Holy Family Hospital Invites Schools to Bring Hope This Advent
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 /
Christian Newswire/ -- A mere 500 yards from where Mary and Joseph found shelter in a stable to deliver the baby Jesus, the impoverished families of Bethlehem today find hope and a safe place to give birth. Holy Family Hospital is an obstetrical/gynecological facility – the only one in the region that can handle the complicated medical conditions of women living in extreme poverty. Modern state-of-the-art birthing facilities and neonatal intensive care units for preemies serve the needs of all Bethlehem women regardless of creed, ethnicity or ability to pay.
The work of Holy Family Hospital provides a unique learning opportunity. The hospital is the designated care provider for four refugee camps operated by the United Nations and every month more than 200 women overcome curfews, road closures and roadblocks to deliver at this hospital. Thirteen percent of the infants born need intensive neonatal care and Holy Family Hospital is the only facility in the region to serve this need. Despite these hazards and hardships, the hospital serves more than 22,000 women and children each year.
Schools around the country are finding Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem an ideal educational opportunity for students, and a timely service-oriented project for Advent and Christmas. Students in schools such as Regina Caeli Academy in Atlanta; Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn; and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School and Blessed Sacrament School, both located in Washington, D.C.; learn about the Holy Land while participating in activities which address poverty and uphold the dignity of life and the human person. Students also learn about the Christian presence in the Holy Land and how families today are facing similar struggles to those faced by Mary and Joseph 2000 years ago.
Colleen Marotta, executive director of the U.S.-based foundation which supports the hospital, believes it's the generosity of Americans, even during the economic crisis, which makes the protection of mothers in Bethlehem possible. "Through the generosity of these school groups, mothers in Bethlehem will have an opportunity to experience the joy of birth, while being cared for at Holy Family Hospital," Marotta said. "It is amazing to see how Christians are opening their hearts to mothers who are half-way around the world."
Understanding that not everyone can travel to the Holy Land to work directly with the families and caretakers at Holy Family Hospital, the foundation has outlined five ways schools can adopt the hospital from their classrooms, learn about the Holy Land, and bring hope and support to the newborn babies and mothers. You can access this School Program by visiting the website at
www.BirthplaceofHope.org.
Pope John Paul II declared Holy Family Hospital one of the top 100 projects of the Third Millennium for Christians around the world.
For more information about The Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Foundation or to learn how a school can adopt the hospital, please visit its Web site at www.BirthplaceofHope.org. The executive director of Holy Family Hospital Foundation, Colleen Marotta, is available for interviews. Please contact Ashley Walker at 678-990-9032 or by email at awalker@maximusmg.com.
