Behind the Mount of Olives of east Jerusalem lies the village of Bethany. The place known through the Gospels where Jesus often went to be with Martha, Mary and Lazarus and received their hospitality and friendship.
Today this Bethany of the Gospels is mainly inhabited by Muslims and its name has been changed to Al Azariah. It is close and yet so far away from Jerusalem, separated by a long and intimidating wall.It is a wall that also separates the town from the Institute of Comboni Missionary Sisters, who have been present here since 1966. The first charitable activities of the Institute was a day care center for the children of the village, and to this day remains the principle center of its kind in the town. The center is also open to local groups for conferences and meetings as well as to groups of pilgrims who want to know the missionary experience of the Combonis. In recent months, the provincial house has held a Bible formation course entitled "In the land of Jesus with the people of the Covenant."P. Giuseppe Messetti: "It was interesting because we did a study of Abraham, of the covenant with Moses in the Holy Land, the present covenant of God with His Church and His people, with humanity, to build a better world. This helps us to give an urgency to our mission." Another aim of this formation was to provide an opportunity to stop and pray in the places where Jesus lived and evangelized, a necessary pause for missionaries who work for years to bring to the world that very Love which originated from this land. Sr. Fulgida Gasparini: "It is a course that the congregation offers for months, and is a spiritual renewal and a break after 15 or 20 years in mission. So truly it becomes a sabbatical rest here, a place of renewal for following the Lord Jesus, and then also a place to return with full rigor to work better on a mission."
Today this Bethany of the Gospels is mainly inhabited by Muslims and its name has been changed to Al Azariah. It is close and yet so far away from Jerusalem, separated by a long and intimidating wall.It is a wall that also separates the town from the Institute of Comboni Missionary Sisters, who have been present here since 1966. The first charitable activities of the Institute was a day care center for the children of the village, and to this day remains the principle center of its kind in the town. The center is also open to local groups for conferences and meetings as well as to groups of pilgrims who want to know the missionary experience of the Combonis. In recent months, the provincial house has held a Bible formation course entitled "In the land of Jesus with the people of the Covenant."P. Giuseppe Messetti: "It was interesting because we did a study of Abraham, of the covenant with Moses in the Holy Land, the present covenant of God with His Church and His people, with humanity, to build a better world. This helps us to give an urgency to our mission." Another aim of this formation was to provide an opportunity to stop and pray in the places where Jesus lived and evangelized, a necessary pause for missionaries who work for years to bring to the world that very Love which originated from this land. Sr. Fulgida Gasparini: "It is a course that the congregation offers for months, and is a spiritual renewal and a break after 15 or 20 years in mission. So truly it becomes a sabbatical rest here, a place of renewal for following the Lord Jesus, and then also a place to return with full rigor to work better on a mission."
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