Prayer from Bethlehem on Feast of Our Lady of Palestine

Brother Jack Curran, FSC, from Bethlehem University, writes: Today, October 25, the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady Queen of Palestine, a day of prayer for the protection of the Holy Land and for peace among all who call it home. Entrusted to the Church here nearly a century ago, this feast invites us to lift our minds and hearts to God through Mary's intercession.

As Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, recently said, "We need new faces, new figures who can help rebuild a different narrative, one based on mutual respect."

At Bethlehem University, our students are precisely those new faces, witnesses of faith and fraternity who help write that narrative of peace.

In these challenging times, your prayers and companionship help sustain a living Christian presence in the place of Our Lord's birth and empower young people to become bridges of understanding and peace.

"In the midst of uncertainty, our students remind us that peace is not an idea, it is a way of living each day with faith, dialogue, and service," Brother Hernán Santos, FSC, PhD, Vice Chancellor, Bethlehem University, said.

I warmly invite you to pray with us for peace, justice, and protection for all in the Holy Land, especially our students, their families, faculty, and staff. Pilgrims will gather at the Sanctuary of the Queen of Palestine in Deir Rafat. Wherever you are, please join us spiritually with this simple prayer:

Our Lady, Queen of Palestine,
watch over the Holy Land and all its peoples.
Protect the students and families of Bethlehem University.
Intercede for peace founded on justice, and for hope that endures. Amen.

Brother Jack Curran, FSC, PhD, KHS
Vice President for Advancement
Bethlehem University

LINK

Bethlehem University: www.bethlehem.edu/ar/msw-ar/