Mrs. Claudette Habesch deserves every honour

On the 24th of April 2013 The Assembly of Catholic of organized a farewell gathering to honour Mrs. Claudette Habesch for her 26 years of loyal and dedicated service to Caritas Jerusalem as Secretary General in the courtyard of Notre Dame Center.

In 1987 the Latin Patriarchate called upon Mrs. Claudette Habesch asking her to take the post of Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem. What was an organization with one project of micro-credit 27 years ago, Caritas Jerusalem, under the guidance of Mrs.Claudette Habesch has grown to one that serves the Occupied Palestinian Territories, from the in the South, all the way to Jenin in the North, with Jerusalem at its heart. Three health centers, one counseling center for drug abuse, a day-care center for the elderly in , health education and awareness programs in several localities, a strong micro-credit program, education and youth, and the social support program are but just a few of the projects that Madam Habesch founded, directed and developed. From a one part-time employee, Caritas Jerusalem has grown to over fifty full time employees.

Fr. Raed Abusahliah Mrs. Claudette Habesch

His Beatitude , Latin of Jerusalem, His Beatitude the former Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, his auxiliary bishops, representatives and members of different churches, consulates, charities and Christian organizations in Jerusalem, more than 200 people, gathered to say goodbye to Mrs. Habesch. The Patriarch thanked Claudette for her “renowned and successful work” and bestowed on her the “Palm of Jerusalem” in recognition of her dedicated service.

His Beatitude Michel Sabbah The Caritas team

Fr. Raed Abusahliah, the General Director of Caritas Jerusalem stated in his speech “It is said, retirement may be an ending, a closing, but it is also a new beginning; but we know that you will always remain young, generous and ready to serve because it is not only blood that flows in your veins, but also Caritas flows in your veins! Therefore, we will nominate you as Caritas ambassador ad vitam- for life!”

His beatitude, bestowing upon her the honorary The Caritas team presenting an icon represented Palm of Jerusalem by Mrs. Mervat Naber

Aboud health team Old City Counseling Center

Taybeh health team Gaza health team

Dr. Hani Al Hussary the director of the Orthodox Club, in Ramallah

Mrs. Habesch was honoured and humbled by the celebration. After thanking the Church for the confidence in her, she said “Charity begins at home. I am deeply indebted to my parents for teaching me the values of the .”

Probably the biggest thing that stands out about Mrs. Habesch is her professionalism and her perfectionism.

In my mind, she will always remain a woman of action and motion.

Harout Bedrossian Communication Officer Caritas Jerusalem

His beatitude, Fouad Twal’s speech,

Dear Claudette, Mr. Habesch, the Habesch family, Eminent guests and friends,

With the most sincere pleasure, I welcome you to this occasion when we honor Mrs. Claudette Habesch, a Lady of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The highest honor bestowed by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem on a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, is the Palm of Jerusalem. It is our great joy to bestow this award for distinguished service.

This evening I speak about a dear friend. From her early days at Caritas Jerusalem, Claudette has shown exemplary commitment to its mission and has pursued it with an energy and vision, characteristic of all that she has done as a student, wife, mother and public servant. She has shown precisely the kind of enthusiasm for honest exchange and deepened understanding, for which we are all profoundly grateful. In the area of dialogue, she displays openness that makes possible significant gestures, not only towards the Christian community here, but also further afield, and for that, too, I express my gratitude. With the support of her husband, Claudette spent her life in the service of her family and in the service of her Church, community and country, all the while recognizing that leading, is much more than taking a position.

Joining Caritas Jerusalem in 1987 as Director General, she was conscious all the time of building on foundations, which were laid through much labor, thought and prayer. She continued building on these foundations by tireless fostering of relationships in many countries. In the process, many significant relationships were established, many people were enlightened and many people were served. Caritas Jerusalem has enjoyed significant international recognition and world dimensions, thanks to her commitment, zeal and tireless efforts.

My dear friends, one of the marks of a good public servant is one who surely deals with every situation and person with dignity. It may well be that no such conferral of dignity is needed every day, but the possession of this characteristic is inseparable from everyday business. Claudette has that instinctive mark. Her strong commitment to the work of Caritas was born of her deep love for God and the Church and as a result of a deep experience of suffering since her childhood. In 1948, as a seven- year old, her family home was confiscated. Since 1967, she experienced the Occupation and its accompanying injustices. In noble hearts, suffering gives birth to compassion. These hardships made her understand better Jesus’ own words: “What you did to the least of my brothers, you did to me.” On Judgment Day, we will be judged on our behavior towards the poor, the sick, the prisoner, the hungry and the naked. In these respects, she has revealed herself to be what we fully expected: a compassionate person, earnestly and zealously regarding every marginalized and vulnerable person with dignity.

It has been said that behind every great man and family stands a great woman. Claudette and her husband have raised a strong, loving, educated and wise family, with a distinct love for God and their homeland. It was her persuasive influence and strong leadership that established in her children a fidelity to the Holy Land, and a commitment to live and work here. Well-educated and qualified, it would have been easy for them to accept the lucrative offers of major established companies in world markets. Yet, they chose to remain. Difficult, yet truly inspiring and exemplary!

