Fr. Riad Hijazin, Parish Priest of Al-Salt with Thomas Kilduff, Communications Officer.

This year 2023, the Lieutenancy of Ireland has committed to funding £45,000 towards the cost of essential refurbishment works to the Parish Priest’s House, part of Al-Salt Convent, Jordan; together as a joint initiative with the Lieutenancy of the Principality of Monaco which will fund an additional £20,000.
Al-Salt is the first parish that was established by the Latin Patriarchate in East Jordan in 1866.
The refurbishment works, which are detailed in Project Report 375/23, include: repair of the roof; replacement of ceiling tiles; insulation of the roof and wall to fix the dampness problem; upgrade of electrical wiring and sanitary accommodation to make the house a liveable space, with all means of comfort available to the Parish Priests for years to come.
In September 2022, our Communications Officer met with the Latin Parish Priest of Al-Salt, Fr. Riad Hijazin, and viewed the Latin Parish Church of the Assumption of Our Lady.
It was here that Saint Sister Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, mother founder of the Rosary Sisters opened her first school for the education of girls in the Holy Land. In the crypt below the current church is a Shrine to Sister Alphonsine, the site of the original and oldest church in Jordan.

Since its establishment in 1986, the Lieutenancy of Ireland has donated in excess of €5.1m to support the Christian communities in the Holy Land, by way of Humanitarian Aid initiatives; Educational Projects and Pastoral Support activities.
Members’ donations are sent to the Grand Magisterium which governs the allocation of funds to initiatives, projects and activities that have been identified, verified and prioritised as most deserving.
Each year, a new list of priorities prepared by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in agreement with the Presidency of the Grand Magisterium and the Holy Land Commission are communicated to the Lieutenancies and Magistral Delegations worldwide; for information, consideration and selection.
The map and table above represent and detail the large number, diverse range and location of initiatives, projects and activities funded by the Lieutenancy of Ireland in Palestine, Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Syria to date.
You may see this in a more illustrated format here.

Fr. Riad Hijazin, Parish Priest of Al-Salt with Thomas Kilduff, Communications Officer.
Fr. Riad Hijazin, Parish Priest of Al-Salt with Thomas Kilduff, Communications Officer.