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Abstract
On May 17, 2015, Pope Francis canonized two Palestinian women, Sister Marie Alphonsine of Jerusalem (Sultaneh Ghattas, 1843-1927), and Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified of Ibillin in Galilee (Mariam Baouardy, 1846-1878). Marie Alphonsine was the founder of the Congregation of the Rosary Sisters, and Mary of Jesus Crucified was a Sister in the Carmel of Bethlehem. After a brief biography of both, the present article examines their message for the Christians of the Holy Land today. They went beyond the devotional spirituality of their time to live an authentic experience of personal faith and commitment. In the midst of their weakness and poverty, they were witnesses of a true evangelic strength in their personal lives and their apostolate and service, uniting contemplation and action, purified by suffering and hardship. Within a Catholic Church that was, in their time, strongly influenced by the West, they remained genuine Palestinian women, assuming their Arabic heritage, and thus represent in the present context of the Holy land and the Middle East, a prophetic sign of hope for their people.