#ChristmasOESSHHolyLand

During the first week of Advent we pray in particular for the pastoral activities of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

A warm thank you to Sister Virginie Habib, director of the Catechetical Centre who in this video tells us about the various actions brought forward by her office.

A thank you from the Seminary of Beit Jala.

Active since 1852, it has offered formation to 288 priests, 14 bishops and 3 patriarchs.

Today, 32 minor seminarians, 18 major seminarians, 7 priests and 3 sisters, together with staff and teachers are part of the Seminary’s community and we especially remember them in our prayers for the next few days.

Deacon Jubran Salameh of the Latin Patriarchate in Jordan thanks the members of the Order. In particular he shares the initiatives of the Latin Patriarchate for refugees and foreign workers: support to 40 Iraqi refugee families through rent payment, creation of job opportunities, scholarships and the payment of tuition fees, etc.  

There are approximately  20,000 Sri Lankan migrants residing in Jordan, 8,000 of them are Christians, and 45,000 Filipinos and 85% of them are Christians. Several Christmas activities are held in different parishes for the migrants especially at Our Lady of Peace Center in Amman. 

Let’s keep these families in our prayers as we approach Christmas. 

As we approach Christmas we keep in our prayers, the many people in need of support who receive help in scholarships, family support, medical help and medicine programs thanks to the humanitarian projects run by the Latin Patriarchate.

In this video Dima Khoury, a social worker tells us more about it!

In this video, Father Mario da Silva, parish priest in Gaza, thanks the EOHSJ for the support received.

The Holy Family Church hosted a Christmas dinner on December 24 at the parish for all parishioners that includes several Christmas activities.

May the light of the world, the child Jesus, shine and bring love from the most challenging places.

Father Bashar Fawadleh is the national chaplain for the Young Catholic Students. He thanks the Order for the support received that allows the 3,500 Christian youth in the movement ranging in ages from 7 to 35 to carry on many activities.

Discover more about what they do in this short video and let’s keep them particularly in mind for the Christmas Dinner they held on December 28 for all the youth.

In Israel, there are approximately 170,000 Migrants most of them are Sri Lankans, Filipinos, Indians and more. 50,000 of them are Christian Catholics. There are also 38,000 Christian asylum seekers from Eritrea and Southern Sudan. Father Rafic Nahra, Vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics and for migrants and asylum seekers thanks the Order for the support sent for the people he takes care for.

In these days in which we meditate upon the mystery of God who decided to take our flesh and whom we adore as a child, we remember the children of migrants and asylum seekers.

20,000 students attend the about 40 schools run by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The educational and pastoral work done through these institutions is constantly supported by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

In this solemnity of Epiphany when we are once again so close to the grotto of Bethlehem and to the Baby Jesus, we especially remember the young students of the Holy Land.

Sami El-Yousef, Chief Executive Officer of the Latin Patriarchate provides an overview of the actions of the Patriarchate made possible thanks to the support of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

In this last week of Christmas time, let us bring all of these realities to mind and heart and joyfully entrust them to the hands of the Lord for this new year.