Muslim refugees receive ‘shelter and support’ at nuns’ convent in Lebanon

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 29, 2024 / 15:15 pm

A convent of the Sisters of Good Help in Lebanon has opened its doors to welcome more than 800 people who have been displaced by Israeli bombing. According to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, these nuns work to offer refugees “not only shelter but comfort and support.”

The 15 nuns who live in the convent belong to the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church. Hundreds of Lebanese, most of them Muslims, have found a safe haven at their convent there. In response to the violence of the war, which has worsened in recent weeks, the sisters have taken in the most vulnerable.

Mother Joselyne Joumaa, the congregation’s superior general, recounted that “on the first night of the bombing, dozens of people came running to take refuge with us. In 12 days, we have received more than 800 refugees.”

“We are overwhelmed and we can’t receive any more,” she added.

The nuns said their work before the war has allowed them to forge close ties with people of all religions in the region, but especially with the Muslim community, as many decide to enroll their children in the convent school, which has ceased operations due to the violence. 

“They have such trust that you even often hear the displaced Muslim people say: ‘It’s your cross that will protect us!’” the superior general related.

The displaced people receive breakfast and lunch every day. Many get involved helping the sisters with daily tasks: Men cut wood for the winter, collect garbage, and carry in the boxes of humanitarian aid that are received at the convent. Women help prepare the meals.

However, the sisters noted that one of their most important tasks is to take the time to listen to the refugees: “They come to share with us their anguish and their fear of tomorrow,” Mother Joselyne said.

“And we are also listening to them to respond to their material needs, which are many,” she noted. In addition, during the week the sisters organize discussion and play groups, offering the children a semblance of normality in this troubled context, she said.

Some of the refugees even ask the sisters if they can spend time in their chapel, appreciating the calm and peace they find there.

Mother Joselyne said the Virgin Mary, also venerated in Islam, helps create a bond between Muslims and Catholics. She also explained that when parents — seized by panic — are unable to calm their children during the bombings, it is the sisters who take them in their arms and assure them “that they are safe because they are in the house of God.”

“It’s a fact: Thinking about tomorrow can pull us down because the daily tension is sometimes hard to bear. But our mission is to continue faithfully, and we ask you to support us with prayer,” she said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.