The Home's history
Following a letter of request from the parish priest of Bethlehem (council of November 6th, 1954) and during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Mother Mathilde, Superior General of the time, is upset by the material and social poverty that reign in the country. She learns that there is no place for poor and abandoned elderly people, and her conviction of a Foundation in Jerusalem continues to grow. She wants to do something for them. She opens to the patriarch of Jerusalem, Bishop Alberto Gori, who encourages her. A vast piece of land, located east of Jerusalem on the road from Gethsemani to Jericho, is acquired and a major project begins.
The Home will be inaugurated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1957.
March 19, 1956: Laying and blessing of the first stone
"The procession is organized: the little orphans in the lead, then His Beatitude Monsignor Gori with Mgr Girard and Father Beltritti Rd as assistants, then Engineers, Communities and Friends. Within reach of the first stone, he recites the liturgical prayers and then sprinkles and incenses him. Then, with a solemn tone, Mgr Girard reads the minutes, first in Latin, then in Arabic and French. The signed report, it is introduced in a glass bottle in which we had put various medals of the St Father, of Notre-Dame of Lourdes, of St Benoit, as well as coins of various countries, then, the small bottle is placed in the stone where it is cemented by His Bliss. The little ceremony is over.
February 2, 1957: First mass
"Our Mother is waiting for the Father below. It happens wet and full of mud. He asks for a brush and cleans himself, because he does not want to dirty the dawn! What a sweet emotion during this first Mass with us, especially at the moment of the Consecration. Finally, "The Master is here! »» *
February 6, 1957: First resident
"In the afternoon, Sister Madeleine and a nun in boarding house, come to accompany our first" Good Old ", which comes to us with its 86 years, all her lucidity, a great piety, bad legs (because it comes from to have an attack), her bed, her bedding and her trunk! She’s Madeleine Naïphé, Maronite! "*
April 23, 1957: First resident
"The good old Beit Jala arrives in the morning, accompanied by 7 or 8 people. They visit the house, then, after their departure, Sister St Athanase leads him to the refectory and makes him dinner. He is very happy to be here and is looking forward to the "day after the holidays". He very much hopes for the arrival of some companions. "*
May 1967: "War of six days", drama lived by the community
September 28 - October 8, 1967:
War in Jordan and Sister Patrick and Sister Athanase volunteering as nurses in Amman.
"The Daughters of Our Lady of Sorrows had their place in danger. Providence watched. "*
1969: Mother Teresa came to Jerusalem welcomed into the community because: "the poorest"
2002: Construction of the first separation wall around Home to separate Israel from the West Bank
2004: Construction of the new 9-meter-high wall:
Excerpt from a letter of January 11, 2004 written by Sister Marie-Dominique Croyal, Superior Sister of Home: "This wall, it is thousands of people who have already crossed: children, college students, moms with their baby, the elderly ... the falls were numerous and sometimes fatal. Two months ago, we called the ambulance for a man about 65 years old who fell backwards on his head and lost consciousness. (...). The supply has become very complicated and we spend our time managing the unexpected and we hope not to have to hospitalize old people as the access to the house is difficult because of the mud.
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* Sources: The Jerusalem Foundation (notebook and various integrated documents).
