MEEI Students Dabke Dance Together on First Day Back to School

Dear Friends,

I write this letter with a feeling of great undeserved blessing of God. Yesterday we will enter into the annals of Mar Elias Educational Institutions, a more glorious day than yesterday would be unimaginable. We were surprised with the message from the office of the Christian schools in Israel, they wished to spend the day of the new scholastic year at Mar Elias, that meant we shall have to expect sixty Principles of all Christian schools in Israel, and who came? Our (Melkite) Archbishop, the Roman Catholic Archbishop, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop and the Anglican Archbishop, with a whole crowd instead of sixty we counted those who arrived were over one hundred guests, to mention the inspector of the Christian schools representing the Ministry of Educational.

There was a debate, what to offer them for lunch, would it be a Falafel Sandwich or a Shawarma, and soon the decision was taken, since this is an official delegation and an interdenominational one, we decided to offer them a festive lunch.

They started with celebrating the Eucharist in our church. Many among them, if not most of them, were surprised with the beauty of the church. It was an excellent start for the day. A meeting followed the celebration of the Eucharist. I was invited to start the day with a welcome and with a message. What I said was simply commenting on the slogan we cherish. And we read on the mural in the Auditorium which says "Together and Only Together We Are Stronger Than the Storm". I encouraged everybody to raise the flag of Christ which is an invitation: "Love your enemy, Bless those who persecute you and Pray for those who annoy you".

It is not self-understood, that we respect these words when we see the horrible and witness the daily massacres of Palestinians in Gaza. I thought this is the time to call for what many others can't imagine. Forgiveness is not the privilege of everyone, our politicians declare everyday shamelessly, asserting their determination to kill and murder and to destroy the stones and the human beings. We look like we're crying in the desert.

The day ended with over one hundred guests enjoying the exceptionally delicious food that was prepared by the different ladies at the school.

We received so many expressions of gratitude and of appreciation. By the end of the day, we all were tired but greatly thankful to the Lord and to all these wonderful ladies, secretaries and cleaning team. They made a kind of miracle, a real Palestinian hospitality. I must say that Nawar excelled with her devotion and her organizational skills. She is a gift from God to the school.

This is the story I wanted to share with you.

Dear Friends, we are in full preparation for the opening of the school year on the 1^st of September. We hope and pray that there will be no more new wars and that the ongoing war in Gaza would come to a real end with peace to all sides of the conflict.  

Yours with peace,

_________________________

Abuna Elias Chacour

Archbishop em. of Galilee

Mar Elias High School Faculty

Mar Elias High School in Ibillin has once again been honored by Israel’s Ministry of Education with the national award for outstanding achievement. The recognition includes both public acknowledgment and a financial prize for the school’s teachers, in appreciation of their excellence in improving students’ academic outcomes in the Matriculation exams (known as BAGRUT). 

This prize is awarded annually to schools that achieve the most significant progress compared to the previous year, while also excelling beyond expectations relative to their students’ socioeconomic backgrounds.

Mr. Elias Abu Ghanime, the school’s principal, expressed his pride in the achievement: 
“This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our teachers and the commitment of our students. At Mar Elias, we strive not only for academic excellence but also to nurture values of responsibility, community, and peace. Winning this award again affirms that we are moving in the right direction.”

Mar Elias Students happy to be with friends back at school. The atmosphere was incredibly positive, especially considering that the students had no sense of closure at the end of last year due to the war.

As you can see in the photos below and video above, there was a real sense of excitement and hope on campus.

Father Chacour spoke to the students about resilience in times of instability and delivered a heartfelt message of hope to both students and faculty.

For the tenth consecutive year, 26 students from Mar Elias Junior High School in Ibillin have traveled to Derry, Northern Ireland, as part of a unique educational and cultural exchange that continues to deepen ties between the community of MEEI and that of Derry.

Upon arrival, the students were warmly received by the staff of the North West Academy in Derry and welcomed by the local community with open arms. Over the course of two weeks, they participated in intensive English language instruction, delved into the history of the conflict in Northern Ireland, and visited Belfast and Dublin to experience the region’s rich cultural and political heritage.

Francesca Giacomini, Director of the North West Academy shared her reflections: “Each year, we are delighted to welcome the students of Mar Elias Educational Institutions. It’s a program we look forward to, and it brings such joy and depth to our school and community. We also had the honor of visiting Ibillin and meeting Archbishop Emeritus Dr. Elias Chacour, whose vision and dedication continue to inspire us.”

In a time when global connections feel fragile, this exchange initiated by MEEI remains a powerful symbol of hope, dialogue, and friendship across borders.

