Even in devastation, hope is taking root in Gaza. The Catholic parish of the Holy Family is preparing for Christmas 2025 with choirs, gifts, and care for the sick. Your solidarity, through Aid to the Church in Need, nurtures resilience and reminds families that love endures.
Our Christian brothers and sisters are holding onto the hope
Fr Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest, describes daily life under the fragile ceasefire: damaged homes, broken water systems, and streets still filled with rubble. “There are over two million people here who have nothing and need everything” he says. Yet even in this scarcity, your compassion is felt. ACN’s humanitarian aid has reached more than 12,000 families, bringing food, medicine, and warmth. The ceasefire has allowed small but precious signs of life to return. Children displaced by war saw the ocean for the first time on a parish excursion. School lessons have resumed for 150 young people, offering stability and joy. Within the Catholic parish compound, 450 displaced people share shelter, water, and community. “Everyone is human, they suffer in the flesh, in the soul and in the heart” Fr Gabriel reminds us.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa on April 2nd, 2023, during Palm Sunday celebration in Jerusalem
Even in uncertainty, Christmas preparations are underway. Choirs rehearse hymns, children practice dabkes, and visits to the sick are being planned. Fr Gabriel hopes to bring chocolate to families – “whatever the cost” – because even a small gift can lift spirits and remind them of love.
Your solidarity is more than aid; it is identity. By praying and supporting Gaza’s faithful, you affirm that they are not forgotten, that peace is possible, and that joy can be felt even in rubble. As Fr Gabriel pleads: “We should pray. We should pray a lot. For peace, and for all the inhabitants of this Holy Land”.
