The main duties
for sisters in the Holy Land are to serve in
the private schools, to look after the
small children in
the Nursery, to teach Christianity to the young people, to look out for and help
people in need, and to take care of Saint Joseph’s Church. Bethlehem is the place where Jesus was born
but life here is not easy. There are social, economic and political problems.
The people suffer. The number of needy
people is increasing especially since the Wall was built around the city. This
wall puts the people in a big prison. They used to go to Jerusalem, which is not far from
Bethlehem, just ten minutes by bus or car, to
work and to pray. Nowadays with this wall, people are not allowed to go outside
Bethlehem. They
cannot offer to their families the basic needs, things such as, food, clothes,
health and a good place to live. We Dominican Sisters help where we can. Our
door is always open to hear and to help these people by offering things like clothes
and food, or just to talk to them, listen to their stories, and pray with them.
Our income is
limited because in the Nursery we charge only a small fee in order to help the
families. Their salaries are so low. We also make rosaries and do Palestinian
Embroidery to sell. It
is hard to see
someone asking for your help and you are not able to give it.
We the Sisters in Bethlehem face many
problems. To go to Jerusalem
we need permission and we do not always get it. In addition, we have Sisters who
want to come and serve with us but the Israelis will not give them a visa to
enter. Moreover, our superior has applied several times for a visa to visit us
but she was refused.
We call on
Christians in the world to think of their brothers and sisters, who are living
in the Holy Land and who are suffering daily.
Every month a Christian family is emigrating. The is the Birthplace of Jesus.
We must protect it and protect its people so that they can continue to live
here. We the sisters are going to continue our service and our prayer that our
Palestinian people may be strong and able to bear all these difficulties
because one day God will relieve their suffering and save them as he did when
he sent his beloved son Jesus to this Holy land
and sacrificed Him to save his people.
To contact the
sisters directly and to express our solidarity: Saint Joseph Center
– Dominican Sisters Nursery – P.O.
Box 310 Bethlehem
