Months after the guns fell silent in the latest conflict between Israel and Lebanon, the Church continues to count the cost.
Catholic religious sisters in southern Lebanon remain at the heart of efforts to support displaced and impoverished families, many of whom are struggling to survive amid devastation and economic collapse.
During a late-May visit by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), local partners and religious communities shared the enduring hardships of life in the country’s southern border towns.
In Debel, Sister Gerard Merhej oversees the Antonine Sisters’ School, where student numbers have dropped by half since the war began.
“There used to be many educated families in the area, but most of them left for Beirut where there are more job opportunities,” she said.
Of the families that remain, many have lost their livelihoods. Agriculture—the main source of income—has been devastated, with fields destroyed by bombardment. Some residents are now trying to revive farming in small ways to feed their families.
With support from ACN, Sister Merhej and her congregation have kept the school open. “We can continue to provide quality education to children and give hope to suffering families,” she said.
Further south in Ain Ebel, Sister Maya El Beaino of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary chose to remain with her community through the war.
“Our mission is to go to the peripheries and accompany those in need of help,” she told ACN.
Despite the challenges, the sisters’ school maintained a high academic standard. Nearly 80 percent of students earned excellent grades last year, with six ranking among Lebanon’s top ten.
During the conflict, classes moved online. “When there was an airstrike near the home of one of the pupils, all of them could hear it,” Sister El Beaino recalled. “The pupils had a sense that they were all in it together, even though they were physically apart.”
She remembered the urgency of October 2024, when locals were given just 40 minutes to evacuate. Explosions rocked the area overnight, but she stayed behind to offer spiritual support to those who remained.
By November, only the elderly were left in the village. Many refused to leave. “They would rather die at home than move somewhere else,” she said.
ACN’s support was vital in helping them access medications that would have been “impossible” to obtain otherwise.
“Thank you so much for all you are doing. Thank God for ACN,” Sister El Beaino said.
Since the conflict began, ACN has provided emergency aid, medical assistance, and ongoing support to Catholic schools, religious congregations, and clergy across Lebanon.
