It is the early morning of Sunday, September 13, when Br. Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, enters the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher to celebrate Holy Mass.
The celebration has a special intention: to pray for all the benefactors of the Land of Jesus, on this day dedicated to the Pro Terra Sancta Collection, to which Christians around the world are invited to collaborate.
Next to the Custos there is the Franciscan community of the Holy Sepulcher.
In this celebration, here at the Holy Sepulchre, in the holiest place in all of Christendom, in the place where Jesus conquered sin and death and gave us certain and invincible hope, we want once again to pray for the sick, for those who care for them, for the many poor who have no means to care, but also for the pastors and the Governorate. They find themselves having to make difficult choices for the good of the faithful and the people. We want to pray especially for the benefactors of the Holy Land, who allow us to continue our mission in this land where the Son of God became man in Jesus of Nazareth and gave his life for our love and salvation.
In front of the empty tomb of Jesus, the Custos expressed a special prayer for all the benefactors of the Holy Land.
May the Lord reward you by filling you with every good, and especially with the gift of reconciliation and peace, each and every one of you and your families.
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"Prayer is the first task entrusted to us, when we became Guardians of the holy places. The Pope, already in 1342, asked us to live in the holy places celebrating holy masses. We know that this is the sacrifice of praise, the prayer that rises up to God, it is the most powerful, most effective intercession that there can be for the whole of humanity and therefore we feel a duty of gratitude to all Christians throughout the world who are those who allow us to live our mission."
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"When we are here at the Holy Sepulchre, on the Tomb of Jesus, make the sacrifice of the Mass to the Lord, then that sacrifice also reaches those who live in the Amazon, even those who live thousands of miles away from us and not only the faithful present at this time around the altar."
The Pro Terra Sancta Collection - continued Br. Patton - will allow the Custody, present in the Holy Land for 8 centuries, to continue its missionary work. Every year, the report of this collection is broadcasted through our means of communication.
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"They give an account of the work that is done in the various sanctuaries, of the commitments of our parishes, of the pastoral commitments, of the Schools that guarantee a future for tens of thousands of young people; they give an account of our commitment with migrants, workers and refugees; they give an account of what we do even in the most difficult and war-torn areas such as Syria or, in more recent times, those that have been affected by a tragic economic situation aggravated by various incidents such as that of Lebanon."
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"Once the pandemic is over, we hope that the pilgrims will return and therefore we can take care not only of the small flock living here in the Holy Land but also of the millions of pilgrims who create this link between the local church and the universal church and make us feel part of one big family that is the Church."
