The opportunity came when Angela told us about the chance to go to Galilee and officially recognize a new Faith and Light community. For years, Sister Camelia had been asking for this. The community would be near Nazareth, in the village of Eilaboun.
Twenty pilgrims came—representatives from all three regions of the Peace River.
We arrived late and a suitcase short, but our Arab friends wrapped us in warmth. They had prepared dinner: focaccia, sauces, salads, dishes we'd never tasted before but welcomed eagerly (hunger helps). We felt truly received, truly family. The next afternoon we would discern together and elect a community leader. That morning we visited Capernaum and the Sea of Tiberias—the places where Jesus established Peter's primacy and began gathering his first disciples. In the afternoon we did preparatory work with everyone, despite the language barrier. Then Lucia and Angela guided our discernment, with Sister Camelia translating from French into Arabic.
It was a beautiful experience. They saw themselves as a small plant needing care and attention. To us, they were already a strong community, united, full of enthusiasm and humility that taught us lessons in living. One moment stays with me most. A young woman named Samaher was asked, "What has Faith and Light given you?"
She answered: "I used to wonder all the time: why am I like this? Why can't I do what my friends do? It hurt so much. Faith and Light made me understand that I'm useful just as I am. I'm beautiful precisely because I'm like this!"
Many in the community shared their feelings with remarkable restraint and quiet inner joy. We had prepared a poster with a tree, and at the end, everyone hung a fruit with their name on it, connecting us to the Leeds international assembly on being "Called to Bear Fruit." The evening ended with dinner made by the community mothers. The next day we visited Nazareth—an astonishing abundance of sites marking Jesus' youth, stunning churches of every tradition decorated with beautiful paintings and mosaics. That afternoon, while some rested after two emotionally and physically intense days, Lucia and Angela guided the discussion for electing a community leader. Suad was elected—a mother with three children, one of whom is disabled.
Then they chose the community's name: OLIVE of GALILEE. Our Arab friends' happiness was radiant—finally they could declare themselves part of Faith and Light! The evening continued in high spirits. Rosario and I made spaghetti with tomato sauce while Ferruccio brought two wonderful Venetian cured meats that everyone loved; local dishes rounded out the menu. This was our last evening with our friends. The next day we would leave for Jerusalem. The goodbyes went on and on—no one wanted to leave. We were truly one family.
In Jerusalem and Bethlehem, we lived other beautiful experiences. Emotion often overwhelmed me so completely I could barely speak about what I was seeing and living. The places where our Lord walked still convey, after 2,000 years, how life was then, and what he lived through with his disciples, and later alone in suffering and sacrifice for us.
But I wanted to tell the community experience at length because the human bond, the warmth and friendship between us and them, was so beautiful. The visit to the Holy Places was for me an intense inner experience—indelible memories fixed in mind and heart.
Mario
One of the most beautiful moments was visiting the Holy Sepulchre. The door is small, narrow. Daniela and I barely squeezed through. Coming out, I wept with joy seeing Rosario carry his Arianna through that doorway. Everything came together. That gesture gave meaning to every effort. We'd seen him do it at the Basilica of Bethlehem, but here in Jerusalem it was even more moving. Yes: when you desire something deeply, with great faith, you can achieve it. God will give strength and courage. We experienced it. We know it with certainty.
Angela
Every place we visited—Nazareth, Jerusalem—stirred emotions so strong, so overwhelming, so hard to put into words. The Grotto of the Annunciation, where Mary spoke her yes to God's plan for her. The Grotto of the Nativity, where with my father's help and our friends' help I managed to go down. The Holy Sepulchre—not easily accessible because the entrance door is too low and narrow, but with my parents' help I got in and saw the tomb where Jesus was buried.
What can I say? Every place carries its own emotional power. The places hardest to reach meant something particular to me. They were my way of showing how great my faith is.
Arianna
During a moment of sharing, Gabriella listened to another mother's reflection and, surprised and moved, said: "We're just the same, all of us. We live through the same feelings and emotions, even though our lives look different and we speak languages we don't understand." All of us share that deep longing to feel heard and welcomed. The gift of expressing and sharing our joys and our sorrows is beyond price. Faith and Light truly is a precious and unique opportunity, wherever in the world you live it.
Lucia
We followed in Jesus' footsteps. We went to the places where he began to preach and work miracles.
Miracles still happen in our hearts. The smiles in the photographs prove it. So does the solidarity and warmth that grew between us.
Adriana
The Faith and Light community in Israel is like all our communities!
With them, though they speak a different language, I felt at home. In their welcome I sensed true and deep joy.
Valeria