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vatican city - 2017

annales ordinis equestris sancti sepulcHri hierosolymitani 2016

jerusalem cross

«This is the time of mercy»«This is the time of mercy»Pope Francis

DirectorAlfredo Bastianelli

Co-Director and Editor-in-chiefFrançois Vayne

Editor and coordinator of publications Elena Dini

With the collaboration of the authors cited in each article,the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem,

the Lieutenants of the corresponding Lieutenancies

TranslatorsLucy Courlet de Vregille, Chelo Feral, Christine Keinath, EmerMcCarthy Cabrera, Annarita and Gianni Mondini, Solène Tadié

LayoutFortunato Romani

C.S.E. di De Lutio Ottavio - [email protected]

Photographic documentationArchives of the Grand Magisterium, Archives of L’Osservatore

Romano, Archives of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archivesof the corresponding Lieutenancies, Philippe Cabidoche, Cristian

Gennari, Carla Morselli and other collaboratorsindicated in the picture captions

Cover photosA group of Knights from the Lieutenancy for France, led by

Msgr. Jacques Perrier, while they walk the Way of the Cross on theVia Dolorosa in Jerusalem (picture by Philippe Cabidoche).

Published byGrand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order

of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem00120 Vatican City

Tel. +39 06 69892901Fax +39 06 69892930

E-mail: [email protected]

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annales ordinis equestris sancti sepulcHri hierosolymitani 2016

jerusalem cross

jerusalem cross 2016 - 1

E D I T O R I A L

Jerusalem Cross, a new title thatdemands our engagementDear Knights and Dames, dear friends of the Order,

This year our annual magazine, which is published in five languages, has taken the titleJerusalem Cross, referring to the banner that we carry.

This new title will also be used forthe quarterly newsletter to identifyourselves more clearly. This Cross isnot the monopoly of Christiansbecause it also symbolizes the HolyCity for our Jewish brothers: the maincross indicates the spiritual center ofthe world and the other four smallercrosses the cardinal points.

I would like to take advantage ofthis opportunity to express mygratitude to Professor AgostinoBorromeo, who founded thismagazine twenty years ago and wasGovernor General over these lasteight years, giving new impetus to thecommunication tools of the GrandMagisterium through the creation of anew website, available in fivelanguages, that will complement ourprint publications.

Together with theCommunication’s Office of the GrandMagisterium, he chose this new name.This development befits the sustainedeffort to continue to raise awarenessof our Order, its mission and its actions in the service of all the inhabitants of the Holy Land.

Therefore, I ask all the Lieutenants across the world to aggressively publicize JerusalemCross, not only among our 30,000 members but also among people who want to discover theOrder and perhaps to be part of it in the future.

Internet will not replace the paper because such a printed document, full of testimonies oflife lived, is an object that penetrates everywhere as a mission, especially in public places, andthat allows you to “pick up” the cause of the Holy Land, and become more informed in anenjoyable and profound manner.

I wish you all a good read and a good use of Jerusalem Cross, asking the Lord to make usmore each day ardent witnesses of his love for all.

Edwin Cardinal O’Brien

The Jerusalem Cross, the emblem of the Order of theHoly Sepulchre, appears in Cardinal O’Brien’s coat ofarms.

2 - jerusalem cross 2016

4 A diplomacy of small steps to buildtrustInterview with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher,Secretary for Relations with States within the HolySee’s Secretariat of State

9 Hundreds of Knights and Damesfollow in the footsteps of BlessedBartolo Longo

18 The Cross of Jerusalem,the symbol of the Order

20 Three voices mark 30 yearsof Assisi Meeting

28 The charisma of Mother Teresain the Holy Land

29 Three new cardinals are membersof the order

7 From the Jubilee of Mercy intoa “culture of Mercy”

31 Crossing the Holy Door withCardinal O’Brien

31 Annual meetings of the GrandMagisterium and the continentalmeetings of Lieutenants

40 Nominations and Promotions

42 In memoriam

44 Cardinal O’Brien calls for supportfor the Latin Patriarchate

45 Grand Magisterium projects

49 The Order of the Holy Sepulchrecollaborating in ROACO projects

51 Testimony: With the Holy LandCommission of the Order listeningto the Latin Patriarchateof Jerusalem

THE ORDER IN UNION WITH THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

PROCEEDINGS OF THE GRAND MAGISTERIUM

contentscontents


57 Seeing Christ looking at humanity Interview with Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa,Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate ofJerusalem

60 Tribute to Patriarch Emeritus,Msgr. Fouad Twal

61 Father Francesco Patton, the newCustos of the Holy Land

62 “A Muslim leaving our schoolswill never become afundamentalist”Interview with Father Faysal Hijazen, director of theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem schools whounexpectedly passed away during the year

64 Spotlight on Order initiatives inJerusalem and Bethlehem

THE ORDERAND THE HOLY LAND

77 Testimonies of members of theOrder

83 In Rome and the world:the intense activity of the GrandMaster of the Order

87 Important moments in the life ofthe Lieutenancies worlwide

THE LIFEOF THE LIEUTENANCIES

An exceptionalyear markedby Mercy

This issue of our magazine recounts theyear 2016 which saw an exceptionalincrease in donations from our

members for the benefit of the LatinPatriarchate of Jerusalem, confirming thetrend of previous years.

The visits of the Grand Master, CardinalEdwin O’Brien, to the Lieutenancies aroundthe world have contributed to this success: thenumber of members of the Order is increasingand our community life is growing spiritually.

Our awareness of having to assist the newApostolic Administrator of the Patriarchate,Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in hisoffice further promotes our mobilization infavor of the many pastoral projects (schools,parishes, reception of refugees ...) in thesedifficult times for Christians living in thebiblical territories.

