On Sunday, the 18th of March, the eve of the day devoted to Saint Joseph, the solemnity will be celebrated in Nazareth with the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, as principal celebrant of the Mass.
Just a few steps from the Basilica of the Annunciation in this Galilean town, stands the church dedicated to the saint: A sanctuary built by the Franciscans upon the foundations of one of the oldest Crusader churches at the beginning of the twentieth century. A site venerated since the origins of Christian Era, already a place of worship for the first Judeo-Christians, and later the Byzantine Christians. Archaeological excavations here have uncovered findings linked to the ancient, first century village, and according to tradition this is the place where Mary's husband lived and worked.
The local community and pilgrims will gather in this church at 5:00 p.m. (Holy Land time) for the Solemn Mass, but it will be possible to join them even from a distance, thanks to the live broadcast of the celebration by the Franciscan Media Center, the television center of the Custody of the Holy Land.
The celebration will be transmitted by the Lebanese channel Tele Lumiere, the Italian channel TV2000 (at 4:00 p.m. Italy time), and by live streaming on the Internet site of the Brazilian channel Cancao Nova (www.cancaonova.com).
Just a few steps from the Basilica of the Annunciation in this Galilean town, stands the church dedicated to the saint: A sanctuary built by the Franciscans upon the foundations of one of the oldest Crusader churches at the beginning of the twentieth century. A site venerated since the origins of Christian Era, already a place of worship for the first Judeo-Christians, and later the Byzantine Christians. Archaeological excavations here have uncovered findings linked to the ancient, first century village, and according to tradition this is the place where Mary's husband lived and worked.
The local community and pilgrims will gather in this church at 5:00 p.m. (Holy Land time) for the Solemn Mass, but it will be possible to join them even from a distance, thanks to the live broadcast of the celebration by the Franciscan Media Center, the television center of the Custody of the Holy Land.
The celebration will be transmitted by the Lebanese channel Tele Lumiere, the Italian channel TV2000 (at 4:00 p.m. Italy time), and by live streaming on the Internet site of the Brazilian channel Cancao Nova (www.cancaonova.com).