Vatican Turns to Kentuckian for Holy Land Project

KENTUCKY - A $100 million complex under construction in Israel’s Holy Land will let a million worshippers from around the world trace the steps of Jesus each year. And one Northern Kentucky businessman is helping bring that project to life. Bob Gebbie of Erlanger’s Natural Bridge Group was recruited by an order of the Catholic Church to help bridge a $70 million financing gap for the Magdala Center on the Sea of Galilee. The Vatican-endorsed project is considered one of the Church’s most significant investments in the Middle East in recent history, incorporating ruins from one of only seven known first century synagogues with a hotel, worship and meeting complex open to Christian, Jewish and Muslim visitors from around the world. Gebbie’s business experience made him a good choice to manage the Church’s fundraising in the United States. “I’m not a Catholic, but there has always been an attraction to the good works of the Church,” Gebbie said. [Source:Cincinnati Enquirer]