“What are you doing? So come! I’m telling you, it’s magnificent! Join us!" Before the inauguration even began the doors of the new parish center were open. The Legion of Mary ladies, like an unending column of worker aunts, streamed in bringing all the dishes they had prepared for the buffet. Curious passers-by took advantage of the open doors to pay a visit. And they didn’t come out. Someone is hanging over the telephone, rounding up his friends. "Come! You won’t believe your eyes!"
Close to 700 people, if not more, came and did not believe their eyes. Nazareth’s new parish center is splendid. "It’s magnificent! It’s too much! Really, we thank the Holy Father, all the German Christians and the Custody."
"For a long time now, the Latin parish of Nazareth has been waiting for this Catholic Action center. This, the largest Latin parish in the Middle East, had only a large but inadequate parish house for its 7000 faithful. The Terra Santa School filled some of the needs, but without being able to offer all the facilities of the new center," explains the pastor of the parish, Father Amjad Sabbara..
As noted in the speeches, the parish and its two last pastors, Fathers Arturo Vasaturo and Maroun Younan, had desired and worked for the center; the Custody provided the land and ordered the plans. All that remained were two not insignificant points: the construction permits, which the Mayor of Nazareth, Mr. Ramez Jaraisy worked hard to obtain - not at all self-evident - and the money… more than a million and half euros… Virtually the entire amount was the generous joint gift of the German faithful and Holy Father Benedict XVI. The former took up a collection during the pope’s visit to Germany; the latter, having received a gift from his countrymen, immediately thought of giving it away and specifically wanted this money to come to the Holy Land Christians who live in Israel. Thus it was that one million euros were made available to this project and given to the Custos in December, 2006.
When a delegation of German bishops came to lay the first stone in February, 2007 , knowing that the million would not cover the entire project, they brought another gift of almost 300,000 Euros. The Custody, which is responsible for the Nazareth parish, gave the rest. But the Christians of Nazareth also had a deep desire to participate. They collected 200,000 shekels (40,000 Euros), which allowed the purchase of high tech sports equipment.
"I hope the Pope will come to visit his center," exclaimed an enthusiastic parishioner. In the meantime, his photo makes him very present to the deeply grateful thoughts of the people crowding in. For it had not been necessary to call people on the phone: people were already there. They had arrived very early and were already impatient. Men, women and children, religious borthers and sisters - they came to be with the Custos of the Holy Land for the inauguration.
As for the Custos… He was in the car already on the way to Nazareth when he learned that his presence was required for an important meeting with the president of the Palestinian Authority in Bethlehem that very evening. He was replaced, therefore, by the General Administrator of the Custody, Father Dobromir Jasztal. The Greek Catholic bishop for the Galilee, Msgr. Elias Chacour also made sure to attend. For the parish center will be open to all Christians of all denominations, as is already the case with the one in Bethlehem. As a minority within a minority, Christians in both the Galilee and the Palestinian Territories favor joint undertakings.
Msgr. Elias Chacour, moreover, played an active role in the inauguration ceremony. After Father Dobromir said the prayers of benediction and the assembly recited the Our Father with the parish priest, Father Amjad, and the mayor, they cut the ribbon, officially opening the center. While Father Dobromir began the blessings of each room- and they are many - the crowd moved to the auditorium for the speeches. The hall was so full that people were looking in at the windows and listening at the doors. And the crowd was radiant with joy. No one was forgotten in the thank-yous, and especially not the Holy Father, always present in his photo.
The center still needs to be furnished, and then it will very quickly start to house all kinds of groups of all ages for spiritual, as well as human and artistic, formation. "It is important for our young people to have a place to gather and be together in the best conditions," explained Father Amjad. “The Nazareth parish is very active, and at the end of this year we are launching a new group, the Mary of Nazareth Fraternity, for the spiritual accompaniment of young couples. Newly married, they will have monthly meetings modeled after the Notre Dame groups. We already number three fraternities, thirty couples. There is also the Baby Jesus School and for the older ones, the Little Flowers of Saint Francis. Christianity here is very much alive and is growing in numbers," he continued.
