This article is for Catholics and others who want to know about forgiveness instruction, facilitation, and training and how that is being provided in Palestine by a Secular Franciscan in Minnesota. The article directs readers to another recent article I wrote for Central Minnesota Catholic explaining my work with a Catholic Relief Services humanitarian aid and redevelopment officer in Palestine to train them in the REACH forgiveness model and process promoted by the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. Readers are provided a link to the article in Central Minnesota Catholic.
“It’s late in the evening in in Al-Bireh, a city in Palestine about nine miles north of Jerusalem. High rise apartment buildings are immersed in an uneasy darkness again as mothers check on their sleeping children. Mays Astal, a Resiliency Field Officer with Catholic Relief Services in Palestine, takes a seat in front of her computer screen and logs into an online meeting. In seconds, a friendly face from almost half a world away appears on her screen. They exchange the greetings that instantaneously make the world a smaller place where peace is possible through the power of forgiveness.”
That’s the beginning of the article I recently authored in the Central Minnesota Catholic that explains my work with a Catholic Relief Services humanitarian aid and redevelopment officer in Palestine to train them in the REACH forgiveness model and process promoted by the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. You can access the full article here: https://thecentralminnesotacatholic.org/minnesota-franciscan-and-a-palestinian-humanitarian-build-peace-one-conversation-at-a-time/
This article is an original work of the author and was not composed by or with artificial intelligence (AI). The author is solely responsible for the contents of this article and the opinions and perspectives expressed in the article are solely those of the author.. © 2026 Thomas Delaney. All rights reserved.
Top photo: Displacement of Gaza Strip Residents, Jaber Jehad Badwan, 2025
If your parish or faith community is seeking a deeper experience of wellness, forgiveness, inner renewal and spiritual growth, Live and Forgive is here to help. To begin the conversation, email Live and Forgive presenter and facilitator Tom Delaney at tom@liveandforgive.com — he will be glad to connect with you for a conversation.
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