peace in the Middle East.

Application to the UN for membership of a State of Palestine

We want a just and comprehensive peace to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We adhere to the position taken by the Holy See, clearly acknowledging the two-state solution with security and internationally recognized borders. I often say that to be with one of the parties does not mean to be against the other. We are for the welfare and interests of the whole world: peace, security, mutual respect and dignity. The journey has begun but the process is long and tedious. I firmly believe and even more today, that negotiation is the best way to resolve the conflict.

Tags: , , , ,

In Miss Eman’s Own Words and Language

22 Dec

Below is an account of the December 20, 2011 “visit’’ (by way of Skype) between the 3rd grade class of Miss Eman in Beit Jala and the 4th grade class of Mrs. Schweickart in Milford. 

Miss Eman wrote this account, which is online at the parish website of the Church of the Holy Family, Ramallah, Palestine, the Holy Land – Pastor: Father Faisal Hijazin. It can be found here.

لقاء عبر الانترنت بين مدرسة البطريركية في بيت جالا ومدرسة القديس أندرو في أمريكا

 2011-12-22 02:59

   ضمن برنامج التوأمة مع مدرسة القديس اندرو في ولاية اوهايو في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ومدرسة البطريركية اللايتينة في بيت جالا جرى يوم الثلاثاء 20/12/2011 أول لقاء عبر الانترنت باستخدام برنامج Skype وهو اللقاء الأول من نوعه جرى في مدارس البطريركية للصفي الثالث الاساسي في المدرسة في بيت جالا وطلاب الصف الرابع من مدرسة سانت اندرو..

وقد تم التغلب على مشكلة الوقت التي واجهت طاقم التحضير لهذا فقد جرى هذا اللقاء في الساعة الرابعة عصرا حسب التوقيت الفلسطيني والساعة التاسعة صباحا حسب التوقيت في ولاية اوهايو وقد تبادل الطرفان الأسئلة حول كيفية التدريس والوقت والحياة المدرسية والاجتماعية من كلا الطرفين وأيضاً تم القاء بعض الأسئلة من كلا الطرفين والإجابة عليها.

 وفي آخر اللقاء تم تبادل تهاني عيد الميلاد المجيد بين الطلاب الصفين وأيضاُ قام طلابنا بتقديم ترتيلة لعيد الميلاد فيا للغة العربية وهم بدورهم رتلوا لعيد الميلاد باللغة الانجليزية.

وقتم تعليمهم بعض الكلمات في اللغة العربية مثل عيد ميلاد وسعيد وغيرها وتم الاتفاق على أن يتم اعاد مثل هذه اللقاءات في المستقبل لما له من آثار ايجابية على الطرفين.
وقد اشرف على تجهيز تقنيات هذا للقاء الاستاذ وسيم كسابرة من مدرسة البطريكية اللاتينية في بيت جالا مسؤول قسم الحاسوب وتكنولوجيا المعلومات في المدرسة بالإضافة الى المعلمة ايمان عمرو معلمة اللغة العربية للصف الثالث التي قامت بتحضير الطلاب لهذا اللقاء وايضاً المعلمة روجيس قمصية المسؤولة الاكاديمية في الادارة العامة لمدارس البطريركية اللاتينية وكذلك الاستاذ سهيل دعيبس من الادارة العامة وبحضور معلمة اللغة الانجليزية المعلمة سهيلة صليبي للصف الثالث ايضاَ.

نتمنى الاستمرار لمثل هذه اللقاءات لسماع الصوت الفلسطيني وسماع الصوت المسيحي لكافة ارجاء العالم .

Tags: , , , ,

Were we the only school in the U.S. that “skyped” with Bethlehem today?

20 Dec

The 4th graders from our St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Seton school visited with the 3rd graders from the Latin Patriarchate School in Beit Jala (Bethlehem), Palestine. Speaking with children in Bethlehem right before Christmas – how cool is that! 

These Palestinian children live in Bethlehem. They are Christians – just like us – in a Catholic school – just like ours. 

There is Miss Eman, their teacher. When she was in the classroom with our students at our school in November, her face just lit up. She makes her students smile.  

This is Mr. Waseim, their computer teacher. He is very clever – and very computer savvy. He has been to our school, too.  

 They sang “Jingle Bells” in Arabic. We clapped for them. 

We sang “Silent Night” in English. They clapped for us.  

It was a wonderful Christmas gift for me to be able to see and hear my two worlds, my two loves – Milford and Beit Jala – come together at Christmas.  

