On the evening of December 16th, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Pierbattista Pizzaballa, inaugurated the Beit Hanina parish’s Christmas tree. Along with several other friars he went to Beit Hanina on this cold evening to demonstrate his attachment to the local Christian community.
Joyfully welcomed by Fra Haitham Yalda, parish vicar, and members of the various youth groups, the Custos reminded everyone of the meaning of this tradition of lighting the tree, a reflection of the light of God in our lives.
Music, song and the Scouts’ parade: the assembled crowd regained that childlike wonder that only Christmas can bestow. The time of sharing ended with a blessing of the tree and the arrival of Father Christmas, who handed out sweets and spent some time with the friars.
Of the 14,000 Christians in the Holy City, some 3,000 live in this town some eight kilometers north of Jerusalem on the Ramallah road.
It was in the 1950s that the Franciscans built a theater here that rapidly became an annex of the main parish in Jerusalem. At the end of the seventies they began work on a residential complex of some fifty apartments to alleviate the always delicate problem of the housing for Christians.
Ever since, the Custody has participated in the life of the local community, not only spiritually, but also where the community lives and meets.
At the beginning of December the parish sports center was inaugurated, the culmination of a group of projects already completed in the parish center over the past five years, allowing the local community to participate in a range of activities.
Watch the Franciscan Media Center’s video of the event. (Click here.)
This is how the Custody carries out its role of service to the “living stones” of the country.
Joyfully welcomed by Fra Haitham Yalda, parish vicar, and members of the various youth groups, the Custos reminded everyone of the meaning of this tradition of lighting the tree, a reflection of the light of God in our lives.
Music, song and the Scouts’ parade: the assembled crowd regained that childlike wonder that only Christmas can bestow. The time of sharing ended with a blessing of the tree and the arrival of Father Christmas, who handed out sweets and spent some time with the friars.
Of the 14,000 Christians in the Holy City, some 3,000 live in this town some eight kilometers north of Jerusalem on the Ramallah road.
It was in the 1950s that the Franciscans built a theater here that rapidly became an annex of the main parish in Jerusalem. At the end of the seventies they began work on a residential complex of some fifty apartments to alleviate the always delicate problem of the housing for Christians.
Ever since, the Custody has participated in the life of the local community, not only spiritually, but also where the community lives and meets.
At the beginning of December the parish sports center was inaugurated, the culmination of a group of projects already completed in the parish center over the past five years, allowing the local community to participate in a range of activities.
Watch the Franciscan Media Center’s video of the event. (Click here.)
This is how the Custody carries out its role of service to the “living stones” of the country.