2018
ANNUAL REPORT JAN-DEC
SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
INDEX 1. THE SAXUM PROJECT............................................................................................................... 3 1.1 WHAT IS SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION?......................................................... 4 1.2 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT........................................................................................................ 5 1.3 EXECUTIVE BOARD................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 MISSION............................................................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 VISION................................................................................................................................................................. 7 2. THE PROJECT................................................................................................................................ 8 2.1 THE PROJECT’S GOAL............................................................................................................................ 9 2.2 INSPIRATION................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3 INVOLVED ENTITIES.................................................................................................................................. 11 2.4 THE SAXUM PROJECT............................................................................................................................ 12 2.5 THE EMMAUS TRAIL................................................................................................................................. 14 3. FRIENDS OF SAXUM.................................................................................................................. 15 4. VISITOR CENTER.......................................................................................................................... 19 4.1 LETTER FROM THE VISITOR CENTER’S DIRECTOR............................................................ 20 4.2 VISITOR CENTER STAFF.......................................................................................................................... 21 4.3 HOLY LAND DIALOGUES..................................................................................................................... 22 4.4 FURTHER ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT............................ 24 5. AGREEMENTS AND ECONOMIC DATA.............................................................................. 32
1. THE SAXUM PROJECT
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
1.1
What is Saxum International Foundation? Saxum International Foundation is a non-profit registered in Italy (Via Torquato Taramelli n.30, 00197 Rome) (CF 97755970585) in accordance with the laws of Italy. The foundation was responsible for the worldwide fundraising campaign for the construction and development of Saxum Conference
4
Center and Saxum Visitor Center, as well as for the endowment for the current and future needs of the above.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
1.2
Letter from the President Dear friends, We did it! This has been an exciting year in which we completed the construction of the Visitor Center, launched the new webpage, hosted Holy Land Dialogues 2018, and prepared for everything that will come in this new adventure that Saxum has proved to be. We couldn’t thank our donors and benefactors enough: it is they, over 150,000 people around the world, who are the protagonists of this achievement. Our greatest dream is that, little by little, thanks to your donations and our work, Saxum becomes what St. Josemaria dreamed. I would also like to thank everyone who has collaborated with the Foundation on this project. I would especially like to thank ACI (the Association for Cultural Interchange Inc.) in the USA. Since we started this project, they have trusted and supported us in every moment. The same goes for the foundations in many countries that made the fundraising campaign possible. Without their help, none of this would have been possible.
Alfonso Alegiani President, Saxum Foundation
This year we welcomed many pilgrims for Holy Land Dialogues. Therefore, I must also thank the Social Trends Institute (STI), who was responsible for the cultural content of the conferences at HLD. They helped ensure the high intellectual level of the event, which made HLD 2018 a great success and helped many people understand the importance of visiting and learning more about the Holy Land. In closing, every year that passes only motivates us to continue creating initiatives and opportunities so that more and more people can partake in this transforming experience that is the Holy Land. That is why we want to keep asking for your help: now is when the adventure really begins. The Holy Land is a one-of-a-kind experience. That is what everyone who visits Saxum, now completed, tells us. That is why we do not tire of spreading the word about this wonderful project. I encourage you to tell more and more people about Saxum: your family, friends, and acquaintances. Thank you, from our hearts, for your collaboration.
Alfonso Alegiani President 5
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
1.3
Executive Board
1.4 Mission Saxum Foundation, based in Rome, helps people from all over the world to have a personal encounter with God by visiting the Holy Land. To walk in the footsteps of Jesus; to pray, kneel, and kiss the ground He walked on is an experience unlike any other. It is an experience that Saint Josemaria – who with Blessed Alvaro, inspired the Saxum project – wanted everyone to experience. For this reason, he advised people to make a “virtual” pilgrimage each day; reading the Gospel and imagining themselves as another character in the narrative. Saxum not only helps pilgrims in the Holy Land to go deeper into the roots of their faith, but also encourages dialogue between people of different religions and cultures.
