Deacons and Spouses from Illinois visit Bethlehem University

16 November 2007

During their pilgrimage to the Holy Land, a group of Deacons and their spouses from Illinois, USA visited Bethlehem University. The visitors learned about the work of the University and got first hand information about the daily life of young Palestinians in a discussion with Bethlehem University students, a tour of the University’s campus and during lunch in the Institute for Hotel Management and Tourism.

Brother Jack Curran, the Bethlehem University Vice President for Development, Brother Joseph Loewenstein, the Director of the Brothers’ Community, and Brother Robert Smith, the Vice President for Academic affairs, welcomed the visitors and thanked them for their interest in Bethlehem University. Brother Robert was especially glad to welcome Sister Judith Schaefer, a former colleague from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, where he had been teaching Theology before he came to Bethlehem University.

The visitors were also greeted by three Bethlehem University students:  Fida Mousa, who studies Business Administration in her second year, Samar Khalil, who is a fourth year Accounting major and Emad Sleibi, who studies Computer and Information Systems in his third year.

During lunch together with the students at the Institute for Hotel Management and Tourism, the visitors learned more about the daily life of the young Palestinians. The young women and men shared with them their experiences with the Occupation through the Israeli Military and the humiliations they face almost everyday, but also told them how their studies at Bethlehem University motivate them not to give up their hopes for a better and more peaceful future.