The Feast of the Finding of the Cross in the Heart of the Holy Sepulchre On the early morning of Wednesday, May 7, the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated the Feast of the Finding of the True Cross (Inventio Crucis) at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This is a deeply meaningful celebration: Jerusalem is the only place in the world where this feast is still observed, after it was abolished by the liturgical […]
The photographic exhibition entitled “The guardians of Christ’s tomb,” the work of the French photographer Thomas Coex, was presented at the Royal Basilica of St Francis the Great in Madrid on Friday 18 October. Fra Tony Choukri, treasurer of the Custody and Fra Luis Quintana, deputy curator of the exhibition, were also present. The photos are by Thomas Coex, a professional photographer for the Agence France Press (AFP). He has a long experience of living and working in the Holy […]
We met Br. Francesco Ielpo, appointed Custos of the Holy Land by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday, June 24. We reach him by phone, still immersed in his responsibilities as General Visitor of the Franciscan Provinces of Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria, before he begins his full-time service as Custos of the Holy Land in the coming days. Br. Francesco, what does it mean to be a Franciscan today? I answer as St. Francis did: when asked this question, […]
On the evening of Saturday, October 28th, the 13th annual Mass and Benefit Dinner in support of the Custody of the Holy Land took place at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, in Washington DC (United States). Raising awarness This event aims to raise awareness among the American public about the mission carried out by the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land for over eight centuries in the Land of Jesus, where they safeguard […]
