In the classrooms of the Terra Sancta College in Bethlehem, girls and boys have just restarted the school year. Together with them, teachers and school staff rediscover a daily life made of study, fun, and a desire for the future. Essential elements in a land rich in humanity but wounded by divisions and conflicts.

In this context, the Custos of the Holy Land plays a central role. In education, in teaching, in being close to the children, their families, teachers, and all workers, the Franciscan family is on the front line. And it is also on the front line in supporting those who, in such a complex context, may face even greater difficulties. It is within this framework that the trip to Bethlehem by Fr. Gianluigi Ameglio, Commissioner of the Holy Land for Northern Italy, takes place. As a representative of his office, Ameglio arrived in the city where Jesus was born to meet the students, teachers, and religious involved in the educational works of the Custos of the Holy Land. But his visit also served to bring a concrete symbol of the closeness of many people who, from Italy, chose to support the educational works of the Custos. A financial contribution used to pay the salary of a support teacher at the SIRA School, which helps children and young people with learning difficulties integrate into the school system and overcome the cultural and social barriers that limit these students' access to schools.

“I came here precisely to bring the gift of many people, of many men and women, of many children who in recent months have worked to hand over to me an amount that will become, in the coming year, the possibility for these young people to once again resume their lives in the right way,” says Fr. Gianluigi. And in a context marked by war and many obstacles, the school is much more than a place of learning. “I believe that one of the places in which to guard the human, to save the human, is precisely that of schools,” emphasizes the Commissioner for Northern Italy. “They are truly our treasure, one of the most impactful places in which to believe and think about a future, a hope for this land.”

Fr. Ameglio’s visit also tells the story of the role of the Commissariats of the Holy Land. Real bridges between the local community, the friars who guard the Places of the Lord’s earthly experience, and those who, from all over the world, support them in prayer and works. “The Commissioners are true ambassadors of the Holy Land all over the world,” explains Fr. Gianluigi, who bring “a different narrative, to tell that there are signs of hope.” Seeds made by women and men who do not yield to the temptation of giving up to the narrative of evil, who still look to the future. “The task of the Commissioner is precisely this: simply to tell that there is still a possible good, that it is possible to think of a future,” said Ameglio. And in Bethlehem, this hope also has the face of all the children who returned to the classroom, who now thank those who chose to help the Custos offer them a better present and future.