On Saturday 31 May 2025, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated, according to tradition, the Feast of the Visitation at the Shrine of Ein Karem, just a few miles from Jerusalem. This picturesque place, which Christian tradition identifies as the house of Zachariah and Elizabeth, welcomed pilgrims and religious in an atmosphere of joy and prayer, to commemorate the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth narrated in the Gospel according to Luke (1, 39-56). In his homily, […]
On Saturday, 16 November, the auditorium of the Immaculate Conception, in the convent of St Saviour in Jerusalem, hosted a symposium on the martyrs of Damascus, who were canonized in Rome on 20 October 2024. The meeting, entitled “Martyrdom. A sign of journey into the faith,” was an opportunity to reflect on the deep meaning of Christian martyrdom, in the light of the testimony given by the Franciscan martyrs of Damascus. The speakers approached the topic of martyrdom from different […]
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 […]
The Advent season is marked with a special meaning this year at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, in Washington DC. 2023 marks the 800th anniversary of the first nativity scene ever, created by Saint Francis of Assisi in the Italian village of Greccio on Christmas night in 1223. To commemorate the anniversary, the Franciscan Monastery is hosting an exhibition of hundreds of nativity scenes from all over the world. The collections in the exhibition The exhibition […]
