By Joan Deming

Abuna tells us about his village, Bir’am, now destroyed

Abuna [Chacour} accompanied our group to Biram — our group of 12, plus 3 students who joined us for the day. His stories made the time magical even while we froze in a very windy rainstorm. (Reminder to self, rain is a blessing.)

We skipped the picnic area at Biram in favor of a quick exit to lower elevations and warmer temps, and lunch instead at Tabgha. The afternoon included stops at all the Sea of Galilee Holy sites and a boat ride — dodging occasional rain.

For me the standout for today was the Loaves and Fishes Church at Tabgha which was burned by extremist Jews in June. They left a message about destroying false Gods. No arrests leading even to charges yet, much less convictions. It was jarring to smell the smoke as soon as we entered the grounds and shocking to see the roof of the outer courtyard and the gift shop completely destroyed. As in, no roof on that part. Thank God the main church was saved.

The Loaves and Fishes church, destroyed by settlers