Mrs. Schweickart is our teacher. Last summer she went to the Beit Jala school, where she met Miss Eman and Mr. Waseim. In November she welcomed them to our school.  

We hope to visit again, by skype and in person. Ensha’allah. God willing. 

Tags: , , , ,

Longing for Hope, Many Despair

5 Dec

At the closing prayer of our farewell dinner, with the lights in the room dimmed and candles burning, the Light of Christ shone brightly among us and within us, as we sang with Hala from Nazareth, Rogeece from Beit Sahour, Suhail from Zebabdeh, Waseim from Beit Jala, and Ruya from Nablus. They are teachers. They are Palestinians. They are Christians. They are our friends. They are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.

 

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow’r to save us.
Make us your living voice. 

Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
shared until all are fed.Longing for shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others,
walls made of living stone.

Many the gifts, many the people,
many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
making your kingdom come. 

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.

Tags: , , , , ,

“It was kind of you to share in my distress”

1 Dec

A people without hope perish.

A program called HOPE – Holy Land Outreach to Palestinian Educators – brought Christians teachers together. They teach in Catholic schools, in Cincinnati and in the Holy Land. What they have in common is that they teach children – and they teach with hope.

During the visit of our friends from the West Bank, Israel and Jordan, we prayed in many places and at many times.

We prayed on a Sunday with the people of St. Andrew parish, Milford …

We prayed on a school day with the children of St. Lawrence school, Price Hill …

We prayed with the Sisters of Charity at their motherhouse, Delhi …

Having heard the personal stories of our Jordanian and Palestinian friends, and having shared in their struggles and sufferings as teachers, parents, citizens and believers living as a minority in their lands, we celebrated a last Mass together before they left toward home. Be in awe – and be filled with hope – as you read what was proclaimed at that Mass from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, noting that the reading was not specifically chosen for the occasion but “just happened” to be the reading permanently assigned to that day in the Church’s established calendar of readings:

“Brothers and sisters:  I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of  being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in  need. I can do all things in him who strengthens me. Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress. My God will fully supply  whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our  God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Tags: , , , ,

We got what it takes!

1 Dec

What does it take to begin a partnership between St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Milford and the Latin Patriarchate School in Beit Jala?

passion for learning

love of children

hope and gratitude

desire and longing

talent and faith

… and …

SASEAS principal, Tom

Beit Jala teacher, Eman          Beit Jala teacher, Waseim

… and …

the “techies” – Waseim (LPSBJ) … George (SASEAS) 

… and …

the “teachers” – Sue (America) … Eman (Palestine)

What does it take to build and continue a partnership between our SASEAS and their LPSBJ?

passion for learning

love of children

hope and gratitude

desire and longing

talent and faith

Eman … Tom … Waseim … George … Sue

We got what it takes!

Tags: , , , , ,

No Hatred or Violence, Please

30 Nov

Archbishop Chacour (CNS/Paul Haring)

In her October 25 article on the Catholic News Service website, Deborah Gyapong begins by noting that Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour is Palestinian, an Arab, a Christian and an Israeli citizen, and that he is proud of each one of his identities.

Here are snippets of the piece by Ms. Gyapong: 

  • “We have been labeled a nation of terrorists,” he said. “We have been a nation terrorized for over 70 years.” 
  • If people sympathize with the suffering of Palestinians in refugee camps, or struggling under the occupation in Gaza or the West Bank, or as second-class citizens in Israel, they might decide “to be on our side,” he said. “If being on our side with the Palestinians, being for us, means being against the Jews, we do not need your friendship,” he said. “You reduce yourselves to being one more enemy.”  
  • Archbishop Chacour said his parents taught him never to hate, even though, when he was 8, the Israeli military ordered his family to leave their home in their ancestral village. Expecting to be allowed to return, his family and other villagers lived for two weeks in the hills. Then the family heads went to speak with Israeli authorities about returning to their homes. Instead of inviting them back, the military herded them onto military trucks “like cattle” and dropped them off across the border at Nablus, West Bank, and told them not to return. 
  • In 1953, his home village was razed and the land confiscated by the Israeli government, he said. But he does not use these experiences as a pretext for hatred or violence. Instead, he has devoted his life to reconciliation and building peace among Jews, Christians and Muslims. 
  • “We Palestinians and Jews do not need to learn how to live together,” he said. “We just need to remember how we used to live together for centuries and centuries.”

Read the entire article here: “Melkite archbishop urges Christians to support Jews and Palestinians.”

