Thank You for Supporting Our Twin Parish in Bethlehem
St. Anthony and St. Mary Pastor Msgr. Ross Shecterle is pleased to share the results of the recent World Mission Sunday collection in support of the parish’s brothers and sisters at St. Catherine’s Church. Through the extraordinary generosity of parishioners, a total of $18,738 was wire transferred to St. Catherine’s in Bethlehem just before Christmas.
The funds arrived in time for the celebration of Christmas and brought great joy to the community. Anton Mousallam, the English-speaking liaison at St. Catherine’s, shared this beautiful message, reflecting on the return of the Christmas tree and the celebrations that followed a long-awaited peace.
“It truly was a special Christmas this year, bringing real joy back into everyone’s hearts. Seeing the light and hope of Christ’s birth return to the Church of the Nativity filled us all with deep peace and joy.
What made it even more meaningful for our family was that my daughter Mary, who has served as the choir leader for several years, was blessed with the opportunity to sing solo at the Midnight Mass in the Grotto where our Lord Jesus was born, continuing until 2 am. This was truly a great grace from God.
This Christmas was a precious gift, renewing faith, joy, and hope in all of us. God bless.”
To help parishioners understand how their generosity made a concrete difference, St. Catherine’s provided the following breakdown of how the funds were distributed:
- $1,000 for Youth
- $1,000 for the Secular Franciscan Order
- $1,000 for Sunday School
- $3,000 for Terra Santa School
- $2,000 for Working Youth
- $10,650 for direct assistance, including food supplies, electricity, medications and rent for families in need
As Mousallam wrote, the support was “offered in a spirit of faith and solidarity” and received as a true blessing. The community at St. Catherine’s continues to keep the parishioners of St. Anthony and St. Mary in their prayers.
Those interested in becoming involved in the Parish Twinning ministry are invited to attend the next meeting on Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. in the St. Mary Parish offices. Additional updates about St. Catherine’s will be shared in future bulletins.