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Our Mother of Sorrows Parish

(Photo)

Sunday Mass:
Time 9:00am
Language Arabic

Local Feast Day:
Our Mother of Sorrows, 15 September

Foundation Date: 1910

The Parish has a partnership with a church in Trani in the south of Italy.

There are currently registered around 108 families in the parish most of them are young. The parish has a school in Aboud that starts from the Kindergarten up to the high school (12th grade).

The Parish has been active in the town of Aboud and tries to provide services for the community. So far a Scouts group has been established that consists of 320 members. A youth group is also active for the young parishioners. Not to mention the Health Clinic that provides medical services for the entire town. The Parish shares their burial ground with other Parishes in town. The services the Parish is providing for the town are opened for all Christians even if they belong to other Parishes.

The parishioners of the town help the Parish priest along with two Rosary Sisters. The Parish also receives help by Italian volunteers in summer camps.

Usually about 200 parishioners join the Sunday Mass, and on the daily Mass come around 40 to participate. They have 8 cases of homebound members, which the Pastor goes to their houses on First Fridays for Communion.

Parish Challenges:

  • The Occupation: mobility restrictions associated with the occupation cause a lack of access to good medical care, create limited educational opportunities, cause difficulty in getting to religious services, difficulty in staffing our hospitals, clinics, etc., and make visits to family members unattained.
  • The confiscation of land, water and Olive trees (14,000 olive trees and 36% of Christians land have been confiscated). The lands were added to the Israeli settlements. The two nearby settlements are Beit Aryee (1982) and Ofarim (1983).
  • Immigration: 55 parishioners have left; since the 2nd Intifada 34 have moved to Ramallah. (It is believed that most will return to Aboud if the Occupation is removed.)