Archbishop Emeritus Elias Chacour to Join

Living Stones Pilgrims to Holy Sites in the Galilee

Trip to the Holy Land April 2026

We are so excited for the opportunity that Abuna Chacour has offered to the upcoming Living Stones Pilgrimage in April 2026* to travel with the group to visit important Holy Sights in the Galilee and his ancestral village, Biram — this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you will not want to miss out on!

We are finalizing the budget and application so that you can sign up - we anticipate the spots will fill quickly, so you’ll want to get your deposit in as soon as you know you can join us.

Complete the form on the website and you’ll be notified when all the details are in order. 

Click the button below to learn more and to indicate your interest — as soon as the details including costs and itinerary are finalized we will send out applications.

*Travel dates: April 12 - 23 or with an optional Petra/Dead Sea Add-on, April 12 - 25

This Fall we have organized a series of webinars to better understand the impact of apartheid and occupation on educators in Israel and Palestine and how they work to overcome the challenges and provide an exceptional education, and thus a possible future, for Palestinian students.

• September 20 - Al-Tufula Preschool - Palestinian preschools face the challenge of providing safe, nurturing, and quality early childhood education amidst significant funding inequities, political instability, limited resources, and restricted access to infrastructure and support. 

Gain a deeper understanding of how conflict and discrimination impacts early childhood education and hear from educators about how global support makes a meaningful difference in the lives of Palestinian children.

• October 25 - Hope School - Hope School faces unique challenges, located in Beit Jala, surrounded by checkpoints, under the ever-present watchful eyes of a brutal military occupier, while serving and uplifting the neediest children in the Bethlehem area.

• November 8 - MEEI - We'll hear from MEEI faculty, administrators and students about their efforts to build bridges across ethnic and religious divides in Israel and to provide an exceptional education in the face of massive impediments including disparities in governmental funding and a legal system tilted against their prospering.

All webinars will be held at

12pm ET/11am CT/10am MT/9am PT/19.00 Israel - Palestine

This Summer Pilgrims Awarded Grants to Three of our Peace Partners

Hope School $10,000 Grant for Scholarships

Pilgrims of Ibillin's board awarded funds for scholarships to very poor families and children in the Hope School Boarding section —children who are orphans, destitute, or children from broken families — through a grant this summer.

Hope School is a beacon of a Christian Education in the Bethlehem area. The school serves 350 vulnerable children seeking education and Hope.

This grant provides hope through education to these children.

Learn more on October 25 webinar

Wi’am: Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center - $10,000 Grant for Mediation Services and Training

This grant provides training and services to foster civil peace in the greater Bethlehem community by solving problems amicably and providing a healthy outlet and ventilation of stress through conflict transformation.

Ultimately the goal is to strengthen community and relational bonds through healthy and constructive conflict management, addressing the anxieties and fears community members experience as a direct result of living under a brutal military occupation. The grant provides an avenue for the local community to respond to psychological and social needs through conflict resolution interventions.

Zababdeh Catholic School Scholarships - $10,000 Grant

In Zababdeh, Pilgrims of Ibillin is helping Fr. Firas give access to education for needy students with scholarships for them to attend Catholic school and to build their future. The Catholic school offers an exceptional educational opportunity to students, far superior to that offered in the local government school.

Sadly, too many families in the Zababdeh community have lost their income - either entirely or mostly, but either way, poverty has increased tremendously over the past couple years. This grant supports youth staying in school, rather than dropping out early, as so many do to begin providing for the family.

The scholarships we provide gives youth the chance to continue their education in universities and gain higher paying work upon graduation.

We earned a 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency!

Candid rates nonprofits for the amount of publicly available information that can help potential donors evaluate the nonprofits - we wanted to ensure that Pilgrims remains up to industry standards and best practices for transparency and have been recognized for having done so.

Abuna's newly published book,

The Sermon on the Mount:

An Invitation to Receive and Advance the Reign of God:

Then, Across Time, and Now



is available for purchase!

Get a copy here

This book provides the essential meaning of the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, how these teachings spoke directly to Jesus' listeners, and then moves directly to how these teachings of Jesus have relevance for people today.

The context of the teaching in Israel and Palestine is provided with an introduction to the life and mission of Jesus.

The Sermon on the Mount is identified as the life calling of the Christian and the way that a contemporary reader can sense and learn the will of God.

There are examples of how Jesus taught the teachings of the Sermon to assist people in applying these universal teachings not only to their personal lives but also to their setting with layered governments such as the Roman and Jewish and how the teachings speak to issues of social justice, poverty, and illness. Included in the book are those who shared with Jesus the mission of assisting people to the identification of the pathway to life lived in the presence of God.

Your donations support the ongoing work of

Pilgrims' Peace Partners in fostering a just peace

through education in Israel and Palestine.



Thank you.