Hospitality and Gift Sale
Enjoy hospitality, fellowship and a gift sale by the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation in the North Conference Room after Masses on the First Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2023 and after the Vigil Mass on December 2
HCEF will host a display of handmade olivewood religious carvings from Bethlehem and Jerusalem available for purchase. These include nativity sets, cruficixes, rosaries, Christmas ornaments, candle holders, angels and other figures - perfect for giving at Christmas and many other occasions.
George Ghanem, an indigenous Christian from Bethlehem will be at the display table to greet you.
Support our Christian Brothers and Sisters
Come for refreshments and to catch up with fellow parishioners, and most of all for a timely opportunity to support Christians in the Holy Land. Bethlehem Christians have endured many hardships as tourism there has plummeted in the wake of the pandemic and the ongoing conflict. Many Christians have been forced to leave their homeland. According to HCEF, the Christian population of the Holy Land fell from 30% of the population in the last centry to just over 1% today.
These Christians are not immigrants. They are not converts from Judaism
WHO ARE THE PALESTINIAN ARAB CHRISTIANS
or Islam. They are the descendants of those who first believed in Jesus Christ. They live in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and other places in Palestine and Israel. These Christians, whether they live in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza, are ethnically Palestinian. They are the Arab Palestinian Christians – Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. They have maintained a continual living witness in the land of our Savior’s birth and have helped preserve the Holy Sites sacred to all of Christianity.
OF THE HOLY LAND? (HCEF website)
As we pray for peace in the Middle East, take a moment to read HCEF's Ten Reasons to Support Christians in the Holy Land.
HCEF writes, "Let us together keep Bethlehem a Christian town forever. Proceeds go to support Catholic families in Bethlehem. It is never too late to help!"
We hope to see you on the weekend of the First Sunday of Advent, December 2/3.