Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica of Mount Tabor, where the Transfiguration took place. Its construction was completed in 1924, thanks to the generosity of American donors and pilgrims. Find more about the Shrine of the Transfiguration [...]
Today, June 13, the Franciscan Monastery’s community celebrated the feast of St. Anthony of Padua. It is a special day for these friars because St. Anthony is the patron saint of the Custody of the Holy Land, to which they belong. The solemn Mass was presided over by Father Ramzi Sidawi, OFM, Guardian of the Franciscan [...]
Today, May 16, H.B. Pierbattista Card. Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, arrived in Gaza for a pastoral visit to the local Christian community, spending time with the people of Holy Family Parish and St. Porphyrius Church in Gaza City.Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of Gaza, and His Excellency Alessandro De Franciscis, Grand Hospitaller of the [...]
Beyond the darkness of death Dear brothers and sisters, each of us has had the painful experience of losing a loved one: a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a child, a friend. It is a moment of suffering, darkness and despair that falls on each of us, and it is not quantifiable. The tears fall uncontrollably, and the [...]
Dear brothers and sisters, For some time, you have daily been in my thoughts and prayers. Now, on the eve of this Easter that for you is so overshadowed by the Passion and, as yet, so little by the Resurrection, I feel the desire to write to you and to tell you how close you are [...]