Father Frans van der Lugt was a Dutch Jesuit priest with a big spirit and an even bigger impact on Syrians.

Throughout his 50+ years in Syria, he managed to unite Syrians of all classes, backgrounds, and religions under his umbrella of acceptance and love.

During the hundreds of spiritual retreats he led around the nature of Syria, he was known for his constantly ringing slogan: “Onwards!” encouraging those who walked with him to keep going no matter the obstacles.

Father Frans was martyred in 2014 when gunmen executed him in the streets of Homs, Syria. Father Frans had refused to leave his people behind during the war.

The members of Project Onwards hope to keep his spirit alive in our work and inspire the same optimism in Syria that Frans once espoused. We hope to carry forward his message and restore Syria to the one he fell in love with.

Onwards.