During recent years we have sent greetings at Easter and Christmas, with personal messages from very many parishioners, to four or five churches / communities in the Holy Land.
Since 2023, one of these parishes, Holy Family in Gaza, has sheltered several hundred refugees in the church, the school and adjacent convents, and we have reported on the situation there, with some damage to buildings and, very sadly, some loss of life and injuries. Pope Francis took the time to phone the parish priest on a daily basis.
Now we have some more encouraging news as the school at Holy Family Parish reopens for the first time since the start of the military campaign.
Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali, patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, said “Reopening the school is itself a form of care. The situation in Gaza remains far from normal — the conflict is ongoing, and we would not suggest otherwise. But precisely within that reality, giving children a safe place with familiar routines and trusted teachers offers them something dependable to hold onto for a few hours each day.”
The resumption of classes at the parish compound offers a small but significant step toward normalcy for dozens of children living amid ongoing conflict and destruction. This September the school at the only Catholic parish in Gaza will welcome approximately 1,000 students at the start of the school year, with 180 enrolled in the patriarchate’s kindergarten and the remaining 820 in the primary school, Bishop Shomali noted.
He added that while the parish continues to shelter displaced civilians, some families have been able to return to their homes, even though many of these homes remain damaged and in poor condition. Despite severe challenges, he added, Father Romanelli and parish staff have gradually repaired the school buildings.
“This process has been carefully organized to ensure that the needs of both students and displaced families are addressed,” Bishop Shomali said. “The spaces required for teaching have been made available while continuing to accommodate those families who still have no safe place to return to.”
“We deeply appreciate their commitment to their students and their willingness to continue serving despite the hardships they themselves face,” Bishop Shomali said. “Their perseverance is a powerful testimony to the importance of education.”
Despite the difficulties and challenges, for Bishop Shomali the reopening of the school in Gaza serves as a powerful message of hope, resilience and solidarity.
A fairly straightforward BBC article about the history of the conflict between Israel and Palestine may be read here