Despite the continued bombardment, a religious sister has decided to stay with the Christian community at the St. Joseph monastery in Ain Ebel, southern Lebanon—just three miles from the Israeli border.
About 9,000 Christians still reside in these three distinct settlements. Sister Maya El Beaino of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary stated, “We are in constant danger.”
“We have three hours of electricity a day, no Red Cross, and no hospital in the area. That implies having no water and no internet!”
There are two other religious congregations present in Rmeich. Those who desired to remain in their hometown find solace in their presence.
The religious sister stated: “While everyone talks about the people who have fled due to the attacks, nobody talks about the many Christians who have stayed because they fear they will never be able to return home.”
“It’s true that a large number of people fled the area when the Gaza War broke out in October 2023, but a large number of families have returned to their houses since Beirut was too expensive to live in and they were unable to cope with the loss of their fathers, who had remained by themselves in the South.”
Children from 32 nearby villages attend the sole Catholic school in the area, which is run by St. Joseph’s Convent.