Every September 14 the Church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, an ancient and solemn memory that brings us back to the heart of the Christian faith. It is not a simple veneration of an object, but the contemplation of the mystery it contains, the cross, an instrument of torture and humiliation, has become by God’s will the supreme sign of love and salvation. It is the paradox of the Christian faith, from death comes life, […]
On Saturday, July 12, the Terra Sancta Museum (Archaeological section) in Jerusalem opened its doors to families and students for an afternoon of discovery, creativity, and community engagement. The event, promoted by the association Pro Terra Sancta in partnership with the European Union as part of the project "Terra Sancta Museum: Heritage Education Hub for Palestinian Youth", was designed to bring the local community closer to the historical and artistic heritage preserved by the Franciscan friars within the museum. The […]
With deep emotion, we remember Father Stanislao Loffreda, born in Monteprandone (Italy), eminent biblical scholar and archaeologist, for decades the soul of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem, where he also served as director. An internationally renowned scholar, he devoted much of his life to the excavations at Capernaum, making decisive contributions to the understanding of the House of Peter and the structures of the Gospel village, and provided fundamental studies on Palestinian pottery of the Roman and Byzantine periods, […]
Br. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, current Custos of the Holy Land, has recently undertaken a series of significant visits to Christian communities in Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus, bringing spiritual support and a message of hope in a context marked by profound difficulties. During his stay in Damascus, Br. Francesco visited the Church of St. Elias in Douilaa to express closeness to the community affected by the recent attack, and met the Patriarchal Vicar of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and […]
