Christian Ohio Group Raises $86k for Holy Land Christians
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) September 24, 2014 -- The ninth annual Cradling Christianity fundraiser was held at St. Charles Chapel and Walter Commons in Columbus, Ohio, on September 4, 2014. Proceeds reaching $86,000 will benefit the fourteen programs of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land. Three hundred generous donors attended the annual event. The money was raised to lend direct support to the mission of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL), which is to preserve the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
Many in central Ohio have made pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and others have shared their resources to support the Christian Palestinians. “There exists a critical need for support of our Christian brothers and sisters at this time,” said Monica Brown, organizer.
Over nine years Cradling Christianity has raised nearly $700,000 to provide university scholarships and tuition assistance to Christian students in the Holy Land.
Fr. Peter Vasko, OFM, president of the FFHL, and a resident of Jerusalem for 29 years, provided an update on the current situation there.
He said, “The Arab-Jewish conflict has endured for hundreds of years as generations pass their hatred down seemingly through their DNA.” In the middle of conflict, through no fault of their own, Arab Christians often suffer from discrimination and lack of opportunity.
Monsignor Frank Lane, guest speaker for the fundraiser likened the persecution of Christians in Iraq and the Holy Land to the persecution of Native Americans in the Ohio territory, during the Colonial period of America 1688-1782. A short video clip of Msgr. Lane explaining the importance of Christians remaining in the Holy Land can be found here.
“If one dehumanizes the enemy, then you can do anything you want without remorse. This exists in all conflicts in the world… You cannot hate a person if you understand who that person is,” Msgr. Lane emphasized.
Check out the Facebook page for Cradling Christianity, or the FFHL website for ways to help the Christians in the Holy Land.
Chris Weldon, Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, http://www.ffhl.org, (317) 574-4191, [email protected]
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