I received the following letter today from my friend at Bethlehem University, Bro. Jack Curran. I visited this marvelous and vibrant university run by the Christian Brothers in December 2008 when I spent 10 days at Christmas in Bethlehem. I interviewed three of the Brothers when they were in Rome in 2009 and have kept up correspondence with them ever since.

Bethlehem, as you may or may not know, is in the Palestinian Territories and yet is only about five miles from Jerusalem. I know, have visited and have friends in the towns Bro Jack mentions – Beit Sahour (where the birth of Christ was announced to the shepherds) and Beit Jala (the word ‘beit’ means house). The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has its seminary in Beit Jala and I was privileged to have a pre-Christmas lunch with the staff, seminarians and some of their family members on December 23, 2008.

I intended to write Bro. Jack today about the Israeli-Gaza situation and instead received his email, written late last night. I wanted to share this with you – a very personal story for so many people in Bethlehem, including Christian and Muslim students.

Friday, 16 November 2012 10:25 p.m., Bethlehem, Palestine

Dear Graduates and Friends of Bethlehem University,

Reportedly, as per the news reports and an email warning I just received from the US Consulate in Jerusalem, there was one rocket from Gaza that landed someplace south of Jerusalem or Bethlehem -- or Beit Jala -- or Beit Sahour. I'm not sure where, exactly, but it was reportedly someplace south of Bethlehem University -- and it was reportedly one rocket.

I certainly do not want to down play the seriousness of this situation. It is serious, and unfortunately, it is deadly serious. Too many lives have been lost and too much trauma has been experienced and endured among all people here in this Holy Land. Right now, for sure people are understandably a bit on edge. When mothers and fathers put their children to sleep tonight, their night prayers and kisses for pleasant dreams will for sure be more meaningful.

Here at Bethlehem University today, on campus we held classes, but there was a somber sort of mood. When I asked some faculty and staff "how are you doing" the reply was most of the time something like: "Not so good, really" ... "I hope this doesn't mean a war is upon us" ... "Brother, it's so sad" ... "Kids are being killed, it's terrible" ... things like this.

Tomorrow, Saturday, 2 representatives from USAID were scheduled to come to campus to see the new education building to which they contributed and which we are dedicating on Wednesday, 28 November 2012. They came from the States and have been in Tel Aviv for a few days now. They were scheduled to come to campus here in Bethlehem tomorrow, Saturday, but I just got word this evening (Friday) around 8:20 p.m. that they are not coming tomorrow. It really is not a surprise that they cancelled, given what is going on and the uncertainty of things, etc. I really thought they would have cancelled much earlier in the day.

However, tomorrow, Saturday, here at Bethlehem University we will have a "make-up" day of classes. This has been planned before the Israeli-Gaza violence escalated a few days ago. This is to make up some class time for some class time that was lost earlier in the semester for various reasons. Even though it is Saturday, for academic purposes it will be a "Tuesday class schedule."

This is good that we are having a "make up" day tomorrow, on Saturday. It keeps us focused on what we can do and what we can "control" -- and what we are all about -- not politics, but education and working for a better tomorrow through the education of the minds and hearts of the students entrusted to our care today! Having classes tomorrow, Saturday, will keep the students and faculty away from the TV and the constant barrage of "news" -- and that can be a good thing too.

Let's continue praying for restraint among all involved in the violence. The violence does not lead anyone to a better place today or tomorrow.

Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Your notes of concern and support are well-received and appreciated. THANKS -- and God bless us all!

Blessings,

Brother Jack Curran, FSC, PhD Vice President for Development

PROTESTANT THEOLOGIAN TIMOTHY GEORGE IS GUEST ON “VATICAN INSIDER”

My guest this week on “Vatican Insider” is Dr. Timothy George, an eminent Protestant theologian and Dean of the Beeson School of Divinity at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He was an observer at the October 2012 Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization, and we spoke during his time in Rome.

This photo is from the Beeson School of Divinity.

An ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention, Dr. George has been active in various ecumenical ventures including Evangelicals and Catholics Together and the International Baptist-Roman Catholic Dialogue. He currently chairs the Doctrine and Christian Unity Commission of the Baptist World Alliance. Dr. George teaches church history and doctrine. He serves as theological advisor for Christianity Today, and is on the editorial boards of First Things, Ecclesiology, and Books & Culture. George has written more than 20 books.

Pope Benedict greets Dr. George at synod (photo by al.com).

Listen to Vatican Insider on a Catholic radio station near you (there is a list of U.S. stations at www.ewtn.com) or on Sirius satellite radio. If you live outside the U.S. you can listen to EWTN radio on our web page: click on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” Vatican Insider airs Saturday mornings at 9:30 am (Eastern time) and re-airs Sundays at 4:30 pm (ET). To go to Vatican Insider archives: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/file_index.asp?SeriesId=7096&pgnu=

POPE TELLS YOUTH TO EVANGELIZE: "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS!"

The Vatican today released Pope Benedict’s Message to young people for World Day 2013, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil next July. I have always loved the Messages written by Blessed John Paul and Benedict XVI to young people – they are for both the young and the young at heart! Below are excerpts and I have placed a link to the full text at the end.

“I greet all of you with great joy and affection,” starts the 4,000-word message. “I am sure that many of you returned from World Youth Day in Madrid all the more "planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith" (cf. Col 2:7). This year in our Dioceses we celebrated the joy of being Christians, taking as our theme: "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil 4:4). And now we are preparing for the next World Youth Day, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2013.

“Before all else,” writes Benedict XVI, “I invite you once more to take part in this important event. The celebrated statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking that beautiful Brazilian city will be an eloquent symbol for us. Christ’s open arms are a sign of his willingness to embrace all those who come to him, and his heart represents his immense love for everyone and for each of you. Let yourselves be drawn to Christ! Experience this encounter along with all the other young people who will converge on Rio for the next World Youth Day! Accept Christ’s love and you will be the witnesses so needed by our world.

“I invite you,” continues the papal Message, “to prepare for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro by meditating even now on the theme of the meeting: "Go and make disciples of all nations!" (cf. Mt 28:19). This is the great missionary mandate that Christ gave the whole Church, and today, two thousand years later, it remains as urgent as ever. This mandate should resound powerfully in your hearts. The year of preparation for the gathering in Rio coincides with the Year of Faith, which began with the Synod of Bishops devoted to "The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith". I am happy that you too, dear young people, are involved in this missionary outreach on the part of the whole Church. To make Christ known is the most precious gift that you can give to others.”

Click here to read the full message in English: Click here to read the full message in English: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/youth/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20121018_youth_en.html

WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL: WASHINGTON, D.C.

The very first site in D.C. that my friend Ted Bronson and I visited last Monday was the World War II Memorial, one of the more recent to be built in Washington. I took only a few photos before my memory card became full (!) and I did not have time to work my way through over a thousand photos to see what I could erase. As we drove to Arlington, I decided to use my cell phone and, as a result, the photos of Arlington cemetery, Iwo Jima Marine Memorial and the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial were taken with my Samsung.

The information below is from the WWII website.

The memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world.

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