As every year, the Franciscans, guardians of the Holy Sepulchre, made a display of all the splendour of the liturgy to welcome the celebrations of Corpus Christi to the Basilica of the Resurrection.
On the eve of the feast-day, they opened the doors to Mons. Shomali, representing the Patriarch, for a solemn entrance followed by vespers and the solemn daily procession.
This was the occasion for Mons. William Shomali, who was consecrated bishop last week, to preside his first pontifical offices at the Holy Sepulchre. Some seminarians accompanied him and together they returned to the Patriarch escorted by the Kawas whilst the Franciscans remained to continue prayer with the office of Compline.
During the night, the Franciscans were again – as every day of the year – on night watch to bathe the site in prayer as at half past midnight the Custodial Vicar, Fr. Artemio Vítores, presided the office of readings which was celebrated, for this major solemnity, in front of the Empty Tomb.
Once again, on the feast day, the Franciscans went to the Patriarchate to fetch Mons. Shomali to invite him to come and celebrate the Pontifical Mass. Many priests had gone directly to the basilica on the invitation of the Assembly of the Ordinaries of the Holy Land who wanted this celebration of the Feast of the Holy Sacrament to mark the end of the Year of Priests in Jerusalem. There were about one hundred priests who were able to concelebrate and hear the words of the sermon by Mons. Shomali, who summed up the priest’s mission in three points : “The priest is the man of the Word of God who, announcing it, shares it with his brothers. Then he is the man of sanctification and lastly he is the shepherd of his flock.”
The many priests were joined by many of the local faithful and some pilgrims including a German group in whose midst there was the Laupheimer Singkreis choir, conducted by Ludwig Schwedes. This choir performed the songs of the Mass they had learned for the occasion, adding here and there some pieces from their repertoire which merely made the praise all the more beautiful. Singing in the Holy Sepulchre was for some of the members of the choir not a performance but a moving act of faith.
A the end of the Mass, the solemn procession of the Holy Sacrament which went around the shrine three times, then stopped again at the altar of the apparition to Mary Magdalene and at the last station in the chapel of the apparition to the Virgin Mary, added to the solemnity of the day.
When the procession of the friars escorting Mons. Shomali and his entourage back to the Patriarch left, the Holy Sepulchre was returned to tourists and pilgrims, to the great joy of those who at last wanted to reach the Tomb.
Mab
On the eve of the feast-day, they opened the doors to Mons. Shomali, representing the Patriarch, for a solemn entrance followed by vespers and the solemn daily procession.
This was the occasion for Mons. William Shomali, who was consecrated bishop last week, to preside his first pontifical offices at the Holy Sepulchre. Some seminarians accompanied him and together they returned to the Patriarch escorted by the Kawas whilst the Franciscans remained to continue prayer with the office of Compline.
During the night, the Franciscans were again – as every day of the year – on night watch to bathe the site in prayer as at half past midnight the Custodial Vicar, Fr. Artemio Vítores, presided the office of readings which was celebrated, for this major solemnity, in front of the Empty Tomb.
Once again, on the feast day, the Franciscans went to the Patriarchate to fetch Mons. Shomali to invite him to come and celebrate the Pontifical Mass. Many priests had gone directly to the basilica on the invitation of the Assembly of the Ordinaries of the Holy Land who wanted this celebration of the Feast of the Holy Sacrament to mark the end of the Year of Priests in Jerusalem. There were about one hundred priests who were able to concelebrate and hear the words of the sermon by Mons. Shomali, who summed up the priest’s mission in three points : “The priest is the man of the Word of God who, announcing it, shares it with his brothers. Then he is the man of sanctification and lastly he is the shepherd of his flock.”
The many priests were joined by many of the local faithful and some pilgrims including a German group in whose midst there was the Laupheimer Singkreis choir, conducted by Ludwig Schwedes. This choir performed the songs of the Mass they had learned for the occasion, adding here and there some pieces from their repertoire which merely made the praise all the more beautiful. Singing in the Holy Sepulchre was for some of the members of the choir not a performance but a moving act of faith.
A the end of the Mass, the solemn procession of the Holy Sacrament which went around the shrine three times, then stopped again at the altar of the apparition to Mary Magdalene and at the last station in the chapel of the apparition to the Virgin Mary, added to the solemnity of the day.
When the procession of the friars escorting Mons. Shomali and his entourage back to the Patriarch left, the Holy Sepulchre was returned to tourists and pilgrims, to the great joy of those who at last wanted to reach the Tomb.
Mab