In the Basilica of the Annunciation, the last of the official entrances of the Custos of the Holy Land, Br. Francesco Ielpo, took place. The celebration in Nazareth follows those of recent weeks in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, thus completing the cycle of solemn entrances into the three jubilee basilicas of the Holy Land, the Holy Sepulchre, the Nativity and the Annunciation. The solemn entrances represent a centuries-old tradition of the Custody, a sign of the bond between the new Custos, […]
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 […]
As every November 17, 2025, a solemn celebration took place in honor of the memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, patroness of the Secular Franciscan Order. The Mass was presided over by Fr. Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land. For the first time, given the growing attendance in recent years, the Mass was celebrated in the Church of Saint Saviour. Casa Maria Bambina, managed by the Franciscan Sisters Daughters of Saint Elizabeth, is a point of reference for pilgrims, […]
Pray and hope. This was the message delivered by Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki during the Mass for Peace in the Holy Land, which took place on Sunday, October 15th at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington. The bishop of Springfield (Illinois), a member of the Franciscan Foundation for Holy Land based in New York, led the Mass, which the Franciscan Monastery’s friars organized to address the tragic situation affecting Israel and Gaza. The appeal of the Washington, D.C. Franciscan friars living […]
