Religion classes for Filipino children begin again

Last February, the Hebrew speaking Catholic Vicariate in Israel began to collaborate with the team of Filipino priests and lay women who run the Divine Mercy Chapel, near the Tel Aviv central bus station. Father David, the Vicar, and Benny travel every two weeks to the Chapel in order to teach catechism to a group of about 30 Filipino children, who are Hebrew speakers, most of whom are pupils in the local Bialik-Rogozin school. The children are perfectly integrated into Israeli society, have a good knowledge of the Old Testament, the Jewish tradition, the Jewish feasts and customs but know very little about their own Catholic faith.

This year, classes began with the start of the new school year. The Chapel has shifted location, now to be found on Levanda Street, where there are a good number of other small, ethnic based churches, mostly Protestant and Evangelical. This year, together with the Filipino pastoral team, it has been decided to prepare most of the children for first communion, which will be celebrated in May 2011.

Father David has began to look for others who are willing and able to help with this important mission. This year, Jose-Enriques, a Spanish member of the Opus Dei community in Jerusalem, has joined the team that goes to Tel Aviv every two weeks.

Meanwhile, the authorities have renewed their threat to deport the hundreds of foreign worker children who have been unable to fulfill the process of gaining legal status in Israel. We continue to pray for those children affected by these measures. (Read about the threats of deportation).