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\u201cWe have preliminary approval from the Archdiocese of Cologne and Missio Aachen for the repairs,\u201d said Michel Constantin, CNEWA-Pontifical Mission\u2019s regional director based in Beirut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This will be the second time CNEWA-Pontifical Mission has helped rebuild St. George Church, which first sustained damages during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe parishioners\u2019 houses have to be rebuilt as well,\u201d Father Naddaf said. \u201cLife has to return to the village.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time of publication, neither water nor electricity had been restored to Yaroun, and many houses had been destroyed, making the village uninhabitable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the World Bank, 24 percent of housing units across the South Governorate of Lebanon have been affected by the war. In the Melkite Greek Catholic community of Yaroun, 57 of 144 houses were \u201ccompletely destroyed\u201d and 60 families were displaced, according to CNEWA-Pontifical Mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of the town\u2019s inhabitants are farmers who have been unable to access their land since October 2023, effectively losing their primary source of income. According to the United Nations Development Program, 81 percent of people in Lebanon\u2019s war-affected zones report their household\u2019s economic situation is worse than last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey need food relief, of course, but they also need psychological support,\u201d Father Naddaf said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Marjeyoun, about 30 miles north of Yaroun, Sacred Hearts Sister Hyam Habib said the situation is the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sister Habib directs the school of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Located three miles from the demarcation line, the school closed its doors between October 2023 and January 2025. Classes continued online for its 368 displaced students, many of whom lived under relentless bombardment during that time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur students came back to school in January, and for some of them, it was a source of anxiety. They were afraid to return home after school, only to find that their home had been destroyed, or their parents killed,\u201d Sister Habib said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The school organized collective mental health sessions and referred the most vulnerable children for therapy. According to Sister Habib, the psychosocial support provided has had a notable positive impact on the children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The students come from various religious backgrounds, and Sister Habib said initially she was \u201cafraid that some tensions would arise after the war.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn the contrary, the children have been very happy to see one another again,\u201d she said. \u201cThis year, we insisted on the fact that whatever happens in Lebanon, we remain one heart united in fraternity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sister Habib said she finds strength to pursue her community\u2019s mission in such difficult times in the support the school receives through associations and private initiatives, allowing her to cover teacher salaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven though in war everything is negative,\u201d she said, \u201cwe can still find seeds of positivity that mark us for life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More than 18 months after the war between Lebanon and Israel began, Christian communities living along the demarcation line struggle to regain a sense of normalcy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70080,"featured_media":16571,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2315,69],"class_list":["post-16570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lebanon","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n