Lebanon
Two years after their time in Cambodia, the sisters transferred their relief efforts to Lebanon. Described as "geniuses" who "understand the in’s and out’s of a relief operation" by a CRS spokesperson in a 1982 news article, eight Holy Cross sisters from the "emergency relief" standby team were called to serve in Lebanon (Srs. Mary Clennon and Maureen Grady, for example, served in both conflicts). Trained in humanitarian relief, the sisters helped hospitals, orphanages, and schools all amidst an active war zone.
A multinational conflict: The Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) was a regional war with multinational actors convening in Lebanon in violent confrontation. Situated in a region of the world that had been contentious for the better part of the twentieth century, Lebanon was soon host to Israeli, Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese factions. Each group waged war against the others, fighting over territory and religious differences. Political factions in Lebanon spurred the initial conflict when the Phalange (Christian Democratic) Party attacked a group of Palestinians on a bus. The attack prompted a Syrian invasion to try and restore peace, which then prompted the Israelis to invade.
As the war escalated, more international forces became involved. Situated during the Cold War, the United States contributed to the UN Peacekeeping force sent to provide aid and try to curb some of the fighting. Ultimately, though, an attack on the US embassy and a terrorist attack on the US Marine Corps barracks that took nearly 300 American, French and British lives forced the multinational forces to pull out.
Fighting continued--and the need for relief--only continued. Bombing, shelling, and gunfire in both urban and rural areas of Lebanon displaced thousands of citizens, forcing them to flee the city or the mountains. To continue to address the medical, educational, and social needs of the local populations, various humanitarian organizations worked in Lebanon, including Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
CSC & CRS: Need, Not Creed in Lebanon
In Beirut, what was once an elegant and cosmopolitan city became divided by war, literally. Beirut divided the “green line,” which partitioned the city into East Beirut and West Beirut. While the “green line” was meant to mark clear separation between the Muslims in the West and the Christians in the East, it was not that simple. Religious lines were blurred as the conflict escalated, and crossing from one side of the “green line” to another was a dangerous journey. The Sisters had to cross this line daily. The sisters coordinated foodstuff and emergency aid relief across Lebanon. Despite their own religious commitments, the sisters' commitment to the people they served was guided by "need, not creed." They worked to provide aid to all citizens of Lebanon who were displaced by the effects of the civil war, which included Catholic, Muslim, Druze citizens of Lebanon as well as Palestinian refugees.
Initially, CRS operated three offices: one in Beirut and two in regions north and south of the city. Not immune to the fighting, though, all operations were condensed to the Beirut office once it became too dangerous in the country. Faced daily with shelling, bombing, and rolling blackouts CRS had to frequently relocate their office. CRS personnel (including Holy Cross sister Madeline Therese)were targeted by terrorist groups, and a priest working with CRS was kidnapped for two years. In a letter from from 1982, Sr. Maureen Grady, who was trained as a nurse, recalls an ambulance ride across Beirut as destruction and death surrounded them. A year later, the threat continued as she wrote from a small closet "to protect [her]self from the gunfire which is taking place in the street below." Sr. Maureen elected to extend her service in Lebanon long after the official emergency relief aid ended. Examples from her personal collection of artifacts appear above.