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Volunteer

To help us carry out our mission of welcoming people to the House of Abraham, we invite volunteers from all over the world who would like to help welcome pilgrims, tourists, groups and associations and contribute to the smooth running of the house.

All the visitors to the House of Abraham say : “The volunteers, the presence of the sisters and the view make the place feel extremely good”. Through their smiles, service, commitment and dynamism they bring life and joy within these walls that make visitors come back so often.

Joining the House of Abraham is a way to support peace by experiencing an adventure of service in the Holy Land and of shared life within a very diverse team. Such an experience allows you to discover Jerusalem in a different way, to meet visitors and pilgrims of all spiritual convictions, ages and nationalities, and to live a strong time with the other volunteers and staff of the House.

The conditions

  • Be between 24 and 72 years old
  • Be in good physical and mental shape
  • Understand and speak French – ideally with some knowledge of English
  • Be available and willing to volunteer to serve visitors from all walks of life
  • Be willing to change tasks if needed, and to help each other
  • Be open and prepared to listen to others and adapt to personalities and cultures different from your own
  • Have the desire to be part of a team and contribute to its smooth operation
  • Respect the rules and schedules


The volunteer’s commitment

Volunteers give one month of their time to the House of Abraham. During this time together, they spend 7 hours a day in service (welcoming visitors, serving tables, maintaining the house and the outside spaces, etc.), so a total of 35 hours a week. 

Volunteers have two days off per week :

  • One day in the week
  • Sunday after breakfast service (7am-9am), with a return before 6:30pm to have dinner as a team and help with the evening service

Work and meal times, as well as job assignments, must be respected.

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VOLUNTEERING APPLICATION FORM

Accommodation

Volunteers live in the “Volunteer House” in single or double rooms with private toilets and showers. This house also has a small living room for rest periods, a library and a small kitchen. The House of Abraham provides all meals for the volunteers. On days off, it is possible to ask the cooks in advance for a packed lunch for a da’s excursion. All other expenses are covered by the volunteers. The cost of transportation to the House of Abraham from home (plane, cab…) can be the object of a procedure of abandonment of expenses to the Secours Catholique – Caritas France, that is to say the equivalent of a tax-deductible donation at 75% for taxable persons in France. 

TASKS

  • In the morning, the volunteers manage the breakfast and then work on the general
    maintenance of the house: cleaning of the interior and exterior spaces, laundry, gardening, cleaning…
  • At meal times, volunteers serve the visitors’s tables and wash the dishes.
  • Five times a week, each volunteer staffs the front desk for one and a half to two hour slots.
We feel good at the House of Abraham, we are so well received that we feel like a family, a true "family of the heart". We have shared so many beautiful things: the pleasure of living together, the solidarity work, the laughter, the joy, the prayers, the discussions with Father Alexandre, the youth of the volunteers...
Marie-ChristineVolunteer
On my return, and like the previous time, I realize that my experience was very strong but is "not relatable", even for my loved ones: they do not realize what I lived because words can not account for it. The richness of this experience comes from the encounters I had, much more than from the "old stones"; or even the splendid landscapes. A month of living together (working, laughing, discovering, praying) with the group creates stronger bonds and indelible memories...
ClaudeVolunteer
For me it is a real pilgrimage that links the process of seeing the places and being in Christian community. The team of October was for me companions of Emmaus
ThierryVolunteer
Sometimes at the House of Abraham we welcome pilgrims from the Saint Laurent Network. These pilgrims know in the course of their daily life, situations of fragility, of precariousness. Some are dented and follow lives of hardship. What a joy it is to welcome them into our home and put them in their own room when they arrive. A happiness that can be read on their faces, that can be seen in their eyes, and that can be heard through a "All this for us!"t; I admit that emotion sometimes overcomes me: what happiness for them to live this parenthesis in Jerusalem..
AndréVolunteer
The word of a gardener. At Abraham's House, the volunteer becomes a gardener... It is his job to maintain the plots of flowers, aromatic plants, shrubs and succulents. In this garden, you can hear turtle doves and crows; you can see people coming and going while waving. There are others who make a little chat: snippets of life, emotions, sensations that come to us. There are still others who meditate, who pray in the distance towards the olive and lemon trees. This Garden of Eden offers us an unobstructed view to the west, of the walls of Jerusalem, and to the east, of Palestine. What a wonder!
CatherineVolunteer
The presence of the volunteers means above all a warm smile every morning at breakfast and a source of advice, both of which make you feel quickly at home!
InesHouse Guest
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VOLUNTEERING GALLERY

Ready to get involved and work with us?

Do you recognize yourself in these lines and are you ready to live this experience?

To apply as a volunteer and learn more about volunteer opportunities, please fill out the form below so that we can review your application in committee. 
You can also write directly to the following email address : benevoles.maisonabraham@secours-catholique.org
We will contact you to get to know you better and discuss how we can work together.

Volunteering Application FORM