Challenges are not lacking for these Christian Palestinian Arabs of Israeli nationality, as they call themselves. The new parish center will be a witness to their ability to live and protect this multifaceted identity in joy and faith.
MAB
Close to 700 people, if not more, came and did not believe their eyes. Nazareth’s new parish center is splendid. "It’s magnificent! It’s too much! Really, we thank the Holy Father, all the German Christians and the Custody."
"For a long time now, the Latin parish of Nazareth has been waiting for this Catholic Action center. This, the largest Latin parish in the Middle East, had only a large but inadequate parish house for its 7000 faithful. The Terra Santa School filled some of the needs, but without being able to offer all the facilities of the new center," explains the pastor of the parish, Father Amjad Sabbara..
As noted in the speeches, the parish and its two last pastors, Fathers Arturo Vasaturo and Maroun Younan, had desired and worked for the center; the Custody provided the land and ordered the plans. All that remained were two not insignificant points: the construction permits, which the Mayor of Nazareth, Mr. Ramez Jaraisy worked hard to obtain - not at all self-evident - and the money… more than a million and half euros… Virtually the entire amount was the generous joint gift of the German faithful and Holy Father Benedict XVI. The former took up a collection during the pope’s visit to Germany; the latter, having received a gift from his countrymen, immediately thought of giving it away and specifically wanted this money to come to the Holy Land Christians who live in Israel. Thus it was that one million euros were made available to this project and given to the Custos in December, 2006.
When a delegation of German bishops came to lay the first stone in February, 2007 , knowing that the million would not cover the entire project, they brought another gift of almost 300,000 Euros. The Custody, which is responsible for the Nazareth parish, gave the rest. But the Christians of Nazareth also had a deep desire to participate. They collected 200,000 shekels (40,000 Euros), which allowed the purchase of high tech sports equipment.
"I hope the Pope will come to visit his center," exclaimed an enthusiastic parishioner. In the meantime, his photo makes him very present to the deeply grateful thoughts of the people crowding in. For it had not been necessary to call people on the phone: people were already there. They had arrived very early and were already impatient. Men, women and children, religious borthers and sisters - they came to be with the Custos of the Holy Land for the inauguration.
As for the Custos… He was in the car already on the way to Nazareth when he learned that his presence was required for an important meeting with the president of the Palestinian Authority in Bethlehem that very evening. He was replaced, therefore, by the General Administrator of the Custody, Father Dobromir Jasztal. The Greek Catholic bishop for the Galilee, Msgr. Elias Chacour also made sure to attend. For the parish center will be open to all Christians of all denominations, as is already the case with the one in Bethlehem. As a minority within a minority, Christians in both the Galilee and the Palestinian Territories favor joint undertakings.
Msgr. Elias Chacour, moreover, played an active role in the inauguration ceremony. After Father Dobromir said the prayers of benediction and the assembly recited the Our Father with the parish priest, Father Amjad, and the mayor, they cut the ribbon, officially opening the center. While Father Dobromir began the blessings of each room- and they are many - the crowd moved to the auditorium for the speeches. The hall was so full that people were looking in at the windows and listening at the doors. And the crowd was radiant with joy. No one was forgotten in the thank-yous, and especially not the Holy Father, always present in his photo.
The center still needs to be furnished, and then it will very quickly start to house all kinds of groups of all ages for spiritual, as well as human and artistic, formation. "It is important for our young people to have a place to gather and be together in the best conditions," explained Father Amjad. “The Nazareth parish is very active, and at the end of this year we are launching a new group, the Mary of Nazareth Fraternity, for the spiritual accompaniment of young couples. Newly married, they will have monthly meetings modeled after the Notre Dame groups. We already number three fraternities, thirty couples. There is also the Baby Jesus School and for the older ones, the Little Flowers of Saint Francis. Christianity here is very much alive and is growing in numbers," he continued.
Challenges are not lacking for these Christian Palestinian Arabs of Israeli nationality, as they call themselves. The new parish center will be a witness to their ability to live and protect this multifaceted identity in joy and faith.
MAB