On Wednesday 15th December, the Custos of the Holy Land, Friar Pierbattista Pizzaballa, took part in the monthly meeting of the head teachers of the schools of the Custody which are called the Terra Santa schools.
The Custos expressed the desire, for the years he remains in this position, to invest more in supporting the schools of the Custody, hoping to be able to discern, with the head teachers and teachers, the initiatives to be adopted, in the face of new challenges.
The first real challenge comes following the legislative changes imposed both by the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. At times these changes come very quickly. In recent years, these changes have concerned the competences of the head teachers. If today the Custody can continue having Franciscan or religious head teachers with the required university and linguistic level (in Arabic or Hebrew or, in Israel, even both), how long will this last? Won’t it perhaps be necessary one day to entrust the schools to lay head teachers?
Then there is the second challenge. In this case, how can the religious identity and Franciscan spirituality be kept? How can this identity be passed on in the same way to the pupils, the majority of whom are or will soon be Muslims?
The Custody has had Muslim pupils in its schools for 201 years, but the oscillation of proportions questions the Christian testimony at the heart of the schools. This is essential more than ever today, and has to be done in an even more respectful way.
On their side, the head teachers underlined the importance of the Schools Department where they can share their experiences and even their difficulties. They expressed the desire for the Department to become a place of evaluation allowing them to follow the questions of legislation more closely. They hoped they can meet alternately, once per area to discuss the legislative questions and once all together to approach educational questions, which are increasingly common.
The Custody runs ten schools in the Holy Land, with between seven and eight thousand pupils, but each school is strongly characterized by its location.
What do the small school in Jericho, far from everything, in a city in the West Bank, where there is no more than a handful of Christians, and the large school in Nazareth, where young Christian Arabs mix very well with the Israelis, have in common?
What relationship is there between the mixed schools, for boys and girls, in Jaffa, Israel, which are losing their Arab Christian population, and the non-mixed schools in Bethlehem?
How can these differences be respected and at the same time how can we move towards sharing the means and competences which inspire the Franciscan spirit?
These are the questions that a more visible Schools Department, better anchored in the heart of the Custody, can help the schools face.
Mab
The Custos expressed the desire, for the years he remains in this position, to invest more in supporting the schools of the Custody, hoping to be able to discern, with the head teachers and teachers, the initiatives to be adopted, in the face of new challenges.
The first real challenge comes following the legislative changes imposed both by the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. At times these changes come very quickly. In recent years, these changes have concerned the competences of the head teachers. If today the Custody can continue having Franciscan or religious head teachers with the required university and linguistic level (in Arabic or Hebrew or, in Israel, even both), how long will this last? Won’t it perhaps be necessary one day to entrust the schools to lay head teachers?
Then there is the second challenge. In this case, how can the religious identity and Franciscan spirituality be kept? How can this identity be passed on in the same way to the pupils, the majority of whom are or will soon be Muslims?
The Custody has had Muslim pupils in its schools for 201 years, but the oscillation of proportions questions the Christian testimony at the heart of the schools. This is essential more than ever today, and has to be done in an even more respectful way.
On their side, the head teachers underlined the importance of the Schools Department where they can share their experiences and even their difficulties. They expressed the desire for the Department to become a place of evaluation allowing them to follow the questions of legislation more closely. They hoped they can meet alternately, once per area to discuss the legislative questions and once all together to approach educational questions, which are increasingly common.
The Custody runs ten schools in the Holy Land, with between seven and eight thousand pupils, but each school is strongly characterized by its location.
What do the small school in Jericho, far from everything, in a city in the West Bank, where there is no more than a handful of Christians, and the large school in Nazareth, where young Christian Arabs mix very well with the Israelis, have in common?
What relationship is there between the mixed schools, for boys and girls, in Jaffa, Israel, which are losing their Arab Christian population, and the non-mixed schools in Bethlehem?
How can these differences be respected and at the same time how can we move towards sharing the means and competences which inspire the Franciscan spirit?
These are the questions that a more visible Schools Department, better anchored in the heart of the Custody, can help the schools face.
Mab