Catholic Charities to host students from Bethlehem University

While on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands earlier this year, Kevin Hickey, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, was moved by his visit to Bethlehem University in Palestine.

“I was tremendously impressed by the students, faculty and staff that I met. And, I was inspired by what Bethlehem University is accomplishing-providing an oasis of safety, security, and learning to 3,000 Palestinian students,” Hickey said.

This experience inspired Hickey to enroll Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden, in the cross-cultural internship program sponsored by Catholic Charities USA.

[imic_button colour=”btn-primary” type=”enabled” link=”https://catholiccharitiessouthjersey.org/palestinian-intern-journals/” target=”_self” extraclass=”” size=””]Read the Palestinian Interns’ Journals[/imic_button]

 

“I thought it was an opportunity for us to concretely live out Catholic Social Teaching by being a part of the efforts to bring peace and justice to the Palestinian and Israeli people. We are encouraged by the Bishop’s Campaign for Human Development to think globally and act locally on behalf of justice. And Pope Paul VI taught us that if we want peace, work for justice. For those reasons, I thought this experience would make us better servants of the poor here in the Camden Diocese and more informed about a most complicated corner of the world.”

On May 30, Amjaad Musleh and Mariana Nazi arrived in our diocese, where they will be staying with host families for next six weeks. During their time, these two young women will be working alongside Catholic Charities employees and learning about poverty in the United States; specifically in and around the City of Camden, and then be able to share the lessons they learn with their communities back in Palestine.

“I also hope that this will be an opportunity for our staff to learn more about the issues that affect the Palestinian community,” Hickey said.

During their stay, the students will be journaling about their experiences at Catholic Charities.

Bethlehem University is a Catholic University founded in 1973 by Pope Paul VI and run by the De La Salle Brothers. Their mission is to provide quality higher education to the people of Palestine.

From left to right, Kaitlyn Muller, Director of Immigration and Refugee Services, Amjaad Musleh, Mariana Nazi, and Thuy Le, Intensive Case Manager.

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