Twin Parish: Holy Land

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St. Monica Catholic Community and Annunciation Parish, Beit Jala—two parishes, one family of faith.

On October 4, 2026, at the Holy Land Pilgrim Reunion Mass, St. Monica announced a new relationship with Annunciation Parish in Beit Jala, the Christian town next door to Bethlehem. Our pastors, Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson and Fr. Hanna Mass'ad—known to his parishioners as Abouna, "our father"—have committed our two communities to pray for one another, to come to know one another, and to stand with one another.

Why Beit Jala, and why now

Beit Jala sits on the hills above Bethlehem, a short walk from the place of Christ's birth. It is home to the seminary of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world—families who have kept the faith in the land of the Gospel for generations.

Those families are struggling. Since the pandemic and the war that began in October 2023, pilgrims have largely stopped coming, and Bethlehem's economy depends on pilgrims. Work has disappeared. Many Annunciation families are living on savings and on help from relatives abroad. For Christians in the West Bank, the hardest part is often the sense of being forgotten.

St. Monica's answer is simple: you are not forgotten.

What it means to be twin parishes

We pray

Annunciation Parish is remembered regularly in St. Monica's Universal Prayer, and we ask our friends in Beit Jala to keep us in theirs.

We learn

Our pastors meet regularly, our lay leaders will meet with Abouna, and we will share the stories, faces and needs of both parishes.

We give

St. Monica leads the fundraising for Annunciation families—food, medical care, rent, and tuition for children in the parish school and at university.

The first of its kind

St. Monica is the pilot parish for the Holy Land Sister Parish program of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Western USA Lieutenancy. The Order chose Annunciation for us in consultation with the Latin Patriarchate, and Knights and Dames of the Order are contributing alongside our parishioners. Other parishes in the West are already preparing to follow, so what we build together here will shape how parishes across the West walk with the Christians of the Holy Land.

Read the Order's announcement ›

Give to our twin parish

A one-time gift helps a family now. A monthly gift lets Annunciation plan for the year ahead.

GIVE ONE-TIME OR MONTHLY

Gifts are received by St. Monica Catholic Community and are intended for our twin parish, Annunciation Parish in Beit Jala. Funds are administered by St. Monica, with final distribution through the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem or the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

Be part of the story

A parish committee is forming now to shape this ministry—prayer, events, communications and the friendships between our parishes. If you have walked the Holy Land with us, or simply feel drawn to Bethlehem, there is a seat at the table for you.

Write to and tell us a little about yourself.

More is coming: a launch evening before Advent, a short film from Beit Jala, and regular updates in the Weekly Witness.