Father Marwan Di’des, ofm, formerly head of the Holy Land School and recently also appointed parish priest of the Latin community of Bethlehem, wants to get the new parish mission and the new pastoral year off to a good start, together with all the parish operators and the representatives of the social and cultural operative centres of the Custody in Bethlehem. The response was quick to come. Many answered the invitation with great enthusiasm to work for Bethlehem and its inhabitants and in particular with the spirit of strengthening the presence of the Franciscans in the city of the Nativity. In addition to the parish priest accompanied by the two young deputy parish priests, Fr. Aitham Yalda, ofm, already deputy parish priest, and Fr. Rami Asakrieh, ofm, formerly responsible for vocations, at the meeting held at the Holy Land School on Friday 17th September, there were about seventy people, including the boards of Catholic Action and the Antonian Society, representatives from the Franciscan prayer groups, the Tertiaries, Youth Groups, the Scouts, the Catechists, the Choir and social operators from the Franciscan Centre for the Family and from the Parish Caritas. It was a day of intense and work and with great participation, with Father Marwan in the first part explaining to the attendees the pastoral indications through a detailed study of the Gospel of Matthew 18, 1-10 on Life in the Church and the active role of lay people. After a simple convivial lunch, the work continues with Dr. Jaan Kattan, who first worked to bring out the difficulties in the various places of work and then brought out the need for a shared work of communion, between all the parish bodies. With a busy programme that extended until the late afternoon, for the first time the parish operators were summoned to be real protagonists of parish life, to be part of a single work at the service of the Church of Bethlehem.
Latin Parish of St. Catherine - Bethlehem “Life in the Church” –Meeting of the parish pastoral operators;
PROGRAMME
9.00 a.m. Welcome and opening prayer
9.30 a.m. Father Marwan Di’des, ofm – Spiritual reflection
10.15 a.m. Pause and moment of personal exchange
10.30 a.m. Work groups and return for exchange in the meeting
12.00 noon Celebration of Holy Mass
1.00 p.m. Fraternal table and a short rest
2.30 p.m. Dr. Jaan Kattan - “From ideas to common planning” Good practices for a work of communion and sharing
3.15 p.m. Work groups
4.15 p.m. Pause and moment of personal exchange
4.30 p.m. Reading of the group works in the meeting
6.30 p.m. Father Marwan Di’des, ofm – conclusion and closing prayer
Latin Parish of St. Catherine - Bethlehem “Life in the Church” –Meeting of the parish pastoral operators;
PROGRAMME
9.00 a.m. Welcome and opening prayer
9.30 a.m. Father Marwan Di’des, ofm – Spiritual reflection
10.15 a.m. Pause and moment of personal exchange
10.30 a.m. Work groups and return for exchange in the meeting
12.00 noon Celebration of Holy Mass
1.00 p.m. Fraternal table and a short rest
2.30 p.m. Dr. Jaan Kattan - “From ideas to common planning” Good practices for a work of communion and sharing
3.15 p.m. Work groups
4.15 p.m. Pause and moment of personal exchange
4.30 p.m. Reading of the group works in the meeting
6.30 p.m. Father Marwan Di’des, ofm – conclusion and closing prayer