Msgr Joseph Schaedel speaks at the 2015 Indiana Gala Dinner
"Having witnessed the plight of Holy Land Christians, we felt compelled to use our time, talent, and treasure to help."
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) October 04, 2017
The Indiana Region of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land will hold a Gala Dinner to benefit Christians in the Holy Land on Saturday, October 21st at the J.W. Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. Archbishop of Indianapolis, the Most Rev. Charles C. Thompson, will lead prayer for the evening. Msgr. Joseph Schaedel will act as Master of Ceremonies, and Msgr. Frank P. Lane will provide the keynote.
The Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL) was founded in 1994 to help preserve the Christian presence in the Holy Land, a presence that has been dwindling for decades. Severe political and economic hardships force an estimated 350 Christian families to leave the Holy Land each year, and only about 150,000 Christians remain there today. If this exodus continues, the Church predicts that the Christian presence in the Holy Land may cease to exist within the next 50 years.
The Indiana Region of the FFHL held its first event in 2004 when a group of local Catholics who had visited the Holy Land came together in the interest of their Christian brothers and sisters. “Having witnessed the plight of Holy Land Christians, we felt compelled to use our time, talent, and treasure to help provide the basic necessities of life,” stated the dinner’s chair, Mike Hirsch. “Since 2004, we’ve held nine dinners and, by the Grace of God, raised over a million dollars to help support our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land.”
Money raised at the Gala Dinner will be used to provide educational scholarships for elementary school through university students, vocational training, job placement and creation, housing renovations, subsidized housing, and much more.
The Gala Dinner will begin with cocktails at 6:00 pm on October 21st. There will be both a silent auction and a live auction, in addition to the keynote by Msgr. Frank Lane and the opportunity to meet and talk with Archbishop Thompson. Registration for the event can be completed at http://www.ffhl.org/dinner.
More information about the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land and the work being done by Franciscans in the Holy Land can be found at http://www.ffhl.org/.