Discover Velma’s Dream

Velma’s Dream

• An initiative to support Holy Land Christians

• A partnership of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada and Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA)

• “Dream” of CWL National Past President – Velma Harasen

Solidarity with Holy Land Christians

• The Holy Father calls us to pay special attention to Holy Land Christians.

• Pope Benedict visited the Holy Land in 2009, called a Synod of Bishops on the Middle East in 2010 and visited Lebanon in 2012.

• Pope Francis called a day of prayer for peace in the Middle East (Sept 2013), and is concerned with finding a resolution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.

WHAT IS THE HOLY LAND?

The Holy Land

Consists of:• Israel• Palestine– West Bank & Gaza Strip

• Jordan

• Holy Sites and Churches– Bethlehem: Church of the Nativity– Jerusalem: Church of the Holy Sepulchre– Nazareth, Galilee and many other holy sites

Map of Israel

/Palestine

• In 1948, the State of Israel was founded.

• For many years, this was rejected by the Arab world and Palestinians.

• Today, Palestinians have still do not have a state.

A Bit of History

Some Statistics

• Palestinian population was 1.2 million before 1948.

• During the 1948-49 Arab-Israeli war, at least 750,000 Palestinians became refugees.

• Palestinian Christians were 20% of the population (and now it’s less than 2%).

The Impact on Palestinians

• The unresolved conflict has had a negative impact on Palestinians.

• In turn, this impacts Palestinian Christians, who are a minority within a minority.

Key Facts on the occupied Palestinian territories

The Separation Wall

The Separation Wall

• Since 2004, a wall is being built separating Israel from Palestine.

• Israel built the wall to protect themselves and their settlements from attack.

• For Palestinians, the wall is a way for Israel to grab their land and isolate them.

CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND

The Living Stones

About 1% of the population (50,000 Christians)

Located in the:I. West Bank• Southern Region (Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit

Sahour, Jericho)• Northern Region (Ramallah, Taybeh, Aboud, Jifna,

BirZeit, Zababdeh, Ein Arik)

II. Gaza StripIII. East Jerusalem

Christians in Palestine

Christians in Palestine

Bethlehem; 7000

Beit Jala; 7000

Beit Sahour; 8000

Jericho; 450

Ramallah; 6000Rafidia; 700

Jifna; 1100Jenin; 300

Zababdeh; 1800

Ain Arik; 400

Taybeh; 1600

Aboud ; 1200

BirZeit; 2200

Jerusalem, 9000

Gaza; 3000

Christians in Israel• Total Population in Israel: approx. 8 million• 6 million Jewish (75%)• 1.66 million are Arab Citizens (20.7%)

• 158,000 Palestinian Arab Christians (2% of total pop.)

• 318,000 Non-Arab Christians (4% of total pop.)

Christians in Israel

• After the 1948 war and creation of Israel, remaining Arabs were granted citizenship, including Palestinian Christians.

• Christians in Israel have more benefits than those in Palestine, but they face discrimination in a number of areas.

Decreasing numbers of Christians in the Holy Land

Emigration due to:

• Political reasons– Since 1948, a stalemate in Israel-Palestine conflict

• Economic reasons– Poverty, high unemployment

Why support Christians in the Holy Land?

• So that they’re able stay in the Holy Land (they want to stay)

• They are Caretakers of Jesus’ land and our Christian heritage - “Living Stones”• The Christian community keeps holy sites alive.• They are the living church. Otherwise, the churches are

just tourist attractions.

A bridge between Jews and Muslims:

• They demonstrate Christian values (e.g. peace & reconciliation)

• A huge role in interfaith dialogue

• Christians are often trusted and respected by all

Why support Christiansin the Holy Land?

Many Christians serve in social service institutions run by the Church – e.g. schools, hospitals, orphanages

• In many ways, the Church does the work of governments (e.g. social services)

• Services are provided to all segments of society with no discrimination

Why support Christians in the Holy Land?

Christian Presence - Institutions

Edu-catio

n46%

Health11%

So-cial Service

s15%

Youth28%Education Schools, college,

university, research, vocational training

Youth, etc.

Youth, sports, cultural, environmental

Social Services

Orphanages, old age centres

Health Services

Hospitals, clinicsFact: Although Christians

represent about 1% of the population in Palestine, 45% of all social services

are Christian-run.

VELMA’S DREAM

CNEWA Canada and the Catholic Women’s League

What is Velma’s Dream?

• Velma Harasen, Past President of the CWL of Canada, visited the Holy Land in 2010.

• Her eyes were opened to the struggles of local Christians, and she came back to Canada compelled to act.

• GOAL: to help Christians through their institutions that serve the poor and marginalized, in the land where Jesus was born.

Infant Welfare Centre

• Location: Old City of Jerusalem

• Purpose: Remedial Education program for teenage students, to prevent them from dropping out of school

Infant Welfare Centre

• Assists: Young people who have poor grades at school, and support for their families and teachers

• Issues: Poverty drives many youth to drop out of school, and they struggle with alcoholism, drug addiction, violence

Shepherd’s Field Hospital

• Location: Beit Sahour (near Bethlehem), Palestine

• Purpose: Cooperative society providing health care for the marginalized: delivering babies, providing day surgery and health education

Shepherd’s Field Hospital

• Assists: Pregnant & new mothers, newborn babies

• Issues: Many women & children live in poverty in Palestine, and suffer from iron deficiency

WHAT IS CNEWA?

What is CNEWA?

• Catholic Near East Welfare Association

• A special agency of the Holy Father, Pope Francis– Established in 1926 by Pope Pius XI– Started in Canada in 2005

• Supporting the works of the Eastern (Oriental) Catholic Churches

Where does CNEWA work?

• Middle East– Israel/Palestinian Territories– Syria– Egypt– Iraq– Jordan– Lebanon

• Also Northeast Africa, India, & Eastern Europe

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Support Holy Land Christians

• Pray for Holy Land Christians and for all people in the Middle East– Pray for peace and their well-being

Support Holy Land Christians

• Be informed of issues in the Holy Land and the Middle East– Follow current events in the news– e.g. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Syria, Egypt– Find out how the Canadian government is involved– Visit www.cnewa.ca

Support Holy Land Christians

• Go on a Holy Land Pilgrimage– Show solidarity and visit Christians living there

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

• June 29 – July 9, 2014• Organized by CNEWA Canada • For Catholic Women’s League Members• www.cnewa.ca/web/cwltrip

Make a donation to Velma’s Dream today!

• CWL Councils can send donations to: The Catholic Women’s League of CanadaC-702 Scotland Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3M 1X5Note: Please indicate on the “National Voluntary Fund Remittance Form” that you wish to support CNEWA.

• If individuals would like a tax receipt, they can give directly to CNEWA Canada.

CNEWA Canada1247 Kilborn Place

Ottawa, ON K1H 6K91-866-322-4441 · www.cnewa.ca