On Saturday 23 September, the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land met in Emmaus El-Qubeibeh to celebrate St Simeon and St Cleopas. They were the two disciples who met Jesus Risen as they returned from Jerusalem to their homes, disappointed by his death. They walked with him for a little while and, at the entrance to the village of Emmaus, they invited him to stay with them. Then they recognized him when he broke bread. This is where […]
Three days of music to give a sign of hope: this is the message of the Ein Karem Music Festival, hosted from 15to 17 May in the Franciscan shrine of St John the Baptist in EinKarem. Despite the outbreak of the wave of violence in the past few weeks in the Holy Land, Fr. Alberto Joan Pari, director of the Magnificat, the Custody’s school of music, gave this explanation for the decision not to postpone the Ein Karem Music Festival. […]
The Custody of the Holy Land, like the whole of the Franciscan Order, has started a reflection on the vocation and role of “lay brothers.” This expression refers to religious who are not also priests. On Monday 22 April, the “lay brothers” of the Custody (there are 34 of them in all) met in Jerusalem for a day of study, reflection and dialogue. The Custos of the Holy Land, fra Francesco Patton, also took part in one session and celebrated […]