In the following pages we will discuss theimportant moments since the beginning ofMsgr. Pizzaballa’s ministry, and hear from himfirst hand in order to know him better. We willalso retrace the Holy Year of Mercy, not onlyin the Holy Land but also in the universalChurch and the Order, where our membershave actively participated in the Jubilee.

The most detailed accounts of the variousLieutenancies are present on our new sitewww.oessh.va, which was launched in 2016.

We hope you enjoy reading our annualpublication, which as of this year is titledJerusalem Cross, and we invite you toparticipate even more in the life of our Orderthrough our presence on social media –Facebook (@ granmagistero.oessh) andTwitter (@GM_oessh) – managed by ourdynamic Communications Department, so wemay share and witness together to the RisenChrist.

Alfredo BastianelliChancellor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

http://www.oessh.va/content/ordineequestresantosepolcro/en.html

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre workshard to be at the service of educationand peace in the Holy Land, notably

through supporting schools and universitieswhere Muslims and Christians study togetherin a tangible dynamic of interreligious dialogue.In your view, what does this pontificalinstitution represent and what do you expect ofit during the coming years?The Order of the Holy Sepulchre continues a

great mission of support, both practical andspiritual, for the works of the Church and the

Catholics present in the Holy Land. Through theactivities of its members over the years it has shownthe Church’s concern for the faithful in the HolyLand. In the current context, we all know howmuch interreligious dialogue is essential. Inparticular, it is crucial to educate towards a serenedialogue and coexistence to ensure a durable peacefor the generations to come. The educationalefforts which enable both young Christians, whoalready come from diverse ecclesial realities, as wellas young people from other religions, to grow-uptogether, to learn, to share and to evolve in a


THE ORDER IN UNION WITH THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

A diplomacy of small stepsto build trust

Interview with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary forRelations with States within the Holy See’s Secretariat of State

Archbishop PaulGallagher withMsgr. Antonio

Franco (behind),Assessor of the

Order, and Msgr.PierbattistaPizzaballa,

Administrator ofthe Latin

Patriarchate ofJerusalem, duringthe reception last

autumn in honor ofthe Blessed Virgin

Mary, Queen ofPalestine, at theheadquarters of

the GrandMagisterium in

Rome.

dynamic of harmony, are the true seeds of hope.Without doubt these efforts do not make theheadlines, but they lay the foundations for thefuture and already witness to true fraternity indiversity.

What is your episcopal motto and what does itreveal about your diplomatic mission in serviceof the Church in “undoing the knots” betweennations?“To walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8), this is

my episcopal motto. It corresponds to the third partof the prophet Micah’s response to the questionfrom the people on what the Lord expects of him.

This motto invites us, first of all, to “walk”, toadvance and to look ahead, because we are all on ajourney, a path that leads us towards the fullnessthat God wants to give each of us. This path cannotbe undertaken without God, nor can it beundertaken without others, without those men andwomen entrusted to us, sent to us by the Lord. It isalso a journey and a growth in fraternity whichdemands great humility. In the diplomatic domainin particular, humility is essential, not only infavouring and constructing a true dialogue but it isalso indispensable for continuing to work withouttiring of building trust, all the while acknowledgingthe achievements obtained which, by definition,belong only to God.

The Palestinian State was recognised by theHoly See one year after the historic visit ofPope Francis to the Holy Land. How could thisrecognition tangibly stimulate peace in theMiddle East?For many decades, the conflict in the Middle

East has not ceased to cause suffering, doubt, lackof understanding, division and isolation. Time onlyworsens the situation and its wounds. Yet stabilityand peace must necessarily lie in justice, therecognition of the rights of each person and thesecurity of all. The two States solution haspresented itself for a long time as the best remedy tothe conflict and to guarantee a future and a stablepeace for the people who are directly affected. It isbased on safety, justice and the rights found at theheart of the internationally recognised borders.Enacting such a resolution certainly demandscourage, “the courage of peace”, as Pope Francis

says. It also demands determination andconsistency. In the long and difficult Israeli-Palestinian peace process, it entails, above all,recognition of the fundamental needs of individualsand peoples. Evidently, the resolution of such aconflict will constitute a fundamental step in favourof peace in the Middle-East.

What is your position on the subject of theresolution adopted by UNESCO last Octoberconcerning the holy city of Jerusalem and“occupied Palestine”?A complex controversy that has been ongoing

for a long time, has resurfaced following theresolutions adopted by UNESCO last October. Wenote that the question, in its basic outline, wasessentially treated from a cultural point of view andfrom the point of view of international rights. Thedecisions taken by the States must of course berespected. However, we can only reiterate, as theHoly See has already highlighted, the importance ofthe sacred and universal character of the city ofJerusalem for the three monotheistic religions. Inthis sense, the recognition of a special statute for thecity on an international level is, clearly, necessary. Itis to be wished that no party should be deprived ofits own historic links with the city of Jerusalem anda realistic solution should be found, which wouldreflect the identity and the vocation of the HolyCity.

Personally, as a man of the Church, where doyou draw hope in these obscure times of “apiecemeal war”, and what promising signs canyou give regarding a “peace in little pieces”which advances as well, without making theheadlines?That’s a very beautiful question! At times, it can

seem difficult to cultivate hope whilst we arewitnessing multiple acts of violence, touching mostoften innocents, children, families, people whocannot defend themselves. The blind violence,which characterises this “piecemeal war”, accordingto the term used by Pope Francis, has dramaticconsequences, as well as causing suffering andinjustice. The Apostle St Paul exhorts us to be menand women of hope, hoping, like Abraham,“against all hope”. And so he charges us to workhumbly in our daily life, through little acts of peace,


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of fraternity, of humility and of reconciliation whichare seeds that are indispensable to the constructionof a true and enduring peace in which we mustnever cease to believe in and aspire to. Peace is agift to patiently look for and which “becomeshandmade in the hands of men” – as Pope Francisrecently said. The Holy Father himself often makesreference to “diplomacy of small steps”. To someextent, we already have encouraging signs in recentevents relating to Cuba, the Central AfricanRepublic or Colombia. Here we can certainly alsospeak of a “peace in little pieces”, a peace which isrooted in the communal consciousness that we areall brothers in humanity and which is fed by faith inChrist Redeemer and Prince of Peace.

