In Bethlehem, where the Son of God became a child and where Herod persecuted the children, the Franciscans welcome and take care of the children. This was emphasized by the Custos of the Holy Land, Brother Francesco Patton, on the occasion of the inauguration ceremony of the newly renovated kitchen and laundry of the "Franciscan Boys Home".
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"We do this here in Bethlehem, through the 'Franciscan Boys Home,' but we also support children in places like Aleppo, Syria, to help them overcome the trauma of war. In every place, it's important to protect and welcome children, to help them grow in hope for the future."
Present at the ceremony were the director and founder of the "Franciscan Boys Home," Brother Sandro Tomasevich and Brother Marwan Da'dess; the director of the Holy Land Schools, Brother Ibrahim Faltas; the pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Brother Enrique Segovia; and the regional director of the Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem Joseph Hazboun.
The project was implemented with the joint support of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL), the Associazione pro Terra Sancta and the Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem.
JOSEPH HAZBOUN
Regional Director of the Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem
"The Pontifical Mission is very interested in the social services provided by the various institutions of civil society, and for this reason we wanted to support the service provided by the Custody of the Holy Land through the Franciscan Boys Home of Bethlehem".
NAELA NASER
Social Worker - Associazione pro Terra Sancta (ATS)
"At our office in Bethlehem, we receive families who need to share their problems and are ready to listen. We also visit their homes and see what they need".
Sister MARIE
Franciscan Boys Home Supervisor
"Some of the kids we've hosted here now work here as employees or have their own businesses; they've also been educated to form solid families and not repeat their parents' experience".
At the end of the opening ceremony, the birthday of one of the boys was celebrated in the new kitchen.
Br SANDRO TOMASEVICH, ofm
Director – Franciscan Boys Home
"We would like to thank all the donors: the Associazione pro Terra Sancta and the Pontifical Mission, the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land and the Custody, who have helped us to realize these two projects. We are very happy with this opening and to be able to continue our journey together, with God's blessing".
