Summer days in Deir Rafat

The youth arrived on Monday July 20, accompanied by Father Apolinary, responsible for the kehilla in Jaffa, and Father Piotr, responsible for the kehilla in Beer Sheba. This year, twenty five young people participated in the 12 days of activities in Deir Rafat, providing vital assistance in the children’s activities and having meetings among themselves. The majority of the youth came from the Hebrew speaking communities in Israel but there were also a few from the Filipino and Lebanese Maronite communities.

On Wednesday, July 22, 2015, the first group of children arrived for the first camp of five days. The number of participants in the camp – children, youth and adult counselors – was over one hundred people. The place was packed to capacity with all the rooms full of beds and mattresses on the floor. This year the theme of the camp was “Be holy as I am holy” with a focus on saints and sanctity. The days were full of activities, morning exercises, morning prayer, breakfast, six different programs (religion class, sport, art, games, theater and dance), preparation for mass, song practice, mass, lunch, rest, swimming, group discussion, dinner and a movie. On Friday, July 24, the entire group went on pilgrimage to Ein Karem to visit the places associated with the life of Saint John the Baptist. Each evening, the counselors met to evaluate the day and find ways to improve things the following day.

The first camp ended on Sunday, July 26, and about 30 of the youth and children left. The following day, about 30 new young people and children arrived for the second camp that lasted from Monday, July 27 until Friday, July 31. The same theme was proposed but with different content. On Wednesday, July 29, the entire group went on a day trip to Beer Sheba and spent some hours exploring the science museum in the city.

These times are full of joy as we can see the church of tomorrow in action. Our children integrate well despite the fact that they come from such diverse backgrounds. This year, there were children from the Hebrew speaking kehillot (many of them from Russian speaking or Arabic speaking families), from the migrant worker communities (most of them Filipino), from the community of asylum seekers (all of them African) and from the Lebanese Maronite community. They share a common faith and a common experience as Hebrew speaking Catholic children in Israeli Jewish Hebrew speaking secular schools.

The adult counselors this year included four priest from the Vicariate, Fathers David, Apolinary, Roman and Piotr, eight religious women, Sisters Rita, Jandark and Lina (from the Sisters of Saint Dorothea), Sister Camelia (from the Sisters of Nazareth), Sister Sinead (from Koinonia John the Baptist), Sister Claudia (from the Ursuline Sisters), Sister Sarah (from the Little Family of the Annunciation) and Sister Claudia (from the Vicariate), two seminarians, Benedetto from the Vicariate and Daniel (from Koinonia John the Baptist), four lay people from the kehillot, Kirill, Daniele, Habib and Salma, one lay person from the Arab parish in Haifa, Amanda, two lay women from the Lebanese Maronite community, Ramia and Gracia, four lay volunteers from Italy, Rosela, Gabriele, Lucia and Martha, and one Israeli Jewish friend, Nomi.

We give thanks to the Sisters of Deir Rafat, the Nuns of Bethlehem and of the Assumption of the Virgin and of Saint Bruno, who again welcomed us so warmly, turning their home over to us. We thank our benefactors – for the children, Church in Need, and for the youth, Pontifical Mission as well as many others who contributed to make this possible. We thank the Lord for keeping us safe, filling us with joy and making us more holy day by day!