Holy Father,
May the Lord give you His peace!
I am writing these few lines to you to express the deep gratitude of all the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, of our Commissars and my personal gratitude for your presence at the celebrations of the sixth centenary of the establishment of the Commissars of the Holy Land on 14 February 1421 by Pope Martin V, of venerated memory, with your signed Message which you sent us through your Secretary’s office.
The service of the Commissars of the Holy Land is still precious for us today and, in many ways, is irreplaceable: in making the Holy Land and its re-ality, as well as the Custody and its countless fields of service, known; in encouraging, organizing and accompanying groups of pilgrims to visit the Holy Places; in promoting the annual “Colletta pro Terra Sancta” and other forms of economic support for our mission; and in fostering vocations in the service of the Holy Land.
On the morning of 15 February 2021 at 6.30 a.m. Jerusalem time, we will be celebrating the Eucharist of thanks for these 600 years of service of the Commissars of the Holy Land and in memory of all the benefactors, at the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre. On that occasion, I will also read the signed message that you have so kindly sent and we will pray in a special way for you and for your ministry, so that the Resurrected Lord may make your mission for the unity and fraternity between peoples, between believers of the various religions, between Christians of the various confessions and between individuals, fertile. This announcement and this ministry have their origin in the Paschal mystery.
We thank you most sincerely for your words of confirmation and encouragement. Thank you for your support and for your blessing. We also thank you for all the support that you give us through the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and its Prefect, His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Sandri.
Expressing all our gratitude to you, we wish to show you once again our filial affection and our obedience with our most devoted feelings.
Fr. Francesco PATTON OFM
Custos of the Holy Land
Fr. Marco CARRARA OFM
Secretary of the Holy Land