President / Alfonso Alegiani Vice President / Carla Vassallo Treasurer / Luis Martín International Coordinator / Rosalinda Corbi Board member / Florencia Carloni Board member / Javier Gazulla Advisor / Antonio Quintana
Visitor Center. Timeline
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Jerusalem 6
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
1.5
Vision
Having been responsible for Saxum’s construction and endowment fund, the Saxum International Foundation’s goal is now to help every pilgrim make the most out of their oncein-a-lifetime trip to the Holy Land. This goal will be achieved through: 1. Saxum Conference Center, which welcomes people from all over the world who want to dedicate time to improve their knowledge of their faith. It is ideally suited
so that attendees may rest and reflect on what they have seen and lived in the Holy Land, while they participate in courses on archeology, history, and theology, among other topics. 2. Saxum Visitor Center, whose goal is to facilitate the understanding of the complexity of the Holy Land through technological tools that provide explanations of Biblical history and the Holy Places.
Saxum Visitor Center. Multimedia hall. 7
Likewise, in order to keep donors and friends of Saxum close to the Holy Land, Saxum Foundation has created and developed the Friends of Saxum association.
2. THE PROJECT
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
2.1
The Project’s Goal
The Sea of Galilee
Saxum was born out of the need for people to have a deeper knowledge of Jesus in the Holy Land, so that pilgrims will be able to begin, or foster, their relationship with Him, perpetuating the tradition of many pilgrims who have experienced a profound transformation in their lives after being there. Located in Abu Ghosh, 15 km from Jerusalem, the Visitor Center offers digital resources with state-of-the-art technology that explains the funda-
mental milestones of the story of the people of Israel and helps to better understand the environment in which Jesus’ life took place, and where Christianity was born. The Center has a fully-equipped auditorium for classes and conferences, a cafeteria, and a chapel with two confessionals. Visitors are welcome to attend Mass, pray before the Blessed Sacrament, and
9
receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Visitor Center receives historical and scientific support from the experts at Polis (The Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities), which specializes in ancient and modern languages and studies of the eastern Mediterranean.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
2.2 Inspiration “ANOTHER CHARACTER “YOU ARE SAXUM” In 1939, St. Josemaría started to ON THE SCENE…” St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, longed to visit the Holy Land during his lifetime to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. This desire also extended to all his spiritual children in Opus Dei and their families and friends, all of whom he wished could have the opportunity in their lifetimes “to pray, kneel upon, and kiss the soil which Jesus trod upon,” as Blessed Alvaro del Portillo related.
St. Josemaria Escriva
call Bl. Alvaro del Portillo “Saxum” - Latin for rock - because of his fidelity and fortitude. In naming this conference center after him, the donors to Saxum wish to show their gratitude to Bl. Alvaro for his life of service to the Church. There is more history behind the name: in 1994, Bl. Alvaro del Portillo, Portillo, who was the closest collaborator and first successor of St. Josemaría, went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in thanksgiving for his 80th birthday and
50th anniversary of his priestly ordination. On March 23, 1994, just a few hours after returning to Rome from his pilgrimage, God called Bl. Alvaro to heaven. He had celebrated his last Mass on earth in the Church of the Cenacle in Jerusalem. That same year, inspired by St. Josemaria’s wish and in honor of the memory of Bl. Alvaro del Portillo, the faithful of Opus Dei, together with cooperators and friends, began planning the Saxum project.
Blessed Alvaro del Portillo (center) and Javier Echevarria (left) 10
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
2.3
Involved Entities
ACI: Association for Cultural Interchange (www.culturalinterchange. org), a non-profit organization registered in the U.S., is the main promoter of this project and is the owner of the property of Saxum. To build it and develop its activities, it relies on the collaboration of all those who understand and appreciate the impact the Saxum project will have, and with this objective in mind, it has signed agreements with foundations and charitable organizations from several countries.
Saxum International Foundation (www.saxum.org), headquartered in Italy, also cooperated with ACI in the worldwide campaign for donations and helps design the program of activities for Saxum. The owning and involved entities in the Saxum project have asked the Prelature of Opus Dei to be responsible for the spiritual needs of the pilgrims that are participating in activities at Saxum.
11
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
2.4
The Saxum Project
Saxum Visitor Center The Visitor Center offers digital resources with state-of-the-art technology that explains the fundamental milestones of the story of the people of Israel and helps to better understand the environment in which Jesus’ life took place. Among other things, it offers: – A timeline which juxtaposes the events of the Old Testament with the events of world history. – Giant stone floor maps of the Old and New Testaments. – Touchscreens with audiovisual resources about life in the Holy Land in Jesus’ time, including:
-> Jerusalem’s Second Temple -> Daily life in cities, towns and countryside in the Holy Land at that time. -> A “Google Map” of the Roman Empire in Jesus’ time. – 3D projections of: -> Jesus’ path through the Holy Land and Jerusalem during His public ministry and Passion. -> A short movie which depicts the History of Salvation, closing with the meeting of Jesus with the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
-> The languages that Jesus and the people of His time spoke.
