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Two Christian schools reopen in Syria after decades of closure
Two schools run by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have been inaugaurated in Syria’s Idlib governorate.
By Beatrice Guarrera
Two schools have been reopened in the Syrian Christian villages of Knaye and Yacoubieh, after nearly six decades of closure.
The inauguration of these schools by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land on Sunday, 20 September, was held in the presence of local civil and religious leaders.
From refugee shelter to learning hub
“The Franciscan friars in northern Syria, within the Orontes mission, have always opened schools and taken charge of education in the villages. The friars originally opened that school back in 1958, but it was taken from us in 1972,” Father Khukaz Mesrob, parish priest of Knaye, told Vatican News.
Father Mesrob oversaw the rebuilding efforts alongside Father Luai Bisharat, parish priest of Yacoubieh.
“When the military withdrew from the area, the school was used as a shelter for a decade,” Father Mesrob explains. Having returned to his homeland to serve his village, he decided he wanted to spark ‘a ray of hope’ among the locals. “We asked ourselves, ‘Why not start restoring these buildings?’”.
“We always hoped for the best,” the priest continues, “that the children would eventually return”.
Students at the Terra Sancta schools
Education for rebuilding
A year later, following the fall of the Assad government, the remaining refugees finally moved out, allowing full-scale renovation work on the educational facilities to kick into high gear. “With the help of church associations, the NGO Pro Terra Sancta, the Custody, and the friars, we managed to restore 80% of the schools, both of which share the name Terra Santa,” Father Mesrob says.
The full school cycle is now divided between the buildings in Yacoubieh—which cater to children aged three to ten—and Knaye, which hosts students from ten to seventeen. The project also generated vital employment opportunities for local families and young people, with nearly a hundred individuals hired across various trades, including electricians, carpenters, artists, and general labourers.
Having a hundred people working means a hundred families secure a steady income, the priest notes—a crucial milestone during this delicate phase of national reconstruction. “After the war,” he adds, “young graduate teachers also returned to Syria. Today we have 25 active teachers covering everything from English and mathematics to chemistry and biology, and they are all ‘children of the villages’ and Christians.”
Schools open to everyone
At present, the school has 80 pupils, but once restoration is fully completed next year, it will be able to welcome nearly 300 students, including those from local Muslim families. This will allow the institution to function even more effectively as a crucible of dialogue, a hallmark of the Franciscan mission in the Holy Land.
“This is the heart of the Franciscan mission: to evangelize through good works and kind words. Our schools in Syria,” Father Mesrob continues, “have always been open to everyone.”
He recalls an encounter after returning to Syria, when he met the imam of a local mosque who mentioned he had attended the Terra Santa school prior to its closure—with the Franciscan’s own father serving as his English teacher. Today, many Muslims are returning to teach at the institutes after receiving an exceptional education under the friars’ care.
“The Franciscan schools foster this dialogue with Muslim families and teach children to care for others, to respect humanity, and to show charity and neighbourly love,” Father Mesrob states.
The miracle of rebirth
The opening of the new facilities has brought “so much joy, so much hope, and so much courage.” In a region where “we were almost dead and in despair”, starting over and “being reborn” is “truly a miracle.”
During the inauguration, the Knaye parish priest observed, “with religious leaders, ambassadors, and government officials, Christians and Muslims, we were like a mosaic. Every small stone in the picture matters in its exact place and colour, and no one can take another’s place if it is missing. We are those stones when we are gathered all together.”
The trade of peace
“School is the primary cornerstone for rebuilding the country,” Bishop Hanna Jallouf, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo of the Latins, told Vatican News. “Without education, people cannot have a future. Through years of war, young people have only learned the trade of war. We must ensure they learn the trade of peace and coexistence.”
The Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, who attended the opening, underscored the significance of the event: “Rebuilding a school does not simply mean putting a building back together. It means restoring a place for children to grow, learn, and dream. This is the most beautiful face of our Franciscan presence: staying close to the people, sharing their hardships, and rebuilding hope together.”
Living with faith and hope
Today, around two hundred families live across Knaye, Yacoubieh, and the surrounding villages—double the number remaining there during the war.
“People have returned, thank God. We were exhausted and desperate, but things are better now. As friars,” Father Mesrob concludes, “we are working alongside all the charities so that everyone can settle down. People continue to live and to ‘fight’, with faith and with hope.”
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