Please send your prayers his way for a robust recovery. We will continue to check in with our dear Abuna to see when we may revisit our plan to host him in the US. I will be sure to let you know the details as soon as we reschedule.

That said, I plan to attend the Churches of Middle East Peace Advocacy Summit in Washington, DC April 20-21 and The Telos Group mini-conference, Peace and Presence: Palestinian Christians in the Crosshairs of Conflict that will address questions such as: What has this community learned over the centuries about witnessing in the midst of conflict? How do they contend with the ongoing injustice of occupation? Where can the American church come alongside this community in the work of peace in the Holy Land? With some of today’s most recognized Palestinian Christian peacemakers.

If you, too, will be at either of these events, please let me know, I would love to meet you in person!

Wishing you a blessed Easter weekend,

Essrea Cherin

Executive Director

Mar Elias turns 40!

Pilgrims of Ibillin sends our hearty congratulations to all our colleagues at Mar Elias Educational Institutions for reaching this notable milestone of Turning 40 and having achieved so much in that short span, against not a few challenges upon the path.

We are gratified to have played a role in your success, and hope to continue doing so for the next 40! Mubarak!

MEEI Student Munira Yasseen, 16 years old, is the Israeli National Champion Mountain Biker in her age category.

Watch this inspiring video that portrays this ambitious young woman who has her sights set on big accomplishments!

Fifteen Mar Elias High School seniors participated in a physics competition at Weizmann Institute (one of Israel's most prestigious scientific institutes). Participating was highly competitive as more than 100 schools applied to this competition. Mar Elias High School is the only Arab school accepted among 45 schools from across Israel.

MEEI students designed a safety box that works with advanced technology. The competition lasted two days, and the final product received encouraging comments and feedback from the committee.

Mar Elias High School remains a pioneer in science and is present at some of the most esteemed opportunities that other schools do not have, either Jewish or Palestinian.

What sets a Living Stones Pilgrimage

apart from other Holy Land tours?

Learn more in an upcoming webinar with Palestinian tour guides and coordinators Usama Nicola and Zoughbi Zoughbi of Wi’am, Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center to learn more about the unique Living Stones Pilgrimage. 

You’ll hear from Usama and Zoughbi with an overview of the trip, and have the opportunity to have all those burning questions answered. 

Register at the link below.

You’ll receive an invitation link, unique to you,

to join the webinar on

Thursday, May 4

7pm Bethlehem | 12pm ET | 11am CT | 10am MT | 9am PT

To hear what Living Stones pilgrimage participants experienced,

read the blog and view the video from Pilgrims of Ibillin's

Fall 2022 Pilgrimage.

As the May Living Stones Pilgrimage prepares to head off for an incredible adventure that is sure to create lasting memories and friendships, we also prepare for a fall trip this year. 

Are you…Looking to go deeper in your connection and grasp of challenges facing Palestine and Israel and how these relate to current events? Would you like to better understand the rewards and challenges within Palestinian educational institutions in both Palestine and Israel? Do you seek ways to contribute toward justice and peace in the Holy Land? Would you like to connect with Pilgrims of Ibillin's mission of fostering a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel through education by visiting partners who manifest that mission: Mar Elias Educational Institutions, Wi'am, Hope School, Seraj Libraries, and others?  

Here’s your opportunity! 

On the Living Stones Pilgrimage, you will learn about the vast inequity in terms of opportunities and resources afforded the Palestinian population whether in Israel or the occupied West Bank — and how forward-thinking Palestinian innovators manage to face these inequities with ingenuity, determination, creativity, and resourcefulness in service to empowering today’s youth to prepare them to be tomorrow’s leaders. 

We will visit entities that are ‘off the beaten track’ of many Holy Land tours: heartwarming and inspirational sites such as a Bedouin camp and school, Hope Flowers in East Jerusalem, a Seraj Library Community Center, and Hope School in Beit Jala.

We also visit holy and historical sites, in addition to time in nature and built in opportunities for contemplation and prayer.

Abuna Elias Chacour says,

“Come! Stay with us! Please! We need you, the beautiful face of America.”

Witness the beauty and joy, the challenges and pain that exist in a place that is known for intractable conflict.  

Learn, reflect, serve, plan, see and tell.  

We invite and welcome you to join us.

Submit your deposit before July 15

you not only receive a $500 discount off the pilgrimage fee

(or a total of $3,000 rather than $3,500),

you also hold your spot

on what promises to be a trip of a lifetime!

Trip coordinators are Pilgrims of Ibillin Board of Directors member Rev. Gail Doering and Executive Director Essrea Cherin.

Rev. Gail Doering, a member of the Presbyterian clergy and Pilgrims of Ibillin Board of Directors. In addition to half a dozen visits to the Holy Land, spent a 3 month sabbatical in Israel, studying the theology of hope and how it is maintained in the face of conflict, oppression, and occupation. Essrea Cherin, Executive Director of Pilgrims of Ibillin and the co-founder of the Boulder-Nablus Sister City Project, is a conflict resolution professional and has worked in the region for almost 20 years. Both have led groups to the region multiple times.

Jerusalem: Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, Church of Holy Sepulcher, the Western Wall

Bethlehem: Separation Wall, Walled Off Hotel, and Aida refugee camp

Ibillin: Mar Elias Educational Institution and meet with founder Fr. Elias Chacour, author of Blood Brothers

Human Rights groups such as Parents Circle in Jerusalem, and Community Peace Keeper team members in Hebron

Ride on a boat on the Sea of Galilee and holy sites in the Galilee region

Join us for a trip of a lifetime!

We have shipped 100s of copies of Abuna Chacour’s book, We Belong to the Land, across the country. We still have more to share so that you and those folks in your community, whether it be a church group or even a group of friends, will be inspired by Archbishop Chacour’s story of working for peace and reconciliation among Israeli Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Because this book is so impactful, we wish to offer it to you, free of charge - as many copies as you’d like to host a book discussion group in your community, using this book. We have created a discussion guide (on this webpage) and will ship as many books to you as you’d like to one address, we only ask that you cover the cost of postage. (We leave it to you to distribute the books however you wish).

Go to this web page: pilgrimsofibillin.org/we-belong/ and complete the form to request your copies of We Belong to the Land.

The form only allows you to select 10 copies, but if you wish to receive more than that, please let us know how many in the comment field.

We are grateful for a donation from Middle East Books in Washington DC of over 1,000 copies of Father Elias Chacour’s influential book, We Belong to the Land.

Your donations support the ongoing work of

Pilgrims' Peace Partners in fostering a just peace

through education in Israel and Palestine.



Thank you.