Regions Collaborate in Support of Holy Family Hospital

Christmas in August? Absolutely!

Forty-two members of the Montgomery County, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia regions, alongside volunteers from Saint Ann’s Parish in DC, came together August 24 to spend time in prayer and to create 5,000 giving tree tags to be distributed to parishes, soliciting support for our Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem.

The crisis in Bethlehem is huge, with 22 months of war following a brief respite after COVID. The families in Bethlehem are in need, with many mothers coming to Holy Family Hospital to give birth having not eaten for two or three days. Many of these families have not had any income for the past 22 months since the major source of income for many is pilgrimages to Bethlehem, which are impossible currently.

Members from our regions came together to create Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Foundation giving tags that will be sent to parishes throughout the United States. Last year we created approximately 4,000 tags in this project, and this year we increased that to 5,000. From the giving tree tags last year approximately $200,000 was raised in support of Holy Family Hospital, which is a primary work of the Order of Malta. With costs for families giving birth there increasing significantly, the goal this year is to raise $500,000 through the parishes.

In our project, our members had a short introduction to the works of Holy Family Hospital and received information about the steps in the process of making giving tree tags. Then they sat at tables to staple together and add hangers to the tags, which will be distributed to parishes so people can take these tags and have all the information they need to send a donation to Holy Family Hospital Foundation.

We are grateful to be able to support Holy Family Hospital in this way, living out the charism of our Order caring for the poor and the sick. If your parish would like to receive giving tree tags, please contact Grace Lindstrom (email grace@hfhfoundation.org or call 202-785-0801) at Holy Family Hospital Foundation. We are grateful to Msgr. James Watkins, pastor of St. Ann’s, for hosting the members of our three regions.

Picture Credits to Kate Robinson of Holy Family Hospital Foundation