Can you speak to us about the vision andengagement of pontifical diplomacy concerningthe migrants and refugees of the Middle East?Among those issues which Pope Francisconsiders priority; can you reveal some of yourrecent actions?As you know, the plight of the refugees is an

object of particular attention for Pope Francis. Hehas often expressed his concern for these peoplethrough concrete signs and gestures. The Holy Seeis committed on a diplomatic level in favour of thepeace process in the Middle East and for theresolution of problems which are at the origin ofmigrations. At the same time, the Catholic Churchis engaged in aiding refugees and migrants in

numerous ways. Through the Pontifical CouncilCor Unum, which supports and coordinates theinitiatives of different Catholic organizations andcharitable associations, the Holy See looks torespond notably to the concrete needs of refugeespresent in numerous countries such as Lebanon,Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt, withoutmentioning of course the aid brought to thepopulations of Syria and Iraq who live in dramaticcircumstances. Since September 2014, a centralpoint of information on Catholic agencies has alsobeen put in place – for those who are helping theIraqi-Syrian humanitarian crisis – in order tofacilitate cooperation and the exchange of newsamong the different Catholic agencies engaged inhumanitarian aid for this crisis. In 2016, theecclesial network rallied more than 200 milliondollars which enabled aid to be brought to morethan 4.5 million people; a number which remainstoo small, taking into account the great need, whichdemands greater mobilization. I would add thatfrom January 1, the Pontifical Council Cor Unumconstitutes one on the principal centres for the newDicastery for integral human development. In thatrespect, we can highlight that the Pope himselfwanted to reserve the management of the futuredepartment for the migrants and refugees, whichonce again reflects the commitment, on all levels, ofthe Church in supporting these populations.

Interview by François Vayne(translation from the original interview in French)



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Maria Goretti died at age 11 in 1902 whiledefending herself from an attempted assault.

Her last words were forgiveness for her assailant

and murderer, and she appeared to him severaltimes while he was in prison, bringing him the joyof conversion and of approaching Christ through a

from The Jubilee of Mercyinto a “culture of Mercy”

The Jubilee of Mercy mobilized the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. There were so manyinitiatives in Lieutenancies to mark this extraordinary spiritual event that it is not

possible to give them all full coverage here. In Jerusalem Cross, we recall an importantmoment of preparation for the Holy Year, through the veneration of the relics of a youngsaint whose testimony is more relevant than ever, and the pilgrimage in the footsteps ofBlessed Bartolo Longo, to Pompei, wanted by the Cardinal Grand Master. Now we arecalled to pass from this Jubilee to a “culture of Mercy” that permeates our whole life, as

indicated by Pope Francis in his apostolic letter Misericordia et misera.

The saving power of forgiveness: Saint Maria Goretti hasprepared for the Jubilee of Mercy in the United States

Cardinal O’Brien in Nettuno, surrounded by many Knights and those who have responsibility in the Order, on theoccasion of the translation of St Maria Goretti’s relics to the United States, preparing for the Jubilee.


path of holiness. Canonized in 1950 by Pope

Pius XII, Saint Maria Gorettiis a saint to whom many turnand who has worked variousmiracles. From September toNovember 2015, relics of theSaint have visited the UnitedStates for the first time, in whatwas called “the pilgrimage ofMercy”. The experience wascertainly an occasion forimportant preparation to livethe Jubilee Year, which beganon December 8.

Cardinal Edwin O’Brien,who celebrated Mass at the Basilica of Our Ladyof Graces and St. Maria Goretti in Nettuno onNovember 24, 2014, for the occasion of thetransfer of the relics of the Saint in the U.S., said:“I am delighted that the Church in the UnitedStates may have the opportunity to celebrate theHoly Year of Mercy through the inspiring story of

the life and death of St.Maria Goretti! May theopportunity to reverenceher relics demonstrate thepower of Divine Mercy andforgiveness awaiting everyone of us who takes themessage of Jesus seriouslyto heart.”

In Italy, in the diocese ofLatina south of Rome,where the saint died, theJubilee of Mercy came to aclose in the shrine of OurLady of Graces, in Nettunoon November 25, 2016 in

the presence of the relics of this great “Martyr ofPurity”; the title used by Saint John-Paul IIduring the 100th anniversary of her death in 2002.

We entrust todays’ teenagers to herintercession, in particular the young girls in theHoly Land. ■

Pilgrimsof Mercy

in the Holy Land

During this Holy Year our readers havebeen able to download a spiritual aid

“Pilgrims of Mercy in the Holy Land” fromour website (www.oessh.va). It wasprepared by the Communication Office ofthe Order in Rome, in coordination withMsgr. Fortunato Frezza, biblical scholarand Master of Ceremonies of the Order,and was intended to accompany theJubilee journey in the Holy Land,mainly in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.This booklet has enabled us tonourish prayer there, in communionwith our brothers and sisters who livein the lands of the Bible. Thisbooklet is still as relevant as everand it can still be downloaded fromthe website of the GrandMagisterium under the heading,‘MEDIA’.

Logo of the historic US pilgrimage of therelics of Saint Maria Goretti.