12
– A chapel where visitors can attend Mass, go to Confession, and pray. – An auditorium for presentations, conferences and meetings. In addition to offering services to pilgrims, the Visitor Center aims to contribute to the ongoing and vitally important education of tour guides who accompany millions of pilgrims each year to the Holy Sites and have a significant impact on pilgrims’ experience.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
IN 2018
1,104 47 PILGRIMS FROM
COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED IN
ACTIVITIES AT THE CONFERENCE CENTER
ARGENTINA
PARAGUAY
GUATEMALA
COSTA RICA
CHILE
EL SALVADOR
ESPAÑA
PERÚ
URUGUAY
BRASIL
ITALIA
FILIPINAS
CROACIA
MEXICO
PORTUGAL
VENEZUELA
ECUADOR
PUERTO RICO
COLOMBIA
HONDURAS
NICARAGUA
ESTADOS UNIDOS
CAMERÚN
REPÚBLICA DEL CONGO
BÉLGICA
SUIZA
FRANCIA
CANADÁ
HOLANDA
REPÚBLICA CHECA
REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA
LITUANIA
LETONIA
JAPÓN
RUSIA
KAZAJISTÁN
KENIA
SINGAPUR
IRLANDA
MALASIA
NUEVA ZELANDA
REINO UNIDO
HONG KONG
POLONIA
AUSTRALIA
13
MACAO
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
2.5
The Emmaus Trail
Saxum is also the starting point of the Emmaus Trail, which ends in the ancient village mentioned in the Gospel where Jesus sought out two discouraged disciples after the Resurrection.
The Saxum Foundation, together with local authorities, is currently marking out the ~15 km path so that pilgrims and hikers can relive this episode from the Gospel.
14
3. FRIENDS OF SAXUM
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
How can I collaborate as a Friend Of Saxum? The Friends of Saxum program has been launched for people who want to promote the vision of the Saxum Project. Friends of Saxum are convinced –often by personal experience– of the deep impact a trip to the Holy Land can have on one’s life. Those who desire to collaborate actively –through organizing pilgrimages to the Holy Land, promoting local activities in their own countries related to the Holy Land and the Biblical world, or spreading the word about the Visitor Center, can be named “Advisors”. They receive resources and additional news and videos about the Holy Land from Saxum Foundation.
- With prayer, the most valuable contribution. - With voluntary donations for the maintenance of Saxum Conference Center and Saxum Visitor Center and for helping people with limited resources to visit the Holy Land. - By promoting pilgrimages from your part of the world. - By spreading the news about Saxum Visitor Center to other pilgrimage organizers and travel agencies.
16
- By spreading or producing material (texts, videos, etc.) that help give greater meaning to pilgrimages. - By making friends, families, and coworkers aware of the importance that the Holy Places hold for every believer, as well as the current situation of Christians in the Holy Land. - By collaborating in social and educational activities created in cooperation with Saxum in favor of the Christians of the Holy Land.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
Friends of Saxum: Italy Friends of Saxum in Italy formed the first association of Friends of Saxum, Amici di Saxum, formally constituted on May 4, 2017. Since then, they have been coordinating their efforts to make the mission of the Friends of Saxum a reality in their country.
17
The board of Amici di Saxum Italia is composed of: PRESIDENT: Aldo Bressi (Rodano, Milan) VICE PRESIDENT: Maurizio Pecorilla (Naples) ADVISORS: Sofia Caretto (Lecce), Claudia Ceroni (La Spezia), Dino Collevati (Milan), Giorgio Groppo (Sommariva Bosco, Cuneo), Loredana Pezzino (Catania), Laura Poletti (Milan), Alfonso Villa (Monza).
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
16 PILGRIMAGES FROM ITALY 547 ATTENDEES In 2018, 16 pilgrimages with 547 attendees were organized: an increase of 41% from 2017. Altogether, Amici di Saxum has brought over 1000 pilgrims to the Holy Land since its birth.
