A million rosaries made by Christian artisans of Bethlehem have been destined as gifts to the participants in the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day (WYD) that kicks off in Panama City. The initiative of the Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), is to support the Christian community of the town of Jesus’ birth, whose Christian presence has diminished considerably because of economic hardships.
As reported by Vatican news, “This initiative is essential because on the one hand it encourages prayer and on the other hand it helps support our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land,” said His Grace Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta of Panama, commenting on the ACN project. The rosaries made by Bethlehem’s Christian craftsmen are in tune with the Marian theme of the Panama WYD: “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38).
“Already a precious gift in themselves, the WYD rosaries have an added appeal because they are made by Christian craftsmen in Bethlehem, who through this project have received the much-needed help to support the Christian presence in the town where Jesus was born,” said Alessandro Monteduro, the director of ACN-Italy. As in previous WYDs, this year too ACN has supported a few projects for the Panama event. It has destined 430,000 Euros for the distribution of thousands of copies of the “Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church” (Youcat) and the “Social teaching of the Catholic Church” (Docat) in different languages and financed travel expenses for young people from dioceses in difficulty.