By the Communication Office of the Grand Magisterium

in coordination with Msgr. Fortunato Frezza,

biblical scholar and Master of Ceremonies of the Order

PILGRIMSof MERCYin the HOLY LAND

ORDO EQUESTRIS

SANCTI SEPULCHRI HIEROSOLYMITANI

http://www.oessh.va/content/ordineequestresantosepolcro/en/media/le-nostre-pubblicazioni.html

http://www.oessh.va/content/ordineequestresantosepolcro/en/media.html

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Blessed Bartolo Longo, model of Christian life,of humility and selflessness, was personally

invoked by all Knights and Dames, notablythrough the prayer for his canonisation. After that,leaving on procession through the streets of theMarian city, the pilgrims of the Order passedthrough the Holy Door of the shrine, beforeattending midmorning Mass. The reliquarycontaining the body of the Blessed had,exceptionally, been placed close to the altarunderneath the well-known image of the Blessed

Hundreds of Knights and Dames followin the footsteps of Blessed Bartolo Longo

At the decision of Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Order of the HolySepulchre, there was a jubilee pilgrimage of Knights and Dames from all over Italy to theMarian shrine in Pompeii, during the month of the Rosary on Saturday 15 October 2016,for the Year of Mercy. The 800 participants of the pilgrimage better understood the works

of charity created from nothing, on just “a penny a month”, as well as becoming moredeeply aware of the truth of the message of God’s love, given through the mediation ofOur Lady, to the only lay member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre beatified today.

Virgin of Pompeii. Welcoming the congregation at the beginning of

the Eucharistic celebration Msgr. TommasoCaputo, the archbishop prelate and papal delegatefor Pompeii – himself a member of the Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre – strongly underlined that,“through the intercession of the Blessed, theKnights and Dames today entrust their ferventdesire to live a Christian life of charity, and toincrease the works of moral and material supporthelping those Christians of the Holy Land and the

During the beautiful and moving Mass at Pompeii presided on by Cardinal O’Brien, Grand Master, Mgr. AntonioFranco, Assessor of the Order, reminded us in his homily that, “in Bartolo Longo we have the model of a Christianwho experienced the Mercy of the Father, and who felt compelled to be a living witness of this love, which expresseditself through works of charity”. He concluded with a prayer in which the pilgrims united: “May Mary touch our heartand make us merciful, attentive, sensitive, and strive in ourselves to be instruments of merciful love”.


Middle East.”In his homily Msgr. Antonio Franco, Assessor

of the Order, encouraged the Knights and Damesto experience deeply the grace of forgiveness inthe final days of the Jubilee of Mercy.

After sharing a joyful meal as a family – raisingthe idea even then of a future internationalpilgrimage of the Order to Pompeii, perhapsafter the canonisation of Bartolo Longo – thepilgrims came back to the shrine at the beginningof the afternoon for a time of EucharisticAdoration and the Holy Rosary, honouring alsotheir patron saint just a few days from the feast ofOur Lady of Palestine, liturgically celebrated onOctober 25. ■

The archbishop and papal delegate for Pompeii, Msgr.Tommaso Caputo, Prior of the Section “Napoli - Ladyof the Rosary” of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre,welcomed the pilgrimage of the Knights and Damesled by the Grand Master in the footsteps of blessedBartolo Longo, October 2016.


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Interest in the only lay member of the Order tohave been declared blessed continues to grow: in

fact he appears as a model of Christian life in thesedifficult times. His life shows us that no earthlydifficulties are immune to the liberating power ofdivine mercy.

Bartolo Longo practiced spiritualism before heturned to lovingly care for others, in the name ofthe Gospel, creating great works of charitythrough the power of prayer.

Born February 10, 1841 inLatiano in Puglia, not far from theport of Brindisi, he died inPompeii on October 5, 1926,bequeathing to the Pope thatwhich had been built for thepoor and the glory of God.

During his law studies inNaples, he was a fierceopponent of the Church,and frequented spiritualistcircles to become animportant member of theGnostic movement, for whichthe power of knowledge excelsunselfish love.

An encounter with anexceptional priest, Father AlbertoRadente, presented to him by ProfessorVincenzo Pepe, allowed him to rediscover thepath of faith in Christ, even to the point that hemade his first communion again.

As part of his new spiritual commitments, hehad come into contact with the CountessMarianna de Fusco, a widow, who had sought hiscouncil to administer her property in the Valley ofPompeii. He was a prominent lawyer, and sovoluntarily offered his business expertise, to helpher.

In early 1872, faced with the moral and materialmisery of the people of this valley in the Vesuvianregion, Bartolo Longo, turning to the Virgin Mary,felt in his heart of hearts the call to spread theprayer of the Rosary. He organized popularmissions, favoring a collective hope that resulted inthe revival of the valley.

A painting of a Marian image, given to him byhis friend and confessor Father Radente,transported from Naples on a manure wagonNovember 13, 1875, became the symbol of thestruggle waged by this lawyer for the liberation of apeople victim of poverty and despair.

This painting, which is St. Dominic whilereceiving the Rosary from the hands of the Virgin,

was later placed into a new church, with theconsent of the bishop of Nola.

Ahead of this image miraclesoccurred that gradually

transformed Pompeii into the“Italian Lourdes”. Startingfrom 1887, social works suchas, for example, an orphanagefor girls and a house for thechildren of prisoners beganto develop around thesanctuary dedicated topeace.

In 1885 Bartolo Longomarried the Countess de

Fusco. The spouses had toface a great deal of slander

against them, and, to refutejealous adversaries, they donated

everything to Pope Pius X. ThePompeii shrine became, in the early

twentieth century, a papal basilica.The supplication to the Virgin of Pompeii, on

May 8, is now recited in all parishes in Italy. It isparticularly widespread thanks to the efforts of theDaughters of the Holy Rosary, the femalecongregation founded by Bartolo Longo andknown thanks to a Marian magazine to which thelawyer from Pompeii devoted a great deal of hisenergy.

John Paul II proclaimed him Blessed October26, 1980 and there have been no shortage of gracesto those who invoke him with humility and trust. Arecent miracle which involved a Knight of theOrder may soon open the path to his canonizationso that his example of faith and active charity maycontinue to grow.