The talk Living the Holy Land, organized on June 9, 2018, drew more than 350. By the end, everyone in the room was convinced that a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a unique and worthy experience. Another exciting initiative of Amici di Saxum this year was that several of their participants in the March 2019 pilgrimage participated in the 5k, 10k,
DATE
NIGHTS
ATTENDEES
ORIGIN
1-6 January
5
28
Milan
9-14 February
5
46
Verona
19-22 February
3
20
Italy
23 feb - 2 March
7
43
Verona
20-27 March
7
30
Florence
22-29 April
7
42
Milan
28 May - 3 June
6
37
Milan
17-24 June
7
44
Verona
22-29 August
7
30
Sardinia
31 August - 6 Sept.
6
28
Modena
28 Sept. - 4 Oct.
6
40
Verona
30 Oct. - 5 Nov.
6
38
Genova
31 Oct. - 3 Nov.
3
30
Naples
9-15 December
6
30
Rome
26 Dec. - 2 Jan.
7
19
Abruzzo
29 Dec. - 5 Jan.
7
42
Puglia
and half-marathon races of the Jerusalem Marathon. The number of members of Amici di Saxum has increased from 21 to
18
35 and they are pleased to report that the participation of each one has been very active.
4. VISITOR CENTER
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
4.1
Letter from the Visitor Center’s Director
Almudena Romero
Dear friends of Saxum, With the completion of the final phase - the Visitor Center - Saxum has begun a new era. For this reason, I would like to thank the extraordinary generosity of so many people who have believed in Saxum. It is exciting to see how, little by little, we are achieving St. Josemaria and Blessed Alvaro’s dream; a dream that was tirelessly promoted by Mons. Javier Echevarria and now Mons. Fernando Ocariz (the current Prelate of Opus Dei). All of this is becoming a reality thanks to all of you who have contributed. This year we have lived some thrilling moments. The second Holy Land Dialogues, in February 2018, was a great success. We welcomed two hundred people from over twenty countries that returned home with the knowledge that the Holy Land can change hearts. They were able to follow Christ’s steps on earth by visiting the places where He walked, they attended lectures by top speakers from the Social Trends Institute, and witnessed
the transformation that this corner of the world can bring about. Now we are finishing the last details for the Visitor Center inauguration: our touchscreens and the projections of our multimedia tour are almost ready for the opening ceremony in February 2019. The Emmaus Trail also continues to develop. The local authorities have started to put signage for the trail, and we receive messages from many people who are excited to walk the 18 kilometers between Saxum and Emmaus-Nicopolis. As always, our team at the Visitor Center is working to welcome pilgrims and local visitors in a better way each day. It is our honor to be able to receive so many people from all over the world. Another piece of exciting news this year was that in September we hosted our first course for tour
20
guides at the Visitor Center. We are convinced, as so many of our donors are, that this is another way in which we can collaborate with the Holy Land’s development and help improve pilgrims’ experience of the Holy Land. To close, I would once again like to thank you all for your generosity and unconditional support. Saxum’s adventure is just beginning and, from Abu Ghosh, we hope that all of our benefactors will be able to come very soon and see this great project that is just as much theirs as it is ours.
Almudena Romero Director, Saxum Visitor Center
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
4.2
Visitor Center Staff Almudena Romero DIRECTOR
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
Manuel Cimadevilla BUSINESS MANAGER
Paulina Silva Gabriela Kustner
Elena McCarthy FACILITY AND PROJECT MANAGER
VOLUNTEERS
21
Noelia Rolรณn Isabela Lloveras Joanne Gomes Regina Osuna Hazel Lรณpez Moreno
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
4.3
Holy Land Dialogues
As we are convinced that Holy Land can transform the hearts of all who come here, Saxum Visitor Center organizes a biennial event called Holy Land Dialogues. Holy Land Dialogues is a unique pilgrimage that invites people from all over the world to come to the Holy Land. It combines visits to the Holy Places with enriching academic lectures given by experts, contributing to interreligious and intercultural dialogue in the Holy Land.
About Social Trends Institute The keynote speakers of the HLD lectures are provided by the Social Trends Institute, a center that seeks to make sense of emerging social trends and their effects on contemporary society. The Social Trends Institute is a non-profit research center that offers institutional and financial support to
22
academics of all fields who seek to make sense of emerging social trends and their effects on human communities.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
From February 4-11, the Holy Land welcomed 200 people from 20 different countries -such as China, Brazil, Ecuador, Singapore, Belgium, and Honduras- to participate in the second Holy Land Dialogues (HLD).
