Once again, the Pasch of the Lord draws near! In our preparation for Easter, God in his providence offers us each year the season of Lent as a “sacramental sign of our conversion”. Lent summons us, and enables us, to come back to the Lord wholeheartedly and in every aspect of our life. With this…
Advent is a time of waiting, the waiting today for the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ in the life of each one of us, in our ecclesial communities, in our parishes, and in our diocese. Waiting in vigilance and prayer, as we constantly reflect on the biblical readings of this liturgical season. It is…
The «Our Lady of Carmel» Association (Carmelites of the Holy Land and Egypt) has recently experienced a moment of grace that we would like to share. The theme of our annual session was «Brothers and sisters of Carmel in the Middle East … to build the fraternity according to St. Teresa and to live it…
Elijah is one of the most famous persons of the Old Testament with Moses. In Arabic, it is called «El Khader», which means the Powerful, the one who always fructifies, who never dies and he is everywhere. The prophet Elijah is appreciated by the fathers of the Church as the model of every prophet, the…
The origin of the procession dates to 1914 (during the First World War). During the month of November, the Ottoman authorities appeared in the Stella Maris monastery (Mount Carmel), notifying the religious men that in three hours they had to leave the monastery, because it was going to be taken up by the Ottoman army.…
Dear brother bishops and priests, Dear brothers and sisters, faithful in all our parishes and religious communities, “Lent is a new beginning, a path leading to the certain goal of Easter, Christ’s victory over death. This season urgently calls us to conversion. Christians are asked to return to God “with all their hearts” (Joel 2:12),…
H.E. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, after consultation with the Bishops Council and the Consultative Council of the Latin Patriarchate, has today nominated Bishop William Shomali as Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan, succeeding Bishop Maroun Lahham who resigned from office last week. The Latin Patriarchate again thanks Bishop Maroun Lahham…
The Holy Land Co-ordination, comprising bishops coming from across Europe, North America and South Africa, established by the Holy See with the aim of visiting and supporting the Holy Land’s local Christian communities, took place last Saturday, January 14, 2017, for its annual visit, until January 19. Below is the program of the five days. Following on…
Following the closure of the Jubilee of Mercy, the Holy Doors in Jerusalem and Nazareth will be closed respectively on December 3 and 9, during Solemn Masses in the Church of All Nations and the Basilica of the Annunciation. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa points out that the Holy Door will also be closed in Anjara in Jordan that together…