F.V.

Who was the Knight Bartolo Longo?


The works of mercy are charitable actions bywhich we help our neighbour in his spiritual

and bodily needs. Pope Francis outlined them inhis Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee of Mercy (No.15): “Let us rediscover these corporal works ofmercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty,clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal thesick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. Andlet us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: tocounsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant,admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgiveoffences, bear patiently those who do us ill, andpray for the living and the dead”.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, at the heart of theextraordinary Jubilee, during Mass on Sunday, 3April, the Holy Father explained that to beapostles of mercy means to touch and caress thewounds of Christ, present today in the body andsoul of so many brothers and sisters.

“Curing these wounds, we profess Jesus, wemake him present and alive; we allow others, whotouch his mercy with their own hands, to recognizehim as ‘Lord and God’, as did the ApostleThomas”, he insisted. “Let us ask for the grace tonever grow tired of drawing from the well of theFather’s mercy and bringing it to the world: let us

Works of “living mercy” rediscovered in the Holy Year

Going through the Holy Door constituted one of the conditions for obtaining a Jubileeindulgence, in addition to receiving the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, actively

praying for the Holy Father’s intentions and realising works of Mercy. Sacramentally speaking, PopeFrancis has often reminded us of the importance of bringing attention to corporal and spiritual worksof mercy as an integral part of making this step, which spiritually continues even after the manydifferent Holy Doors are closed.

The Jubilee wasopened in thepresence ofBenedict XVIand was closedby Pope FrancisNovember 20,2016 (photo topright), indicatingto the wholeChurch the waytowards a“culture ofMercy” whichwe are called tolive in all walksof life.


ask that we too may be merciful, to spread thepower of the Gospel everywhere”. These works ofmercy do not end with the Holy Year, now we must

implement a real culture of mercy, as the Popeinvites us in his Apostolic Letter published in theaftermath of the Jubilee. ■

Bicycle pilgrimage“from Francis toFrancis”

Adozen members of the Lieutenancyof the Netherlands, who came to

Rome during the Jubilee of Mercy, werepart of this pilgrimage, cycling fromAssisi: from Saint Francis to PopeFrancis! The group was welcomed by theGovernor General at the Palazzo dellaRovere, seat of the Order, close to St.Peter’s Square.


Living the culture of mercy


Corporal and spiritual works of mercy

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The Successor of St. Peter publically signed hisnew apostolic letter Misericordia et misera –

Mercy with Misery – on November 20 – the finalday of the Jubilee and the Solemnity of Christ theKing – after Mass in St Peter’s Square in thepresence of the new cardinals. This letter pointsout “the path that we are called to follow in thefuture,” remaining faithful to the teachings ofChrist. “Mercy cannot become a mere parenthesis

in the life of the Church,” explains the HolyFather at the beginning of this letter, which wasofficially made available on Monday November 21,the Feast of the Presentation of Mary. “Let us trustin her maternal assistance and follow her perennialcounsel to look to Jesus, the radiant face of God’smercy” so that we can realize once more that“everything is resolved in the merciful love of theFather.”

This is the time of mercy,so that God’s caress may reach everyone

During the Jubilee of Mercy, more than 21 million pilgrims passed through the Holy Door of St.Peter’s Basilica while, worldwide, more than 800 million believers experienced this spiritual

exercise of crossing the Holy Doors open in diocesan churches or in sanctuaries. And this HolyYear was a form of spiritual training, an exercise to welcome mercy and to become its instruments

to bring it everywhere, as the Pope explained in his Apostolic letter Misericordia et misera –Mercy with misery

– publicly signed onthe last day of the

Jubilee Year,November 20, thefeast of Christ the

King, after Mass inthe presence of the

new cardinals, in St.Peter’s Square.

Among the peopledrawn from all

walks of life whosymbolicallyreceived this

document from thehands of Francis, to

transmit it to theworld, the two

chosen bishops aremembers of the

Order: CardinalLuis Antonio Tagle,

archbishop ofManila, and

Monsignor LeoCushley,

Archbishop ofEdinburgh.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila – Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy for thePhilippines of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre – while receiving the ApostolicLetter Misericordia et misera from the hands of Pope Francis which opens thefuture to a culture of mercy in all areas of our personal and social life ...


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H“Like a gusting but wholesome wind, theLord’s goodness and mercy have swept throughthe entire world,” wrote the Holy Father, and as“it has truly been like a new visitation of the Lordamong us,” that “we have felt his life-giving breathpoured out upon the Church.” The time has cometo understand “how best to continue, with joy,fidelity and enthusiasm, experiencing the richnessof God’s mercy.”

Poverty, misera in Latin, which is the secondimportant word in the title of the Pope’s letter, isfound above all in the fact that “today manypeople have no experience of God himself, andthis represents the greatest poverty and the majorobstacle to the recognition of the inviolable dignityof human life” (Misericordia et misera 18).” Mercyis thus an urgently neededremedy for a moral and spiritualpoverty linked to “the culture ofextreme individualism“ in theWest which “has led to a loss of asense of solidarity with andresponsibility for others.”

The Holy Father develops theideas that Mercy must becelebrated, most notably in thesacraments, and that Mercy islived in the everydayness of ourlives, in our encounters withothers.

The Missionaries of Mercy, the thousands ofpriests equipped with the special faculties of thePope to forgive grave sin, are able to continuetheir fruitful work in the four corners of the worldknowing that, during the Holy Year, confessionsincreased on average by 30% in numerouslocations. Dedicating time to the awakening ofconsciences to allow for profound repentance, allpriests and not only the Missionaries of Mercy, willbe able to absolve the sin of abortion, withouthaving to refer to their bishop as was generally thecase prior to the granting of this dispensation, notonly for women who have committed the act, butalso those people close to them who are alsoresponsible, especially in the medical field.

