What's it all about?
Della Shenton set up 5th Gospel Retreats in 2006 as a not-for-profit company in solidarity with Palestinian Christians and with all who are working for justice and peace in the Holy Land.
5GR manifests solidarity in two principal ways:
Going out...
- By taking Christians to the Holy Land to experience the 5th Gospel in an unhurried, contemplative and reflective fashion, allowing pilgrims to ask the questions and to decide for themselves the relevance of Christ's message to the world. At the same time giving witness by their presence and their prayers that the Christians of the Holy Land have not been abandoned.
And bringing back...
- By importing a range of Palestinian products to the UK to sell to those who cannot themselves come to the Holy Land but who wish to give their support in a tangible way by providing employment and protecting the livelihoods of farmers, craftsmen and women.
Della Shenton is a Pastoral Liturgist in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth and a member of the Diocesan Liturgy Commission. She studied Spirituality and Theology at Cambridge University, at Heythrop College, London and at St Mary's, Strawberry Hill and has a Master's Degree in Pastoral Theology. 
Della is Company Accountant for a small shipyard in Cornwall, home to three tall ships.
After a gap of ten years, Della returned to Bethlehem in 2005 to see for herself the current situation and to learn from Palestinian Christians what message they most wanted the world to hear. "Please do not abandon us, we feel terribly alone" was the unanimous answer, whether from senior church leaders, teachers or parishioners of all ages. See Della's article "Go now to Bethlehem" published in The Tablet
Della's response was to set up 5th Gospel Retreats. To support the work she draws upon several follow-up research visits to the Holy Land in the past two years and the unstintingly generous help, wisdom and insights of her network of friends and experienced contacts in the Holy Land, the UK and the USA. Follow the link here for an article about 5th Gospel Retreats published by Bethlehem University