HIS BEATITUDE THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM AWARDS THE JOPPA SCHOOL GRADUATES WITH THEIR SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATES

On Saturday evening, June 23/ July 6, 2019, His Beatitude our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos awarded the “Archangel Michael” Joppa School Graduates with their School Leaving Certificates. His Beatitude was escorted from Jerusalem by the Most Reverend Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, Dragouman Archimandrite Mattheos, the Patriarchate Representative for the Arab-speaking M.M. Priest Issa Mousleh, Archdeacon Mark, and from Joppa the Most Reverend Archbishop Damascene of Joppa and the Priest of Joppa Fr. Constantine.

The Graduation Ceremony was well organized and took place at the School building which belongs to the Patriarchate well before 1948. The building was used for a while by the Israeli army but has again been returned to the Patriarchate.

The Graduation ceremony included a parade of the seven School Graduates, each one escorted by their mother, the address of the Manageress of the School Mrs. Natzla Hanhan, who stressed the good education offered to the School students, which enables them to continue their higher education and have a good career, and also mentioned the material and moral support of the Patriarchate to the School. The ceremony also included addresses from the School students, one in Arabic, one in English and one in Hebrew. In the, the students thanked their teachers and parents for their twelve-year support in their education.

The ceremony also included Arabic dances and traditional Arabic songs, bouquet offering to the students’ mothers, honorary distinction to the teachers who showed professional educational consciousness in their work, handing over the baton to the final year high school students of the next school year and raising the flag of the School.

The ceremony came to an end with the address of H.H.B. read by Presbyter Father Issa Mousleh, accompanied by a financial offer to the School and was sealed by the award of the title to each one of the Graduates with the wishes “congratulations,” “good luck”, “good career”.

From Secretariat-General