September 23, 2000

Fr. Dominick in his gardens.

It seems like we're always traveling! From a conference for English teachers in Ramallah to a conference about the internet for Marthame in Tel Aviv. We took advantage of this to visit Nablus (Biblical Schechem, Roman Neapolis) and our friend Abuna Dominick. At age 17, Father Dominick left his home of Turin, Italy to study in Jerusalem. He was the parish priest and school principal in Zababdeh, thirty years ago. And now, at age 87, he has made this his home. In the background is his garden and Mount Ebal, home of the world's Samaritan community (pop. 400).

We also got a tour of the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa's order) hospice. They take care of twelve severely disabled children and about as many older women. This, along with the Latin School and the neighborhood of Rafiddya, is the Christian witness in Nablus. It is a Muslim town, where alcohol is forbidden (curiously "dry" just like Lubbock). Consequently, communion wine has to be delivered periodically by the Patriarch in Jerusalem.