The participants of the event were divided into six groups of Spanish, English, and French speakers that came from all over the world. During the week, they enjoyed guided visits to all of the Holy Sites and even a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where they learned local songs. Participants were able to experience HLD alongside the new members of
the board of Saxum Foundation, giving them the chance to share their ideas on how to help Saxum grow. This year, Saxum welcomed distinguished speakers Melanie Phillips, British journalist and author, and R.R. Reno, editor of U.S.-based First Things magazine.
23
The second Holy Land Dialogues was a great success due not only to all that the pilgrims were able to see and experience, but also because of the new friendships that were formed.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
4.4
Further Activities and Communications Department
Saxum hosts first tour guide course On September 3, 2018, one week before the recess for Jewish holidays began, 58 tour guides gathered in the Saxum Visitor Center for a full-day course on the history and spirituality of the road to Emmaus. Yisca Harani, an Israeli expert among tour guides on the history of Christianity, organized the day’s activities in coordination with Saxum, so that tour guides could get to know this new tool for learning about the Holy Land.
At the beginning, Almudena Romero, director of the Visitor Center, welcomed participants, emphasizing that many donors gave to Saxum in order to support professional development courses for tour guides, due to the role they play in helping pilgrims to understand the Holy Places.
24
“58 tour guides gathered in the Saxum Visitor Center for a full-day course on the history and spirituality of the road to Emmaus”
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
Henri Gourinard, academic director of the Polis Institute of Jerusalem, then gave a lecture on the theology and geography of the road to Emmaus, providing an overview of the various historical sites thought to be Emmaus. To conclude the morning, staff of the Visitor Center led tours of the Visitor Center in English and Hebrew for the tour guides.
In the afternoon, Javier Pozas, a freelance lecturer in creativity and innovation, led an informative session about Opus Dei and its role in the Saxum project. Finally, Ms. Harani gave a brief explanation of why Jesus’ encounter with the disciples on the way to Emmaus is important to Christians, explaining its historical and theological context.
25
At the end, the guides offered suggestions on how to improve the Visitor Center, coming from their experience with groups of different faiths and backgrounds. The Saxum Visitor Center hopes that this will only be the first of many courses of professional development for tour guides in the Visitor Center in years to come.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
DURING 2018
6,600 PILGRIMS
DURING 2018 WE WELCOMED MORE THAN 6,600 PILGRIMS IN 706 DIFFERENT GROUPS, COMING FROM THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES:
CAME THROUGH THE VISITOR CENTER
• Spain • United States • Guatemala • Brazil • Mexico • El Salvador • Argentina • Chile • Philippines • Germany • Portugal • Colombia • Uruguay • Ecuador • Australia
• United Kingdom • Peru • France • China • Paraguay • Ukraine • Belgium • Italy • Honduras • Czech Republic • Finland • Canada • Ireland • Kenya • Singapore
After the conclusion of HLD 2018, the operations of the Visitor Center were focused on preparing everything for the official opening of the Visitor Center in February 2019. We launched our new web page, with more information for pilgrims and an online booking 26
• Venezuela • Denmark • Indonesia • Poland • Costa Rica • Bolivia • Austria • New Zealand • Sweden • Switzerland • South Korea • Malta • Hong Kong • Vietnam • Latvia
system, to make it easier for pilgrims to visit the Visitor Center. We are happy to report that although the facilities of the Visitor Center are not yet complete, we still received a total of 6,580 visitors from all over the world in 2018.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
Highlights of visits in 2018: Jerusalem/the Holy Land - Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
- The Heights School, Washington DC - Leonine Young Professionals Forum, Washington DC Spain
- Franciscans from the Custody of the Holy Land
- Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, Barcelona
USA
- Scouts, Albacete
- St. Josemaria Institute, Chicago
- Fundaciรณn Promociรณn Social de la Cultura
- Dr. Scott Hahn, American theologian - The Philos Project, New York City
- IESE Business School - Colegio Mayor Olabidea, Pamplona
27
Others - PAREF Woodrose High School (Philippines) - Panamerican University: Guadalajara (Mexico) We also had the pleasure of receiving many groups of participants this year who were on their way to or from UNIV Congress for university students in Rome, coming from Chile, Guatemala, and Mexico.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
