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, […]
From 13 to 15 September, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton, took part in the eighth edition of the “Jerusalemite Days of Miechów”, in the Polish town of the same name. The purpose of these Days is to “pray for the Land of Jesus, to present the history and the current situation of the Holy Land, of the community that lives there, as well as the needs of the Catholic Church,” said the President of the Organizing […]
On June 29, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, the Church of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem joyfully welcomed the priestly ordination of three Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land: Fr. Saturnin Sadrac, Fr. Rito José Mendoza, and Fr. Juan David Rodríguez. In the presence of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Eminence Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, numerous friars and local faithful participated in this moment of grace, marked by deep reflection on the priestly vocation and service in […]
World Youth Day, held in Lisbon, Portugal from 1 to 6 August 2023, has recently come to an end. A large group of friars from the Custody of the Holy Land also attended, giving support, with their presence and their work, to this great event, now in its XXXVII edition. The WYD was established by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and has always stood out as an occasion where millions of young Catholics from all over the world can […]
