Bethlehem University in Palestine dedicated its new Education Building in a ceremony held November 28. With gifts of more than $4.5 million, the new building and educational outreach program are serving thousands of teachers and students in the Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron region.
“Jesus said, ‘Go and teach the world’ and I think the Lasallian Christian Brothers and their colleagues well-embody these words of our Lord here in Palestine and throughout the world,” said His Eminence Edwin Fredrick Cardinal O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, who was on hand for the dedication with other dignitaries and more than 500 school principals, guests, and members of the faculty and staff of Bethlehem University.
During the dedication, Brother Peter Bray, Vice Chancellor, thanked the many donors who made the facility possible. He also referenced the recent violence in the region, saying “while we gather in Bethlehem on this joyous occasion to dedicate the construction of this new educational facility, we also unite ourselves in prayer with the more than 435 former students and graduates of Bethlehem University from Gaza who struggle with the recent destruction of many of their homes and the loss of many of their beloved.”
The new education building has eight classrooms equipped with state-of-the art teaching technologies, a specialized Teacher Resource Center, and office space for 18 faculty members.