Archbishop Pizzaballa visits the Saxum Visitor Center On Wednesday, June 6, the Saxum Visitor Center received an important visitor: Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The archbishop had previously been at Saxum in November 2016 to preside at the Mass of Thanksgiving for the completion of the construction, which took place during the first Holy Land Dialogues. The archbishop was accompanied by Msgr. Joaquin Paniello, the Vicar
of Opus Dei in Jerusalem, and was given the multimedia tour of the Visitor Center. He enjoyed the interactive screens about the various Holy Sites, commenting on the importance of knowing the history of the Holy Sites well. After the tour, he was informed about the Friends of Saxum program, which encourages people all over the world to come to the Holy Land. He commented that this land helps people discover
28
the humanity of Christ, and about Jerusalem’s uniqueness as a city where people from all churches, religions, and nations can meet and live together. Before he left, he was the first to sign the Visitor Center’s new guestbook, writing that he hopes that many people will be able to encounter Christ through the Visitor Center.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
New video series
It Happened Here In 2017, Saxum Foundation signed an agreement with the production company Digito Identitad (Argentina) and Polis: the Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities to produce a series of videos on the events that happened in the Holy Places. These videos explain the role that Jewish faith played in some of these events and their importance to Christianity. In 2018, we launched the following
videos on the Holy Places, often on the day the Church celebrates the corresponding feast: - The Night of Holy Thursday (the Cenacle, Gethsemane, and St. Peter in Gallicantu) - Pentecost (the Cenacle) - The Transfiguration (Mount Tabor)
29
- All Saints’ Day (Church of the Beatitudes) - Christmas (Bethlehem)
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
News from the Holy Land to the world During 2017, we began a campaign of news that shared information about what goes on in the Holy Land, as well as about Jewish feast days, with our followers on social networks and our newsletter. In 2018, we showed how
Lent, Holy Week, Christmas, the month of the Rosary, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel are celebrated in the Holy Land.
30
We also want to keep our readers close to the Jewish festivities, and published articles on how Pesach and Yom Kippur are celebrated in Israel.
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
First Mass of the feast of St. Josemaria in the Visitor Center
Saturday, June 23 was a joyous occasion for everyone at the Saxum Visitor Center. For the first time, the Mass of the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva (officially celebrated June 26), the founder of Opus Dei, was celebrated in the chapel of the Visitor Center.
The chapel was filled with families from Jerusalem and visiting pilgrims. Before and after the Mass, tours were given of the Saxum Visitor Center, giving many of the local families an opportunity to get to know this new resource about the Holy Places.
Social Networks
Saxum Foundation has accounts on Facebook (Saxum Foundation), Twitter (@saxum_en and @saxum_es), Instagram (@saxumfoundation), in addition to a
monthly newsletter. In 2018 we added a YouTube channel (Saxum Foundation) where the videos of the series “It Happened Here� are available.
31
5. AGREEMENTS AND ECONOMIC DATA
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
Agreements
Polis. The Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities The audio-visual materials of the Visitor Center and the courses for tour guides are offered in collaboration with Polis, the Jerusalem Institute for Languages and Humanities (www.polisjerusalem.org), which specializes in ancient and modern languages and studies of the eastern Mediterranean.
Arguments The collaboration agreement continued this year between Saxum Foundation and the Spanish association Arguments (www.arguments.es) in order to improve the communications department of Saxum. Arguments is made up of a group of young media professionals who, at Saxum, are responsible for telling Saxum’s story across various media platforms via content creation and strategy.
33
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
2018 Financial Summary Saxum Visitor Center
OPERATION COSTS GENERAL EXPENSES TOTAL EXPENSES
DONATIONS OTHER INCOMES
Conference Center
$222,377.80
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
$38,552.48 $260,930.27
PARTICIPANTS WHO RECEIVED GRANTS
$17,792.56 $234,573.57
DEFICIT COVERED BY THE ENDOWMENT
-$26,356.70
716
of whom received a 50% discount: 343 of whom received a 25% discount: 373
$216,781.02
TOTAL INCOME
1,104
TOTAL AMOUNT $253,703.78 OF GRANTS CONCEDED (938,704.00 NIS)
34
THE SAXUM INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION | 2018
We wish to thank all of the people who supported Saxum International Foundation in 2018 through their work, dedication and enthusiasm. Through your efforts, we are able to bring the Holy Land closer to people all over the world.
35
