Link: https://www.jesuits.global/2025/12/02/jesuits-in-the-holy-land/
From: Jesuits
More than 500 years ago – on September 1, 1523 – Ignatius of Loyola made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was his fervent desire to live and work there as a simple servant of God until his death. However, with war in the region looming he was forced to return to Europe where he would found what became the Society of Jesus. Though he would never again step foot in the Holy Land, the fire of his desire to serve would continue to burn for the remainder of his life. Perhaps it should be no surprise then, that for decades the Society of Jesus has missioned a small but dedicated collection of Jesuits to work in the Holy Land. It was from these Jesuits, their colleagues, and their ministries that Fr Arturo Sosa, SJ – the Superior General of the Society of Jesus – wished to learn from during his visitation of the Holy Land.
The first voices to which Father General listened were those of the De La Salle brothers at Bethlehem University. Three Jesuits teach at the University, which serves more than 3,300 students – all Palestinian, 50% of whom live in Jerusalem, 20% of whom are Christian. It has been an understandably challenging time for the University and its community, with the fears of the present threatening to derail the University’s mission of education for the future.
Vice Chancellor Br Hernán Santos González FSC, Vice President for Advancement Br Jack Curran FSC, and Vice President for Human Resources Br Peter John Iorlano FSC sat with Fr Sosa and his delegation and had an honest conversation about the state of the University after two years of open conflict. While enrolment remains steady, it has become increasingly difficult for students, faculty and staff to negotiate the various checkpoints and security measures that have been put in place since the start of the war. The checkpoints can turn a 30-minute daily commute into a 5-hour round-trip, if travel to the campus is possible at all.
Even in the midst of such challenges, the University has been making strides promoting their mission not just on campus, but in the values instilled in its students by a curriculum that integrates professional skills with social and ethical formation. Br Jack shared the story of a student who completed her medical program and is currently taking a specialty degree in oncology while living in a tent and working out of a bombed-out hospital in Gaza. That story echoes throughout the alumni of Bethlehem University: proof that the university not only imparts knowledge and expertise, but a passion for the mission.
As the meeting drew to a close, the Brothers shared another story that highlights the urgency of the work. During the worst of the war there was a cry for help from the University for the Palestinians in Gaza. What they asked for wasn’t food, nor clothing, nor shelter. Instead, what they needed most from Bethlehem University was education. They recognized that education, the type of education that Bethlehem University provides, is the future of their people.
Moved by the conversation, Father General asked the Brothers what the Society of Jesus could do to help with that mission. In response, Brother Jack replied bluntly: “Send us more Jesuits”. As Bethlehem University is one of the very few direct ministerial contacts that the Society of Jesus has with the Palestinian people, that is not a suggestion to be taken lightly.
Five hundred years ago, the man who would become St Ignatius of Loyola was denied his heart’s desire to live and work in the Holy Land for the Greater Glory of God. With ministries like Bethlehem University, perhaps that desire may be increasingly fulfilled by future generations of Jesuits.