The images of Christmas night will be seen all over the world. The Mass of Midnight, celebrated in this holy place, symbolises the feast of the Nativity of Jesus.
That is why the eyes and hearts of Christians all over the world are fixed on Bethlehem. The joy of Christmas has not waited for midnight in order to be echoed along all the streets of the old city of David.
The day of 24th December is a festive day at Bethlehem. At 9 in the morning the bugles of the Scouts can be heard in the streets of the town, journalists roam everywhere in the hope of taking the best shots and in search of interviews, TV crews and technicians work round the clock to make the last preparations in the Franciscan church of Saint Catherine. The pilgrims gather in silent prayer in the Grotto at all times of the day, and this gives the day its atmosphere of intense prayer. Among the pilgrims there is an Albanian, Isabella, who did not find a room in a hotel, and thus had to sleep in the lobby of Casa Nova. After the vigil, she prayed in the church and in the morning she was still there kneeling down. She cannot find the words in Italian to express her inner joy, but her face is radiant with peace. Thanks to her faith, she has managed to obtain the ticket with which she can enter to participate at the Pontifical Mass, and she plans to continue her prayer by taking part in the early morning Masses in the Grotto.
Manger Square is full of people who gather just after midday, when the Patriarch Fouad Twal, preceded by the Scouts and by an imposing car-cade, arrives at 3 in the afternoon. The corteo had left Jerusalem one and a half hours before, and arrived at a very slow pace, after having stopped at the monastery of Saint Elias, which marks the beginning of the built-up area of Bethlehem, passing then in front of Rachael’s tomb, and continuing along the same way of the ancient patriarchs.
This year the many groups of Scouts created a hitch in the timeframe of the programme. They started moving at the usual hour, beginning from the Catholic Action centre. But they were in all 23 groups, coming from the West Bank and Jaffa, who marced along the narrow alleyways of the old town of Bethlehem. The Patriarch’s car was blocked in the heart of Bethlehem with about 200 cars that precede the corteo. In the square, the seminarians of the Latin Patriarchate and the Franciscan friars waited patiently in the chilly wind, but also in the sunshine.
When the Patriarch arrived in the Church square, he was welcomed by the parish priest of Bethlehem, Fr. Samuel Fahim, by the mayor, Doctor Victor Batarseh, by the civil and military authorities, and in front of the Door of Humility, by the Guardian of the Franciscans, Fr. Jerzy Kraj, who presided over the liturgy of welcome.
The Vespers celebrated in the church of Saint Catherine were immediately followed by procession to the Grotto.
At 5 in the afternoon, the crowd dispersed. The sun had set by now. In the meantime Bethlehem offers a short period of rest before coming to life again when the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will be present in the town, as a guest of honour for dinner with the Franciscan community.
The doors of the Basilica are closed at 5.15 pm, and will reopen at 10 pm in order to welcome the crowds for the great Christmas celebration.
MAB
That is why the eyes and hearts of Christians all over the world are fixed on Bethlehem. The joy of Christmas has not waited for midnight in order to be echoed along all the streets of the old city of David.
The day of 24th December is a festive day at Bethlehem. At 9 in the morning the bugles of the Scouts can be heard in the streets of the town, journalists roam everywhere in the hope of taking the best shots and in search of interviews, TV crews and technicians work round the clock to make the last preparations in the Franciscan church of Saint Catherine. The pilgrims gather in silent prayer in the Grotto at all times of the day, and this gives the day its atmosphere of intense prayer. Among the pilgrims there is an Albanian, Isabella, who did not find a room in a hotel, and thus had to sleep in the lobby of Casa Nova. After the vigil, she prayed in the church and in the morning she was still there kneeling down. She cannot find the words in Italian to express her inner joy, but her face is radiant with peace. Thanks to her faith, she has managed to obtain the ticket with which she can enter to participate at the Pontifical Mass, and she plans to continue her prayer by taking part in the early morning Masses in the Grotto.
Manger Square is full of people who gather just after midday, when the Patriarch Fouad Twal, preceded by the Scouts and by an imposing car-cade, arrives at 3 in the afternoon. The corteo had left Jerusalem one and a half hours before, and arrived at a very slow pace, after having stopped at the monastery of Saint Elias, which marks the beginning of the built-up area of Bethlehem, passing then in front of Rachael’s tomb, and continuing along the same way of the ancient patriarchs.
This year the many groups of Scouts created a hitch in the timeframe of the programme. They started moving at the usual hour, beginning from the Catholic Action centre. But they were in all 23 groups, coming from the West Bank and Jaffa, who marced along the narrow alleyways of the old town of Bethlehem. The Patriarch’s car was blocked in the heart of Bethlehem with about 200 cars that precede the corteo. In the square, the seminarians of the Latin Patriarchate and the Franciscan friars waited patiently in the chilly wind, but also in the sunshine.
When the Patriarch arrived in the Church square, he was welcomed by the parish priest of Bethlehem, Fr. Samuel Fahim, by the mayor, Doctor Victor Batarseh, by the civil and military authorities, and in front of the Door of Humility, by the Guardian of the Franciscans, Fr. Jerzy Kraj, who presided over the liturgy of welcome.
The Vespers celebrated in the church of Saint Catherine were immediately followed by procession to the Grotto.
At 5 in the afternoon, the crowd dispersed. The sun had set by now. In the meantime Bethlehem offers a short period of rest before coming to life again when the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will be present in the town, as a guest of honour for dinner with the Franciscan community.
The doors of the Basilica are closed at 5.15 pm, and will reopen at 10 pm in order to welcome the crowds for the great Christmas celebration.
MAB