The priests in the fraternity of St Pius X, whoare not yet in full communion with the Church,will have the possibility of providing valid and licitconfession, just as they did during the Jubilee of

Mercy, “until there is a new position taken onthis”. It is, from Francis’ perspective, a hand newlyheld out, looking towards reconciliation with theLefebvrist Catholics, who hold to the TridentineMass which they consider to be the standard Massand who are opposed to certain openingssupported by the Second Vatican Council, inparticular those concerning interreligious dialogue.

Lastly, the Pope wishes that the word of God isabove all taken more deeply into the Christiancommunity, and he proposes that one Sunday inthe liturgical year be entirely devoted to this, onthe theme of mercy, something which willinevitably lead to concrete charitable actions andworks.

Socially speaking, he indicates that, “We arecalled to promote a culture ofmercy based on the rediscoveryof encounter with others”.“The culture of mercy isshaped in assiduous prayer, indocility to the working of theHoly Spirit, in knowledge ofthe lives of the saints and inbeing close to the poor”.

This “cultural revolution”will be supported by thecelebration of the World Dayof the Poor, on the XXXIII

Sunday of Ordinary time. “This would be theworthiest way to prepare for the celebration of theSolemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of theUniverse, who identified with the little ones andthe poor and who will judge us on our works ofmercy (cf. Mt 25:31-46)”, highlights Francis.

More widely, he considers that “now is the timeto unleash the creativity of mercy, to bring aboutnew undertakings, the fruit of grace“: “the Churchtoday needs to speak of those ‘many other signs’that Jesus worked, which ‘are not written’ (Jn20:30)” in order to make God’s goodness visible.

“This is the time of mercy”, repeats Peter’ssuccessor five times at the end of his letter –perhaps a reference to the five wounds of Christ –“since no one can think that he or she is cut offfrom God’s closeness and the power of his tenderlove”, for it is through the testimony of believersthat “God’s caress may reach everyone”.

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Now is thetime to unleash thecreativity of mercy,to bring about newundertakings, thefruit of grace

‘‘Pope Francis


Contemplating the five wounds of Christ

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is symbolized by a coat of arms with a large red crosssurrounded by four smaller crosses, also red, on white background. It is an evocation ofthe five wounds of Christ. Pope Francis has referred to it during the Holy Year, speakingof his daily prayer that can inspire those of all members of the Order. In addition, during

this Jubilee, marked by great ecumenical concern, the Holy Father visited manycountries, among them Georgia, whose flag could be confused with the emblem of the

Order as they are similar. The Ambassador of Georgia to the Holy See spoke toJerusalem Cross about the historical ties of her Caucasus country with the Holy Land.

The Jubilee of Mercy, which closed November20, the feast of Christ the King, saw about 21

million pilgrims flock to Rome, despite the fact thatthis “decentralized” Holy Year could be fullyexperienced in every diocese in the world.

During some of the Jubilee events the Popespoke of the five wounds of Christ and we wouldlike to propose his words to readers as theyperfectly illustrate the message transmitted by theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre insignia. “Lord, Inmemory of the five wounds that we carry on ourinsignia, we pray to You...,” reads the famousprayer of Knights and Dames.

“We can find the definitive icon of the vessel ofmercy in the wounds of the risen Lord. Thosewounds remind us that the traces of our sins,forgiven by God, never completely heal ordisappear; they remain as scars. Scars, we know, aresensitive; they do not hurt, yet they remind us ofour old wounds. God’s mercy is in those scars, ourscars,” Pope Francis summed up perfectly speakingto the priests, who came to the eternal city for theJubilee in June 2016. “In the scars of the risenChrist, the marks of the wounds in his hands andfeet but also in his pierced heart, we find the truemeaning of sin and grace,” he continued, statingthat in contemplating the wounded heart of theLord, we see ourselves reflected in him, as in amirror, “His heart, and our own, are similar: bothare wounded and risen. But we know that his heartwas pure love and was wounded because it willedto be so; our heart, on the other hand, was pure

wound, which was healed because it allowed itselfto be loved”.

Another example of the spiritual logic withwhich the Holy Father encourages us to moveforward is the prayer he recites before going tobed, which he mentioned to pilgrims during thegeneral audience on Wednesday, June 22, “Lord, ifYou are willing, You can make me clean!” inspiredby the Leper’s plea to Jesus (Luke 5:12). The Popeadded that every night he says five Our Fathers,“one for every one of Christ’s wounds, becauseJesus cleanses us with his wounds”.

Could we too not pray invoking the mercy of

The Cross of Jerusalem,the symbol of the Order

The Cross of Jerusalem, symbol of the Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre, evokes the five wounds ofChrist, source of inner purification and spiritualrenewal for pilgrims who, like us, are on thepath to the Kingdom of God.


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Madam Ambassador, in your opinion, whatkey points should be kept in mind

concerning Pope Francis’ historical visit toGeorgia at the end of October 2016?Pope Francis’ visit to Georgia was a highlight in

our recent history. He was very well received by allpeople who listened to his beautiful speeches in thePresidential palace, at the Patriarchate of theOrthodox Church ofGeorgia and in theSvetitskhoveli cathedral inthe ancient capitalMtskheta. People wereimpressed by his spiritualand nuanced discourses.His personal encounterwith the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia IIwas a significant event,‘historical’, as the Patriarch called it. It is difficult topredict what a follow up of this meeting will be,however, history knows many examples of suchencounters affecting positively the church relations.A meeting between Pope Paul VI and PatriarchAthenagoras 51 years ago is a good illustration tothis. Here I will follow words of Pope Francis thatour Christian responsibility today is to be hopeful.