As is all areas of public service, there are critics. Claudette has known her share! In helping others and granting their desires and wants, she was complimented and lauded. Then there were those who, not getting what they wanted, became critics. Dear Mrs Habesch, Your critics are few, but your admirers are many.

It is therefore with a great sense of corporate love and pride that we pay tribute to this extraordinary woman who has displayed an exceptional yet simple elegance and dignity, coupled with a wisdom, a wit and an abiding sense of humble and effective service, that we all have become familiar with, and which we will dearly miss. Claudette, may God abundantly bless you and your beloved family!

Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch ------

Fr. Raed’s speech,

His beatitude Fouad Twal, Your excellencies, Honoured guests,

Good evening and welcome to all who have honoured us with your presence today!

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to deliver a speech on behalf of Caritas Jerusalem. It is indeed a sad and joyful moment as we gather here today in the spirit of friendship and love- which is the spirit of Caritas- to honour Madam Habesch for her long years of tireless and generous service as Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem. I stress the word service- for Mrs. Claudette Habesch was a volunteer and not an employee- not only in Jerusalem, but also internationally- for instance, serving as Vice President of Caritas Internationalis and president for the MONA region are only two examples.

What was an organization with one project of micro-credit 27 years ago, Caritas Jerusalem, under the guidance of Mrs.Claudette Habesch has grown to one that serves the Occupied Palestinian Territories, from the Gaza Strip in the South, all the way to Jenin in the North, with Jerusalem at its heart. Three health centers, one counseling center for drug abuse, a day-care center for the elderly in Ramallah, health education and awareness programs in several localities, a strong micro-credit program, education and youth, and our social support program are but just a few of the projects that Madam Habesch founded, directed and developed. Of course, these programs need a lot of energy, effort, hard work and positive thinking and she did all this always upholding the true message of love and service.

Dear friends, allow me to talk directly to Mrs. Habesch.

Mrs. Habesch, as head of Caritas Jerusalem, none can argue the positive changes that you have brought into this organisation. You know better than anyone all that you have given day after day, year after year, and have witnessed to the fruits of hard work. You have achieved these great works of mercy in thoughts, deeds, advocacy, prayers and love. Along the way you have absolutely walked closely with the poorest of the poor and the neediest of the needy. The burdens have not been light but the fruits have certainly been fulfilling. You have really done a great job!

I assure you that the good work and the good seed that you have planted will blossom and bloom. The time and hard work that you have invested in Caritas Jerusalem will continue in giving good fruit under my supervision as General Director and under the committed staff that you have created, to whom you were like a mother all these years. We will continue building on your work years ahead.

I would like to thank the board of directors, the Catholic Bishops of the Holy Land for entrusting me with this important position that I consider not a promotion, but responsibility and mission- hopefully I will not let you down and live up to your expectations. To our international and local colleagues- We promise, coordination, collaboration and team work- since we all work for the same cause and have the same objectives- that is, to serve the poorest and the most marginalised.

On behalf of Caritas Jerusalem and myself- we thank you, Mrs. Habesch and celebrate the goodness of God alive in a true daughter of Jerusalem.

It is said, retirement may be an ending, a closing, but it is also a new beginning; but we know that you will always remain young, generous and ready to serve because it is not only blood that flows in your veins, but also Caritas flows in your veins! Therefore, we will nominate you as Caritas ambassador ad vitam- for life!

Numbers: 6: 24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Father Raed Abu Sahlia General Secretary Caritas Jerusalem ------

Mrs. Claudette Habesch’s speech,

Your Excellencies, and honored guests Good evening to you all,

I would like to express my appreciation for receiving this award and for being honored today.

I am proud to accept this medal which I do not consider to be an honor bestowed on me alone, but also upon my father, the late Tawfiq Ayoub and my mother Farida Attal - may God prolong her life. They too merit this honor, because they put me on the right path from my childhood days and taught me that life is about commitment, responsibility and charity.

I also consider this honor to belong to the whole family of Caritas and especially the employees of Caritas Jerusalem and the Caritas teams in the Middle East. We could not have accomplished our objectives without your participation. In the past 30 years, we have built up Caritas from a small office to what it is today- an organization that serves the people of the Holy Land in every aspect of life and embodies the mission of the Catholic Church.

It is a great honor for me to have the trust of the Church, the Patriarch and the Bishops who have granted me the position of Secretary General of this organization. This trust gave me the strength and the ability to sail this ship forward and to overcome obstacles and difficulties. Through our community work, we have become mere tools to apply this high vision, and through the Lord’s will we were able to achieve it, so I always thank the Lord for what we managed to achieve, through His will, help and perseverance to Caritas and to myself.

I want to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to my husband Issa for his understanding and moral support, likewise I thank my children Tawfiq, Sandra and Yousef and their families for their unwavering support throughout my career and my work in Caritas Jerusalem, Caritas Internationalis and other church-related institutions.

In conclusion, I wish Fr. Raed Abu Sahlia success in his position as General Secretary of Caritas Jerusalem, and remind him that we are always here in the service of the Church and the Organization.

I thank you all for your presence and specially those who travelled long distances to be with us today.