Red rose petals, like drops of blood, are scattered over the rock of Gethsemane, on which Christ sweated blood (Luke 22, 39-44) to the singing of “Vexilla Regis”, the ancient hymn in honour of the Holy Cross on which Christ gave his life for the salvation of humanity. This is the initial act of the Mass that the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated at Gethsemane for the solemnity of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord […]
From 24 to 27 September, St Saviour’s convent in Jerusalem is hosting the conference entitled "The Word and the Places." This event concludes the celebrations for the centenary of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (SBF) and for the occasion all the former students of the university were invited to attend. An indissoluble bond between word and place As the Dean of the Studium Biblicum, Fra Rosario Pierri stressed, the title of the conference refers to the tradition of the institute: "We […]
The entrance of the Custos of the Holy Land into Bethlehem on 30 November and the celebration of the first Sunday of Advent mark the opening of the new liturgical year of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land as well. As every year, the Custody has prepared a calendar (click HERE to download it), with its own celebrations, in particular the peregrinations to the Holy Places. “The volume,” Fra Enrique Bermejo, liturgist and calendarist of the Custody, explains, “is […]
On Sept. 9, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Municipality of Bethlehem received delegations from the municipalities of Greccio and Assisi. Twinning agreements were signed between the Holy Land School in Bethlehem and the Antonio Malfatti Institute, and between the Bethlehem Catholic Action Foundation and its counterpart in Greccio. The three municipalities signed a declaration of adherence to the principles and values of peace. In his speech, Br. Ibrahim Faltas, Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, […]