Central to the Order's work is helping to meet the many needs of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The Diocese of the Latin Patriarch covers Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, and Cyprus. It serves some 72000 Catholics in 60 parishes. The financial support of the Order is vital for the parish clergy and the maintenance of the Patriarchal Seminary and the Patriarchal schools. It also supports the building of homes and aiding social projects, support for professional schools and loans for farming and craft work.
The Seminary is at Beit Jala. The Rector, Fr Adib Zoomof, is in charge of the education of students in both the Lower (Junior) Seminary and Upper (Senior) Seminary. There are typically some 80-90 students in total. The budget for the Seminary covers not only the costs of the two sections but also those of the regular and visiting teachers and the Sisters of St Dorothy who look after the institution's domestic requirements.
The Patriarchate maintains 41 schools, 5 of which are in Israel, 14 in Palestine and 22 in Jordan. There are some 18,800 pupils in these schools, of whom approximately 12,100 are Christians (64%) and 6700 non-Christians (36%) (2008 figures). Successive recent Patriarchs have firmly believed that in countries with a Christian minority, Christians and Muslims must mix from a very early age so that they will be able to co-exist more easily in the future.
In 1992, a "consortium" of Lieutenancies, comprising the Netherlands, France, England and Wales, Austria and Germany, combined to finance the building of the school at Reneh, near Nazareth. This was completed in 11 months. In 1996 two further floors were added to accommodate a sixth form, providing 6 extra classrooms, a laboratory, computer room, staff room and additional toilet facilities. The school now has over 900 pupils of which more than half are Christians. The same Lieutenancies also contributed to the school at Fuheis, near Amman. Completed in 1995, this school now has more than 1000 pupils, the great majority of them being Christians. A more recent multi-national project was the building of a school in Kerak to cater for up to 1000 pupils. The opening ceremony took place in the summer of 2001. Kerak is the largest town in South Jordan, in one of the oldest parishes in the Latin Patriarchate, established in 1871.
Another beneficiary of the Order's support is the University of Bethlehem, established at the request of Pope Paul VI in 1973 and managed by the De La Salle Brothers. Higher Education and vocational courses aligned to the needs of the community are provided here for students of all faiths.
The Order is also involved at the social level. The Latin Patriarchate has built a housing complex near Ramallah where, through the support of the Order, 28 apartments have been allocated to poor families.
The work of the Order continues. The Christian community in the Holy Land represents a physical link between the modern world and the life and times of Christ. The Knights and Dames of the Order are committed to ensuring that the quality of this link is maintained and enhanced throughout the years to come.
