Bethlehem (Arabic: بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ‎,)

Bethlehem - Beit Lahem in Arabic (بَيْتِ لَحْمٍ‎,)("The house of Lahman - a Canaanite God") - is about 6 miles south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem is the home of the Nativity Church (Basilica of the Nativity), built above the cave where Jesus is said to have been born.

Poor Bethlehem families used the region's rocky hollows as dwellings and stables making the 2nd century Christian tradition which places the nativity in a cave plausible, even though Western teachings mention the birth of Jesus in a manger.

The original sanctuary of Nativity Church was built in AD 323 by the Emperor Constantine, at the request of his mother, Saint Helen who supervised the work in AD 326. Nothing remains of the first building except the nave and its four rows of columns.

Southeast of the basilica, is the Milk Grotto, where according to tradition, the Holy Family stayed before fleeing to Egypt. The walls of this cave were reputed to possess the properties of making suckling easier. In the 19th Century, a church was built by the Franciscans over an older chapel located above the cave.

Shepherd's Fields

Nearby are the Shepherd's Fields , where it is believed the Shepherds of the Nativity came. Also in this location are ruins of a Byzantine monastery built on top of important military relics from the Herodion period. It is located in the town of Beit Sahour 1 mile east of Bethlehem. This is the site where the angel of the Lord appeared before the shepherds bringing them the good tidings of the birth of Jesus, joined with a multitude of heavenly hosts, who sang " Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth, Peace among men".

St. Saba

Built into the rock overlooking the Kidron Valley, 9 miles east of Bethlehem , this magnificent monastery is a spectacular sight when it first comes into view. It preserves a way of life unchanged since the time of Constantine, and maintains a tradition of not allowing women to enter. The monastery was founded by St. Saba (439- 532), the great monastic leader of the Byzantine period.

St. Elias

The Monastery stands like a fortress on a hill from which both Jerusalem and Bethlehem can be seen. It was founded in the 6th century A.D. and was rebuilt by the Emperor Manual Communes in 1160. Legend has it that the building stands on the site where Elias rested on his flight from the Vengeance of Jezebel. From the monastery, Bethlehem can be seen to the south, Herodion to the southeast and sometimes the Dead Sea across the valley to the east.

Mt. Herdion

The remains of the fortified palace Herod the Great built on a hill top 6 km south east of Bethlehem dominate the countryside and offer views of the Dead Sea. A lavish and luxurious place in its day, a city of round walls and a fort enclosing apartments, baths and a garden. The ruins of a large pool and extensive administrative buildings are at the foot of the hill.

Tomb of Rachel

This small building marks the traditional Tomb of Rachel, Jacob's wife. It is considered holy to Christians, Muslims, and Jews. The present sanctuary and mosque were built during the Ottoman period and are situated on the Jerusalem- Hebron Road near Bethlehem's northern entrance.

Beatification of Palestinian Nun

On November 22, 2009, Mother Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas was beatified at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Born to a Palestinian family in Jerusalem in 1843, she spent her whole life working among the poor of Palestine.

The beatification ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Angelo Amato, special envoy of Pope Benedict XVI. In marking this special day the Holy Father said: "The beatification of this very significant figure of a woman is of special comfort to the Catholic community in the Holy Land. It is an invitation to always trust, with firm hope in Divine Providence and Mary's maternal protection."

This Christmas the Palestinian Christians are facing terribly distressing times of occupation and economic strangulation. Beatification of this Palestinian nun gives them hope. Her example inspires them to persevere and also calls them to lives worthy of the Prince of Peace born in their land.

Mother Marie Alphonsine's life parallels another saintly life, namely that of Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Both began their religious life in another order. Favored by apparitions of Mary, late in life they were called to a new apostolate serving the poor and neglected in their region. In the process they established new congregations of religious dedicated to this mission.

At an early age Marie Alphonsine joined the Congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition as a postulant. In 1862 after her vows, she was sent to teach catechism in Bethlehem. There she also established religious associations promoting devotion to Mary through the rosary.

In Bethlehem, she was favored with several apparitions of Mary directing her to found the Congregation of the Rosary, a new order of nuns. Mary's wish seemingly conflicted with Marie Alphonsine's earlier vow of obedience taken when she entered the St. Joseph Congregation. After many trials and with the help of her spiritual director Fr. Tannous, she won dispensation to enter the new Congregation of the Rosary. On March 7, 1885 together with eight other sisters, she professed her final vows in the new order in the presence of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, H.B. Vincent Bracco.

July 25, 1885 was a very special day in the life of Mother Marie Alphonsine. While she was assigned to Jaffa in Galilee with another nun, a young girl Nathira I'd fell into a deep water- filled cistern. Mother Marie Alphonsine threw her large 15 decade rosary into the well and invoked Mary's help. The little girl was miraculously saved. The girl reported she saw a great light and a ladder shaped like a rosary saving her.

For the next 42 years Mother Marie Alphonsine labored in many villages and towns all over Palestine. In 1886 she established a new convent and school in Beit Sahour ('town of the Shepherds' Field'). Beginning in 1893, the next 15 years were spent in Bethlehem where in addition to her regular duties she established a workshop providing work and training for poor girls. In 1909 she was recalled to the Mother House in Jerusalem to care for the souls of the poor there. In 1917 she was asked to found an orphanage in Ain-Karem. There she devoted the rest of her life to prayer fulfilling Mary's wish that the rosary be perpetually recited.

On March 25, 1927 Mother Marie Alphonsine returned her noble soul to its Creator while reciting the rosary with her sister Hanneh Danil Ghattas.
The Voice of the Holy Land Christians
Mailing
29/11/2009

Bethlehem Inhabitants

The town of Bethlehem has 27,000 inhabitants half of whom are Moslems and half are Christians. Beit Jala and Beit Sahour, the two neighboring sister towns, have respectively 13,000 and 12,000 inhabitants. During the Palestinian Nakkba ( Diaspora) many Palestinians fled their homes and villages in Palestine some of them become refugees in Bethlehem, they settled in three refugee camps in the camps are... Dheisheh refugee camp 11.000 inhabitants was visited by Pope John Paul II in year 2000. Aida refugee Camp 6.000 inhabitants, and Beit Jebreen refugee camp 3.000 inhabitants. For over 2000 years, Christianity has enjoyed a continued presence in Palestine. Palestinian Christians are the "Living Faithful", who were among the first to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The coming of Islam in the 7th century did not alter the situation for the people of Bethlehem who remained Christian in their majority until this century. Historically Bethlehem has embodied hope in the minds of humankind. Its historic and sacred meaning shines like a guiding star in our consciousness.