Gaza: Christians are afraid but do not despair

Holy Family church in January 2016

On Sunday, 18 December, a delegation from the Latin Patriarchate went to Gaza to celebrate an early Christmas Mass with the Holy Family parish there. Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, Patriarchal Vicar for Israel with Fr Imad Twal, General Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate; Fr Mario da Silva, parish priest and Fr Gabriel Romanelli, of the Institute of the Incarnate Word.

Catholic and Orthodox Christians came in large numbers for the occasion, many were young people and children, offering the testimony of a living faith. The parish Scout troop welcomed visitors with the sound of trumpets and drums. After Mass, a Nativity play was presented by the children of the parish under the guidance of the Missionary Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word who work with the children of Gaza, running the kindergarten, school and home for disabled children, next to the parish.

The celebration was an occasion to give thanks for the past year, despite the desolate situation in Gaza where poverty, unemployment and the successive wars seem to bury any hope of a bright future. The parish is a close-knit family, where each person supports the other.

"Every year we ask God for the gift of peace, today we are afraid but we do not despair. Some speak of another war to come, so many things frighten us, but this Christmas, we ask God to give us the grace of peace," said Father Mario. There are a few glimmers of hope and restoration, he explained. "Several projects have been carried out here by the Latin Patriarchate and we are very grateful ... We now have electricity thanks to the solar panels."

The parish and the complex around it have undergone numerous works of restoration and development in the past year. Five projects were inaugurated: the parish priest house and offices; the community service hall and offices; the rehabilitation of Latin school in El Zeiton, including the newly installed solar panels; safety and security boundary wall for the parish. The foundation stone for the Church rehabilitation project was also blessed, the building has problems with damp which threaten the entire structure. These projects were completed with the support of the Equestrian Order (Knights) of the Holy Sepulcher, the Pontifical Mission, Manos Unidas (Spain), Governments of Portugal and Poland, and the French Association Œuvre d'Orient.

Source: Latin Patriarchate