The Franciscans are a group of Christian men who have been called by God from every corner of the world for a special mission: to watch over His house! They belong to a religious Order in the Catholic Church, the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscans. Drawn by the love of the poor and crucified Christ, their founder, Saint Francis of Assisi, went to the Middle East at the beginning of the 13th century, in order to “touch” the places which, up to our day, offer an irreplaceable testimony to God’s revelation and to God’s love for the human person.
Among the activities of the Custody, the educational and formational is of particular importance and this is directed both toward the local population and religious and laypeople coming from all over the world.
In 1550, with the opening of the first parochial school in Bethlehem, followed then by Jerusalem and Nazareth, a long tradition of scholastic formation for youths was inaugurated, which is expressed today in numerous schools which host more than 10,000 students, spread not only through the Holy Land but also in Jordan, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Argentina – the Terra Sancta Schools.
The attention of the Custody is geared not only to the cultural elevation of the Arab population, both Christian and Muslim but also to the process of education in tolerance and peaceful respect of creeds, of the emancipation of women in society and of the extension of instruction to all, even to the poorest.
To learn more about the Custodia Terra Sancta, visit their website at http://www.custodia.org
