What is Catholic Near East Welfare Association?
Founded by the Pope in 1926, Catholic Near East Welfare Association, or Keneva, acts
as a bridge between the East and the West, with humanitarian aid, with education, with
support for Christian immunity.
But maybe a better question isn't what is Keneva, but who is Keneva?
Because our story is a story of people, people changing lives, and people having their lives
changed.
It's people like a seminarian in the Holy Land, walking in the footsteps of Christ.
It's a sister in India, caring for the poorest of the poor.
It's a deaf child in Bethlehem, learning how to break through the silence.
It's Catholics in Iraq, caring for Muslims in a time of war.
It's a farmer in Ethiopia, learning to care for his land and grow the future.
It's planting seeds of hope in places that too often know only to spare.
This is Keneva.
The Middle East in so many ways is so fractured, so full of problems that many people have
written it off as hopeless.
Now bring to that an agency working on behalf of the Holy Father that in a very quiet way,
in a very charitable way, in a very peaceful way, always reflecting the face of Christ
can engage the poor of those troubled areas.
That to me is very exciting because it says, no, this is not finished.
This is not beyond repair that Christ, Christ can be present there and Christ can uplift.
And I and all the partners of Keneva, we can be agents of reflecting that hope in Christ.
We think we go there to uplift people, and yet we're the ones who are uplifted.
That's what excites me, then I come home and I can't wait to share those beautiful stories
with my partners, with all of the collaborators, with the contributors.
Keneva is many people and many places, but out of many, we're also one.
One world, one human family, one church, one God.
I'm just reaching out and saying, listen, would you like a share of this?
The Holy Father actually wants you to accept a share of this because by baptism, every
one of us are evangelizers, every one of us are missionaries.
I'm only inviting you to accept your baptismal call and join this wonderful program with
me.
Because it's really exciting.
