(ANS – Kafroun) - Fr Munir El Rai, Salesian Provincial of the Middle East, tells of what is being done in the Salesian House at Kafroun. This house, which previously was used for retreats and summer activities, has now become a refugee centre for people affected by the war in Syria. It is a real oasis of friendship and hope.

The house in Kafroun is situated in a green mountainous area about 250 km south of Aleppo. It is intended as a centre for the summer activities of the communities of Aleppo and Damascus, and also as a Retreat House for confreres and groups of young people from the nearby dioceses of Tartous and Homs.

During the summer it becomes a youth centre and oratory for the nearby villages. Children and young people who live further away are brought to the centre and home again in vehicles provided by the Salesians. Activities begin at the end of the scholastic year in the elementary and junior high schools, and go on until the start of the new scholastic year. They are run by two or three confreres, assisted by some of our cooperators, catechist and animators. 

When the war reached Aleppo last August, many families lost their homes. Others were forced to leave home and look for accommodation elsewhere. Thanks to Fr Georges Mouzaaber and Fr Charbel Daoura, and now also Fr Luciano Buratti, the Salesian House at Kafroun opened its doors to tens of families of relatives of Salesians, of cooperators and animators, offering them food and lodging. They live together in a family spirit, joining in the prayer of the Salesian community, helping in the maintenance of the house, and sharing in fraternal gatherings. Transport is provided to bring the young people to schools in the area and they attend regularly.

Every Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday, the house at Kafroun reverts to being a youth centre and oratory for the young people of the nearby villages and some that are not so near. Cooperators and Catechists run various educational, catechetical and spiritual activities, as they had been doing at Aleppo before the war. On Sundays they take part in the Mass.

Before Christmas, there was the possibility of confessions for the refugees and the young people, and a concert based on the Christmas liturgy. The Maronite Bishop of Tartous celebrated the Feast of Don Bosco with us, and gave a dinner for all the refugees of the surrounding areas, Christians and Muslims alike, who came from the areas worst hit by the war. The meal was accompanied by music and song in a festive  spirit of genuine fraternity.

Paradoxically, the disaster which this deplorable war brought upon the larger cities, has led to benefits in Kafroun that no one could have foreseen, such as the solidarity and mutual assistance between Christians and Muslims, which in turn brought about better knowledge of each other and a greater level of fraternity.

Published 24/04/2013