The Latroun Olive Grove
It all started with a fire...
On April 30, 2025, one of the largest fires in Israel’s history burned through more than 2000 hectares of natural land in the Holy Land. The Monastery of Our Lady of Latroun stood at the center of the disaster.
Thanks to the relentless efforts of the firefighters, the buildings were spared — but the surrounding environment, including the monastery’s olive groves, vineyards, and cedar woods, was severely damaged. Faced with this ecological trial, the monks chose to respond with courage and hope.
Immediate Response
When the monks saw the damage the fire had caused to the environment, they reacted right away — all while continuing their life of prayer. With the help of friends using a drone to survey the area, they assessed the extent of the destruction: out of 5,000 olive trees spread over 30 hectares, 4,000 were affected. A thousand century-old trees were burned down to the roots, and 3,000 had their branches completely scorched.
Brother Martin didn’t waste a moment. With the support of many local volunteers who came to help, he took up chainsaws and white tree paint, determined to save as many trees as possible. The team worked tirelessly, cutting back the burned parts and leaving only the trunks — the hill soon turned white as they advanced through the grove. But the hardest part was still ahead…
Thinking Long-Term
After the pruning and whitewashing, Brother M. Martin decided it was best to start watering the trees earlier than usual. The challenge was immense — the entire irrigation system had either melted in the fire or been damaged beyond use.
Together with Father M. Aloïs and Father M. Daniel, he decided to invest in a temporary watering system: a makeshift setup of flat hoses connected to a pump and a high-capacity sprinkler. For four months, they moved it around the property twice a day.
Their efforts paid off — new shoots and branches began to appear. Now, a more permanent irrigation system needs to be installed, and the trees will require ongoing care for the next four years until their trunks regain their full canopy.
Act — With Us, Now, for the Future
Now is the time to act. Ensuring that the olive trees take root again means restoring a stable environmental balance across 30 hectares of Holy Land — for generations to come. Olive trees have always been, and still are, a symbol of peace and renewal.
For the monks of Latroun, this is a powerful message to the local community: it shows that, strengthened by prayer, it is possible — together — to build something lasting.
Without your support, this would not be possible. Be a bearer of peace in this unique land which, despite the turmoil of the world, saw the birth of true Love: Christ Jesus, who taught us to love our neighbor as He has loved us.
Why 1,000 trees?
4,000 trees need special care to come back to life in the Latroun olive grove.
This requires a major investment, which the abbey will partly cover. However, it cannot bear the full cost alone. An additional €200,000 is needed to revive the olive grove without putting extra strain on the abbey’s other essential activities.
€200,000?
That’s the estimated cost to reinstall the irrigation system across 30 hectares — recent evaluations put the expense at around €5,000 per hectare, bringing the total to about €150,000.
The remaining €50,000 will cover part of the maintenance of the trees and soil over the four years during which there will be no olive production. This support will also allow us to continue employing up to five Palestinian workers and to help them earn a decent living.
Why sponsor 1,000 trees and not 4,000?
We decided to set the challenge at 1,000 people, each sponsoring one tree for at least €200.
€200,000 isn’t enough to fully develop the olive grove, but it’s enough to restore it and bring it back to life. If we reach the goal of 1,000 sponsored trees, we’ll know the olive grove can be saved.
That’s the main challenge — and the mission — for all our sponsors.
€200?
Sponsoring an olive tree in the Holy Land with a donation of €200 covers the cost of caring for one tree over the next four years — a period without any income from the olive harvest. This amount is calculated based on the 5,000 trees in our olive grove.
It may seem like a significant figure, but it represents all the investments needed in the coming years to restore the olive trees and once again produce Latroun’s olive oil.
The challenge of the 1,000 trees includes irrigation and maintenance. It also involves restoring access paths, protecting the land, upgrading the oil press, and planting new olive trees.