‘Sometimes my friends ask me, “Why did your face get old so quickly?”’ This quote from a middle-aged Palestinian man was typical of the deep poignancy of the recent ‘50 Faces of the Holy Land Exhibition’ at Our Lady of the Assumption in Gateacre.

The exhibition, organised by Friends of the Holy Land, featured moving testimonies along with striking photographs of people living there, shedding light on how the ongoing conflict has affected ordinary men and women from different religious and social backgrounds, not only in devastated Gaza but the West Bank.

As one visitor put it: ‘So often the media tell us numbers, whereas their humanity is visible here in these images.’

The exhibition culminated on 6 November with an Ecumenical Service for Peace in the Holy Land led by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, along with Canon Mark Madden –who is Canon of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and adviser to the Holy Land for the Bishops of England and Wales – and Canon Dr Ellen Loudon, director of Social Justice for the Diocese of Liverpool.

A packed congregation of 300 people from different denominations heard first-hand accounts from Canon Madden of the effects of the war on the beleaguered Christian community in the Holy Land, while there were songs of peace from children from OLA and St Gregory’s primary schools.

Those present raised £854 for the Disasters Emergency Committee Middle East Appeal, and afterwards, the Friends of the Holy Land, the Archdiocesan Justice and Peace Commission, Pax Christi and CAFOD gave advice on practical steps to develop peace and justice.

Father Stephen Pritchard, parish priest at OLA, said: ‘It was a wonderful opportunity to gather with fellow Christians and pray for peace, and not only pray but see what small actions each of us can take now to build peace in our world, not least the Middle East.’

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