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The Denver Catholic Register 1909 The Denver Catholic Register 1964 The Denver Catholic Register 2014 The Denver Catholic Register 2014 The Denver Catholic Register 2014 Help Mideast Christians: Give a piece of Bethlehem this Christmas Archbishop encourages support of faithful in the Holy Land BY JULIE FILBY With Christmas drawing near, there will be many depic- tions of the Christ-child laying in a peaceful manger in Beth- lehem. But Bethlehem native and Aurora Catholic, George Bannoura, wants to remind the faithful that life as a Chris- tian in the birthplace of Jesus is difficult—and this population needs the support of the global Catholic community. The area's Christian popu- lation, once a majority, now numbers only 1 percent. There is "a lot of fear for the future," he said, and "a lot of political conflict." More than 300 years ago, Christian families like the Bannouras, began produc- ing artwork and handicrafts from Bethlehem olive wood. Today their company, Bethle- hem Handicrafts, makes the distinct wood available world- wide, while supporting arti- sans in the Holy Land. "Christ was born in Bethlehem and Christmas is about Christ," he told the Den- ver Catholic Register Nov. 14. "We have a small piece of Beth- lehem here in Denver with the olive wood from where Christ was born." "We love keeping this (tra- dition) alive," he said, "by also keeping the Christians alive." Bannoura's father, brothers, uncles and cousins living in Bethlehem work in the busi- ness, as well as an additional 420 artisans that contribute work to the collection which includes statues, figurines, crucifixes, angels, rosaries, nativity scenes, ornaments, candle holders, bracelets, and the recent additions of kitchen utensils such as spoons, trays and salad servers—among other items. "Our mission is to collect from more people," Bannou- ra said, which helps provide a living for more Christians in a region where they face dis- crimination—and the tourism industry is struggling. Bannoura, born and raised in Bethlehem, travels there ev- ery summer. "People are afraid to go there," he said. "They want to go to a safer place." However, he encouraged pil- grims to consider visiting the Holy Land. Archbishop Samuel Aquila led a pilgrimage to the Holy Land last month. "The outlook for those Chris- tians who remain in the land where Jesus walked is bleak," the archbishop wrote in a re- cent letter to priests. "And we must support our brothers and sisters with our prayers and, when possible, with our finan- cial support." Bannoura drew the com- parison of Coloradans hosting out-of-town guests. "If you have a guest coming from a different part of the country, you think of where you want to take them," he said. "You're not going to take them to dangerous places, places known for crime. You're going to take them to the best places, places you know are safe." Similarly, Bethlehem locals take pilgrims to safe areas and the best hotels and restaurants. "In my memory, I have nev- er heard that tourists got in- jured while on pilgrimage," he added. Those unable to travel to Bethlehem can still bring a piece of this sacred land to Col- orado through companies such as Bethlehem Handicrafts. "The olive tree is the number one famous tree in the Holy Land," Bannoura said, clarify- ing that his family's company does not kill olive trees to make the products, but uses wood trimmed from the trees every October. Following the olive harvest, considered a holiday, the trees are pruned to prepare for the windy season. That is the wood used for art and handicrafts, as well as for building fires and heating homes. "In our family, we have trees over 800 years old," he said. "There is a 4,000 year old tree in Bethlehem." Bethlehem Handicrafts items are available at parishes and online at www.bethlehem handicrafts.com; and during the holidays at kiosks at Col- orado Mills in Lakewood, Flatiron Crossing in Broom- field, Town Center at Aurora, Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree and Mesa Mall in Grand Junction. Julie Filby: 303-715-3123; julie. filby@archden.org; www.twitter. com/DCRegisterJulie PHOTO PROVIDED JAMAL BANNOURA, and his sons George Bannoura and Fadi Bannoura, carve products of olive wood from Bethlehem for their family business Bethlehem Handicrafts, a company that helps support Christians in the Holy Land.

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