Who will help the orphans?
Consider this heartbreaking report from Holy Family Children’s Home – the only orphanage in Bethlehem, sustained by the Franciscans.
“We have a baby that was brought to us wrapped in newspaper,” said a sister serving at the orphanage. “We tried to find the mother but were told, ‘Don’t bother, she’s been killed.’ “
The Syrian refugee crisis has stretched the budget of the Franciscans in the Holy Land to its limits.
Will you support the Holy Land Franciscans Syrian Mercy Mobilization Campaign? An additional $50,000 must be raised so that Franciscans in the Holy Land can continue to provide essentials such as food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and schools to those in desperate need.
The situation is grave. People are losing their homes, their livelihoods and even their lives. Refugees left to fend forthemselves have been kidnapped and held for ransom. They have been murdered. Their homes and churches have been pillaged.
There are seniors who need essential medicines to survive, but don’t know when or if they will receive their next dose. Children have no place to go to school, and no books to read. Their clothes are tattered, their shoes torn to shreds. Parents have no jobs, no food for their families, and no place to stay indoors.
Holy Land Franciscans are literally a lifeline amid this turmoil. They are true reflections of Christ’s love and mercy, in a time of evil and despair. But the help they provide comes at great financial cost, and there is no end in sight.
The Holy Land Franciscans are officially charged with building support for ministries in the Holy Land. If we fail, people will suffer. Children will be hungry. Families will be homeless. Hope will be lost, in the very land where Christ brought hope and healing to so many.
Please give what you can. Your gift will directly benefit the ministries of Holy Land Franciscans.
God bless you for your generosity.
Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM
Custos of the Holy Land