Fr. Andrew de Carpentier in the hands of the Lord

Dutch priest Andrew de Carpentier came to Jordan in 1977 to complete the mission that the Arab Evangelical Episcopal Church started in 1964 with the institution that was associated with his name, namely the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf.  He marked its golden jubilee in 2014, and remained its director until 2017 following 40 years of his impressive administration. He was also able to introduce it to the world and to conclude local as well as international friendships and partnerships.

He is a Christian cleric or priest in the Evangelical Church, which is called in our Arab world by the distinguished name, the Arab Evangelical Episcopal Church. This church has an impressive presence with its distinguished churches and schools, such as the Bishop's School, the Ahliyah School for Girls, and the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf, and others.

The Church in Jordan is affiliated with its spiritual administration in Jerusalem. A few months ago, Archbishop Hussam Na'um was elected and a reception was held for him at the Al-Ahliyah School attended by a number of religious and civil figures.

At the ceremony, a group of male and female students from the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf, which cares for people under the age of 20, drew attention as they presented a bunch of flowers to the new bishop. The institute was characterized with professionalism and distinction due to the efforts of Fr. Andrew de Carpentier, who preferred to be called Brother Andrew so as to be close to everyone.

He strongly believed that the Islamic-Christian dialogue cannot be achieved by slogans and speeches, but rather by the active common noble and humanitarian work through serving the poor and the needy. Therefore, he wrote a notice on the website of the institute which says, “It is a Christian institute affiliated with the Church. It provides a helping hand to deaf and blind children in Jordan and the Middle East with disregard to their social, religious, political and economic affiliations.” In November 2009, His Majesty King Abdullah II inaugurated the additional building of the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf, which was dedicated to training and qualifying the institute’s professional work, which includes decoration, weaving, sewing, embroidery and others. In 2015, the Jordanian Sign Language Dictionary was launched by the institute in cooperation with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which is chaired by His Highness Prince Mired Ben Ra’ad Ben Zeid.

Brother Andrew acquired the Jordanian nationality. He loved Jordan through his love for the city of Salt and through his work with sick children. By virtue of his studies in the field of civil engineering, he recently tried to restore old houses in this Jordanian city, which was heading to be added to the World Heritage List. He could have fallen days ago from the top of one of the houses that he intended to restore.

In recent years, the institute took care of the health condition of the forcibly displaced children coming from Iraq and Syria. However, its reputation has gone beyond Jordan to reach the Middle East, but also to major countries in the world.

May God have mercy on the deceased father and brother Andrew. We must honor him in his death, so that his pleasant memory will remain in Salt and throughout Jordan. Fr. Fayeq Haddad, said in a brief eulogy: “He spoke to the deaf and heard the voice of the dumb. He answered his vocation and served with distinguished care--alongside brothers and sisters--the deaf, the dumb and the blind, and was distinguished in caring for them. For half a century he silently provided services with a smile, but the voice of his ministry reverberated around the globe. ”