The flag of Georgia – five red crosses on a whitebackground – evokes the five wounds of JesusChrist, and reminds us of how your country wasevangelized in early history by a nun who camefrom Jerusalem, Saint Nino. In the context ofPope Francis’ teaching during his stay inGeorgia, how can this Jerusalemite spiritualheritage be put at the service of Europe?The Georgian flag with its five crosses has

parallels in other, very different cultural contexts.

For the Georgian identity it has enormoussignificance. We believe that this flag existed beforethe Crusades’ epoch, it is described in the tenthcentury Georgian text as the national flag.Christianity in Georgia, as you justly noted, has along history of relationship with the Holy Land. Afew Georgian monastic settlements andmanuscripts are found in the Holy Land from the

early ages of the Christianityin Georgia. One of the mostinteresting liturgicaldocuments from the 7th

century Jerusalem has beenpreserved in the Georgianlanguage.

This pontifical visit toGeorgia shows signs of theCatholic Church and the

Orthodox Church becoming closer, confirmingthe process launched by a meeting betweenPope Francis and the Patriarch of Moscow inCuba last February. In your opinion, can thisgradual reconciliation between the Eastern andthe Western Church also function as a sourceof political mediation and appeasementbetween Europe and Russia?It will be difficult to answer a part of your

question regarding the European-Russian relations.However, for Georgia, the state which madeEuropean choice its priority, it is much more logicalto see normal bi-lateral, Catholic-Orthodox, churchrelations supporting the national vector. I findmyself in agreement with my fellow citizens who arenot afraid of hard work in order to become a fullmember of the European family.

Interview by François Vayne

A national flag that evokes the Holy LandMeeting with the Ambassador of Georgia to the Holy See, Tamara Grdzelidze

the Heavenly Father through the five wounds ofChrist, which in becoming scars, are a testament tohis victorious love? In the words of Peter’ssuccessor, may every member of the Order, calledto witness to the power of the Resurrection, renew

their awareness during this Holy Year that: “Thereal vessel of mercy, then, is the mercy which eachof us received and which created in us a new heart.This is the ‘new wineskin’ to which Jesus referred(cf. Luke 5:37), the ‘healed sore’.”


Interview with Jesuit Father Thomas Michel,expert in Christian-Muslim relations and Islam.

From 1981 to 1994, Father Michel worked at thePontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He

is also the former secretary of the JesuitSecretariat for Interreligious Dialogue in Romeand former ecumenical secretary for theFederation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (1994-

Three voices mark 30 yearsof Assisi Meeting

During 2016 members of the Order were able to participate in theirrespective dioceses, in initiatives to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary

of the interreligious meeting in Assisi. To deepen and improve mutualunderstanding of the great monotheistic religions in the Holy Land, wepropose three interviews with reference personalities able to help us to

walk on the road of encounter and peace.Focus report by Elena Dini

Dialogue of life between Christians and Muslims

From the city of Saint Francis, religious leadersaddressed a call to peace to the world, thirty yearsafter the first interreligious meeting in Assisi wasorganised, at the initiative of Saint John-Paul II.

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2008). He taught in many universities around theworld and he spent the last semester of 2016 inRome teaching at the Pontifical Institute forArabic and Islamic Studies.

Islam is a world religion which sometimesappears to people like a monolith withoutdistinctions. Can you help our members tohave a glimpse into the diversity within theMuslim communities worldwide? With over a billion people the Muslim world is

as diverse as our Christian world. There arecultural differences between one culture and theother, there are theological differences and thereare differences in people’s approach and reactionsto modern life. To start with the culturaldifferences, most people are unaware that mostMuslims do not live in the Middle East but in Asia.The four countries with the highest number ofMuslims are Indonesia, India, Pakistan andBangladesh while Arabic speaking Muslims makeup about 20% of the Muslims in the world. One ofthe mistakes some people make is to identify Islamwith what happens in the Arab world while this isonly one of the many manifestations of Islam.

There is also a theological variety – which wemight also call historical – and this is the differencebetween Sunni and Shia. This goes back not to a

theological point but to an historical point: didMuhammad appoint a successor or not? Themajority of Muslims – about 90% – said he didn’tappoint a successor and left the choice of leadershipto the community while a minority – about 10% –said he appointed a successor, his son-in-law Ali.Starting with this basic historical disagreement, twoforms of Islam developed separately so that todaywe see many points of divergence between Sunni –the majority – and Shia Muslims. This may lead toconflict, particularly when one group has moreeconomic or political power than the other. We seethat happening in countries like Iraq and Bahrain.But we have to take into consideration contexts. Ifwe look at Muslims in United States or in Sweden,there is no conflict between Sunni and ShiaMuslims, they go to the same mosque and praytogether because the context does not raise anyissue.

The third type of diversity concerns how peoplerespond to modernity. Some people see modernityas liberating, as something they want, that is goodfor Muslims. Other Muslims find they have noproblems with technological advancements but theyfind that there is a cultural aspect of modernity withwhich they have trouble and they would besuspicious. Others would think that modernity is aplague coming from Western countries to remove

Father ThomasMichel (center)

during a convivialmeal with some

Muslim friends: thedialogue of life

also takes place atthe table in

fraternity.

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people from God.So, when we talk about Muslims we really talk

about a wide variety of people and approaches totheir own religion and to modern life.

Dialogue of life between Muslims andChristians in the Holy Land is to be lived everyday. What do you think are the key aspectsenhancing the encounter between thesecommunities? There was an interesting development in

Church’s thinking when we started talking aboutdialogue. Paul VI in Ecclesiam Suam took the ideathat had already been developed by Martin Buberand others that I grow in relationship to talking toyou and you grow in relationship to talking to me.However, to many Christians around the world,and maybe Christians in Israel and Palestine wereamong those, the idea of dialogue sounded veryelitist and only for very educated people andreligious leaders coming together. Their experience

of Muslims was that of people living next door andthey could not come together and discuss theTrinity with them also out of fear of makingmistakes. The Church responded saying that theydid not have to do that but everyone is called to thedialogue of life and in that dialogue each one of usis called to live one’s own Christian faith as deeplyand as fully as one can in full acceptance of theMuslims with whom one lives.

