Beit Sahour Parish
Beit Sahour, the land of the Shepherds has one of the largest Christian community in the Palestinian Territories. The Parish was established in 1859, with only 80 families. Today, it is one of the most active parishes in the area with pastoral initiatives for various activities and groups: three youth groups, a choir, young couples and scouts.
Infrastructures of the Latin Patriarchate
The first Latin Patriarchate School was built in 1860. Since then, thousands of Christians and an increasing number of Muslim children have continued to attend classes at the pre-school, kindergarten, elementary and primary grades (up to Grade 12). Over the years Beit Sahour School has undergone renovations and expansions to serve the increasing demand for space. There are weekly parent-teacher sessions and meetings of the Scouts (boys and girls). The existence of the Pastoral Center continues to promote public encounters and sharing. Many townspeople from surrounding areas seek to enroll their children in the School to avail themselves of the advanced level of education and instruction it offers in an open environment. Besides, the Christ the King Bookstore, the first Christian bookshop in the Palestinian Territories opened in 2011.
Despite its aging and deteriorating physical structure, the Beit Sahour school due to its performance, and high-quality education is attracting more and more students every year. More townspeople and others from the vicinity are seeking to enroll their children in Beit Sahour School so that they might later profit from the advanced, standard education and instruction offered in an open environment. Satisfying rising enrollments and other emerging needs in the Middle Region requires an expansion of facilities. The construction of “The New Beit Sahour School & Resource Center” is designed to supply the base needed to effectively marshal plans of response to all varied educational, social, and cultural needs not currently being met on the scale warranted.
