Join Us in Prayer for Peace: Sunday Mass Presided by Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
May the Lord grant you his Peace.
Given the recent and ongoing tragic events in the Holy Land, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Most Reverend Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, are unable to travel to the United States and prefer, in any case, to remain with their flocks during this trying time.
Nevertheless, we still extend our invitation to you to join us for Mass this coming Sunday. We will unite our intentions to those of the Mother Church of Jerusalem, and pray for “an end to violence and the establishment of a just and lasting peace that will allow the Holy Land to be a beacon of hope, faith, and love for all.” Our 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday, October 15 will be presided by Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield, IL, Board member of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land. The celebration will be offered for the victims of violence in Israel and Palestine, and for peace in the land where Jesus walked.
Finally, we invite you to join us on Tuesday, October 17 in holding a day of fasting, abstinence and prayer, as requested by the Church in Jerusalem, to pray for peace and reconciliation. As reminded in a statement released this morning, “In this time of sorrow and dismay, we do not want to remain helpless. We cannot let death and its sting (1Cor 15:55) be the only word we hear. That is why we feel the need to pray, to turn our hearts to God the Father. Only in this way can we draw the strength and serenity needed to endure these hard times.”
Peace and All Good,
Fr. Ramzi Sidawi
Guardian – Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land