Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May the Lord give you His peace!
For more than a month now, the Holy Land has been besieged by war, and every day carries more sad news of death, violence, and destruction.
The ongoing conflict poses serious challenges for our schools and parishes in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nazareth, and in many other cities. Our Christian community is struggling with high unemployment and an intense crisis and many are facing the prospect of having to leave the country.
Despite all the difficulties, the Franciscans are keeping schools open and increasing efforts to add to our social and medical emergency assistance program. The needs, as you can imagine, are great at the moment.
By donating to our Christmas Campaign for Bethlehem, you can offer immediate hope to children, mothers, and fathers in the Holy Land. All proceeds raised through this campaign go directly to supporting Christians in Bethlehem.
In times like this, we are all called to give extra, through prayer and action, to work toward restoring hope and peace. In such troubled times, we need an exceptional effort to promptly respond to the call for help, and we ask that you consider donating to support our mission.
Thank you for everything that you do to be source of hope for the people of the Holy Land.
Peace and All Good
Fr. David Grenier, OFM
Commissary of the Holy Land