2025 Christmas Solidarity Dinner at Gonzaga Campus

On Thursday, December 18, 2025, the Christmas solidarity dinner will take place at the Gonzaga Campus in support of the education of Palestinian children and our missions.

We are publishing the circular addressed to the entire Gonzaga Campus community.

(students, families, teachers, non-teaching staff, and volunteer instructors, families and athletes of the sports club, alumni, Ignatian associations and groups)

Dearest ,

in this time of Advent, a time of waiting and light, the Gonzaga Campus wishes

renew our commitment to safeguarding and supporting hope, especially where it appears most fragile.

The Christmas Solidarity Dinner was born from this very desire: to transform the time of meeting and sharing into a concrete sign of closeness and responsibility.

One of the most authentic gestures we can make is to not abandon the children and young people who are growing up and studying in lands wounded by pain and injustice. Continuing to believe in them, to support them, and to accompany them means saying, with actions and not just words, that we feel close to them, that we carry them in our hearts, and that we will not forget them.

As an educational community, we want to encourage and support all those children and young people who, through education, continue to believe in a future of humanity and peace: from the children of Kenya to those of Romania, to those currently experiencing the dramatic reality of Palestine.

With this initiative, we wish to reiterate that school is not only a place of learning, but also a space of responsibility, solidarity, and shared hope.

It is for this reason that next Thursday, December 18, 2026, we will renew the beautiful tradition of the Christmas Solidarity Dinner : an event that always sees great participation, during which the entire community comes together to exchange greetings and make a concrete gesture for those most in need .

Evening program

· From 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm: Entertainment for children

This year, too, we'll be paying special attention to younger children, organizing special events for them from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Ages 3-5 (Preschool): entertainment for the little ones (nursery school spaces).

Ages 6-10 (Primary School): entertainment, games, bingo (each child is invited to bring a small gift to be entered into the bingo draw) (preschool spaces).

The children will have dinner with the entertainers.

· 7:00 PM: Testimonials in the auditorium and exhibition inauguration. Meet in the auditorium for the introduction to the evening and testimonials.

Following the inauguration of the exhibition “HeART of Gaza” with drawings by the children of Gaza

· 8:30 PM: Dinner in the canteen

Dinner preparation (dishes and logistics)

We want this moment to be as inclusive as possible, involving first and foremost students, educators, and families, but also all those who work, for the most diverse reasons, within the great family of the Gonzaga Campus (from students to parents, from teachers to non-teaching staff, from instructors to the families of the sports club, from civil service volunteers to those of the school for migrants, from members of Ignatian groups and associations to our friends and relatives...). May this celebration be renewed, where everyone generously contributes with their active participation to a common goal.

This is why we decided to assign each sector the task of dealing with a specific dish:

· Childhood: sweets

· Primary: first courses

· Medium: soft drinks

· High schools: second courses (meat) and side dishes

· International School Palermo: setting up the dining room, setting table linens, receiving the prepared dishes, arranging the dishes on the tables during dinner, and serving the dining room.

All food and drinks must be delivered to the Gonzaga canteen on Thursday, December 18th between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM.

Each parent can arrange with their class representative to communicate how many adults and children will be present for each family and the quantities of the dish they will prepare.

Ticket sales and fundraiser beneficiaries

Tickets are already available for purchase: €5 (for children and teenagers) and €10 (for adults).

Tickets are already available for purchase at the main reception desk. Even those unable to attend can contribute to the cause by purchasing one or more tickets as a token.

The funds raised through everyone's solidarity will be partially channeled into the "Education Fund" and used to support our missions, particularly the future of Palestinian children and youth, also establishing twinning programs between our school and several schools in those territories. In January, we will attempt to host a group of about fifteen Palestinian youth.

This year, we too have something to give. Buying a ticket and preparing something delicious for dinner will be a new way to express our closeness to those who have received less from life.

It will be Christmas for everyone.

Kind regards

p. Vitangelo Carlo Maria Denora SJ

General Manager