Tags: ,

“Keep my spirit, until I come back”

29 Nov

At the farewell dinner the night before the Christian teachers from the Holy Land left us to fly back home, Rogeece, in the name of the group, presented me with a piece of olive wood in the shape of a heart. This is how she explained the gift: 

When we were at the Freedom Center, I watched a six-to-seven minute video about a young boy who was from a slave family. He was escaping, in order to look for freedom, and then return to his family. His hope was to bring back freedom for all of them. When the young boy was about to say goodbye to his mother and his young sister, he gave them a heart-shaped stone. Handing his heart to his sister, he said, “Keep my spirit, until I come back.” He meant to come back as a human being, with all his rights and dignity, to give freedom to all of them.

As we leave Cincinnati, we give a heart-shaped piece of olive wood to you, our father, and to our sisters and brothers that we leave behind. We ask you to keep our spirit, until we get peace in our land, the Holy Land, until we live with our families in peaceful and just conditions, and until we return with dignity.

I will keep your heart close to my heart, Rogeece. I will keep your spirit, until you come back.

Tags: , , , ,

Peace the Angels Sang About

23 Nov

In the fields near Bethlehem … “Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Bethlehem is still not enjoying the peace that the angels sang about on that first Christmas night.

When we sing the Gloria at Mass, we begin, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.” We sing the hymn of the angels at Christmas.

Eman, a teacher in the Catholic school in Beit Jala near Bethlehem, was at St. Andrew a few weeks ago, with other teachers from Catholic schools throughout the Holy Land. Coming from the West Bank, from Jordan and from Israel, the teachers spent time with teachers from our school, learning together and establishing a partnership for continued learning together.

At Sunday Mass as we sang the Gloria, we noticed Eman looking up.

A teacher from Bethlehem looking up as the hymn of the angels is sung. Was she hearing the angels? Was she expecting to hear them? Was she thinking of the angels and their peace song? Was she thinking of her students in Bethlehem who long for the peace about which angels sing?

We did not ask. We thought it best to leave it between her, the angels and the Prince of Peace born in Bethlehem.

Tags: , , , , ,

In the Olive Garden with Ibrahim

10 Nov

Below is an article about Father Ibrahim Shomali and the Christians of Beit Jala. It appears on the website of the Latin Patriarchate Jerusalem (the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jerusalem).

Father Ibrahim is the parish priest of Annunciation Church in Beit Jala. St. Andrew parish is in a twinning relationship with his parish, and our SASEAS school is in a twinning relationship with his parish school. Father Ibrahim will be visiting us in Milford in December, and will be with us for Sunday Mass, ensha’allah. Next June I will visit him in Beit Jala, and will celebrate Mass with him in the olive field of Beit Jala, God willing.

Beit Jala Christians pray to stop wall

Christians of Beit Jala attended an open-air Mass on Friday, November 4th to pray together against the Israeli decision to confiscate a part of their land. The Israeli government intends to extend the separation wall at the entrance of the Cremisan valley.

To protest against this decision, faithful gathered with the Pastor of Beit Jala, Father Ibrahim Shomali and Father Mario Corniole for an open-air Mass. An Israeli committee approved a plan to build 1,100 new houses on the south slopes of Gilo last September. To do this, the route of the wall “will confiscate land belonging to Christian people and Christian church,” reports a statement of the Latin parish. The idea is simple: protesting not by violence but by prayer. In the same statement, the parish priest and Christians of Beit Jala denounce “the  confiscation [by Israel] of the last green area in Beit Jala (Bethlehem district)”, considering “the annexation of the most beautiful lands in the Bethlehem area as a direct attack against the Palestinian people and especially  against Palestinian Christians.”

Soliciting members of the Quartet for the Middle East – including the United Nations, the Russian Federation, the United States and the European Union – and also calling upon the rest of the international community, the parish of Beit Jala called President Mahmoud Abbas’ government, the Latin Patriarchate and the civil society to do “everything possible to keep the land in the hands of its rightful owners.”

In the light of the message from Synod for the Middle East last year regarding the Christian presence in the Holy Land: “It is Church’s duty to support our presence. Therefore, we call the Holy See and Pope Benedict XVI to act  immediately, using all possible means to help protect our people.”

The Mass was celebrated in a field of olive trees which will probably be cut and uprooted. As recalled by Father Mario Corniole, olives were silent witnesses of Jesus’ suffering and agony in Gethsemane. Thus, Beit Jala parishioners attached to their land and their olive trees will meet every Friday on this “Gethésménai” where they still live in fear, but also with the hope that their land will always be respected.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →