Forgotten Christians in Gaza

Yesterday I had the chance to meet a Missionary of Charity Father (Mother Teresa's male branch of the congregation). He was in Gaza to visit the sisters working in there and was trapped inside when the check-points were closed indefinitely. He managed to come out when the checkpoint was opened for one hour yesterday and came back to Jerusalem. And he had terrifying stories to tell, some of which I had already heard from the sisters who work there. There are only the Missionaries of Charity and the Rosary Sisters who remain in Gaza together with the parish priest Fr Manoel.

The Christians live in fear inside Gaza; constantly tormented and hassled by extremists. There are only some 50 Catholic families and a few more Orthodox families, all united in order to survive. Their family members go missing, many kidnapped, tortured and even killed. But we hear nothing about this in the news. The Church secretary was one day told by a group of masked men to convert to Islam, he refused, so they dragged him outside the Church and chopped off his head. Fr Manoel brought the widow and her young children to meet the extremists and said "We forgive you". Even the sisters live in fear and never venture far out of their convents. Anyone who contacts the sisters for food or medicine are questioned by masked men in the streets, often dragged into alleys, beaten or killed. There is constant fear and death lurks at every corner in the street, every knock at the door .... if you are a Christian in Gaza. But the Christian world has almost forgotten about them.

You Christians who live in peace and prosperity, consider for one moment the aweful tragedy of your brothers and sisters in Gaza. Say a rosary for them, pray for them, gather into prayer groups and unite your supplications to the Divine Mercy to protect these poor Christians. Offer your Mass intentions for them. This is the least you can do as you go out to work and return home for a nice meal, and share the company of your family. Today a Christian will go out to work in Gaza, and not return home to see his family.

Check out these websites on the suffering Christians in Gaza
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1181813061916&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56231

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1183053071382&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=64786

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.in.gaza.need.your.help.says.barnabus.fund/10940.htm

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080115/FOREIGN/506016306/1001