This is done by taking care of the elders in thecommunity, by raising children to be God-fearingpeople, by seeing who are the marginalized, thepoor and the needy and opening hearts andinstitutions to them and in doing so Christians arekind of throwing a “challenge” to the Muslims andthey allow themselves to be challenged by the goodthings the others do: this is what dialogue of life is.Dialogue of ordinary communities comes first and,if that is there, all the other levels of dialogue findtheir place.

Christians in places like Palestine and Syria have

In 1988 I was teaching Christian theology in Konya,in Turkey. I had an apartment in the old part of the

city but it was completely empty. I was telling peopleat the university and someone told me that he knewa person who may have an extra bed. I went to thisperson I never met before and I told him who I wasand that I was told he could lend me a bed. Heimmediately took the bed and we brought it to myapartment. People on the street saw me and askedme who I was and I told them I was a professor andI was going to be teaching theology at the university.They thought I was a Muslim but I told them I was aChristian priest. I was asked if I needed anything forthe apartment and I told them that a chair would beuseful. By the time I went to take the mattress andcame back it seemed that people in the streets allknew about the situation and everyone was offeringme something. For the next three days people of theneighborhood went on bringing furniture and all kindof objects to my place: glasses, dishes, table, chairs,carpets…

When I came back home after the first day ofteaching at the university, there was a man sittingoutside my apartment waiting for me. He told methat his wife came earlier that day but the door was

locked and she couldn’t come in. He explained methat I didn’t need to lock the door. I thought that bydoing so I offended the neighborhood telling peoplethat I didn’t trust them so I never locked the dooragain.

So some day I would come back home and onthe table there is a covered dish with cooked food. Iwould eat it and a couple of days later the dishwould disappear from my apartment. Some dayslater other food would appear. Some other days Icome back home and I would find my clotheswashed and ironed. This went on for about sixmonths and I never saw who did it because theyknew when I was teaching at the university and theyused to come when they knew I was not at home.

At the end of the semester, it was time for me toleave and I told a man in the neighborhood that Ihad a final request. Some of the women of theneighborhood were really good to me and I wantedjust to meet them once and thank them. The mantold me I didn’t have to meet them and thank them:they didn’t do it for me, they did it for God and Godwho sees what they do in secret would give themtheir reward. This is dialogue of life.

Father Thomas Michel

A personal experience of dialogue of life:serving the other to serve God


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Hbeen doing that for centuries: they share cultureand language, sing the same songs, tell the samejokes and watch the same movies. And when theyshare also the best of their faith, that is whendialogue of life happens.

The Year of Mercy closed in November 2016.How do you think we can draw upon thecommon theme of mercy in Christianity andIslam to foster theological and practicalreflections? Mercy is definitely an important topic. There

have been many academic conferences about thistopic during the Holy Year but I also know ofmany places where Christians and Muslims gottogether out of academic contexts to talk aboutGod’s goodness. We often say that Christianity isabout love and Islam about something else but IbnSina [Avicenna, a Muslim philosopher] basicallysaid “God is love” and is all about love. There areindeed a lot of aspects that we don’t know aboutthe other’s faith.

We also have to remember that God is notindifferent to what we do in this world and thatHis mercy is not limited to any one group. He ismerciful to all of us and this is a common witnesswe have to make. Both Christianity and Islam alsoteach that mercy is something that you do, it is nota feeling. You are merciful when you concretely tryto help who is in need.

In September 2016 in Assisi, the Holy Fathercelebrated the 30th anniversary of theInterreligious gathering for the World Day ofPrayer for Peace. How can prayer help us todraw closer together?Prayer happens when we consciously realize

that we are in God’s presence. We can havedifferent ideas about who God is but I think wecan pray as Abraham and Melchizedek did. It is inprayer that we become aware of God’s qualitiesand when you acquire this awareness together withsomeone else, it becomes more difficult to besuspicious or to be angry at the other. ■

Christians and Jews today:“Encounter must be face to face”

Interview with Belgian Rabbi David Meyer,lecturer at the “Cardinal Bea” Center for Judaic

Studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University.Rabbi Meyer has taught in various countries, fromBelgium to Peru, from China to Italy. In thisinterview he tells us about the approach to theother in Jewish tradition and the complexity ofinterreligious dialogue in the Holy Land inaddition to his personal experience of dialogue

Going back to the sources of Jewish traditionlike the Talmud, what is the place historicallygiven to those who are not part of the people ofIsrael within the Jewish community? Judaism tries to avoid relationships with pagan

practices: the idol-worshippers would becompletely rejected from any possibilities ofcontacts.

Within those who are not pagans but non Jewsthere are the Noahides, those who follow the sevenlaws of Noah which are considered to be the

Rabbi David Meyer and his friend, the Jesuit FatherPhilipp Gabriel Renczes, director of the Cardinal BeaCenter for Judaic Studies at the Pontifical GregorianUniversity in Rome.


foundation of any human society. If one followsthese laws, relationship with the Jewish communityis not problematic, one can live within theboundaries of the Jewish society and be treatedwith respect. The Noahide laws is all you need tohave an encounter between Jews and non Jews butit does leave the non Jews in a marginal place.

For a long time (until the 14th century) therewas a debate about whether or not Christianity waspart of the Noahide group or not because of theTrinity. The Trinity was problematic for Jewishthinkers during the Rabbinic period and earlyMiddle Ages.

In the 14th century there was an importantteaching by a rabbi, known as “the Meiri” fromProvence, who said that Christianity and Islamwere ethical monotheisms so that really broughtChristianity and Islam on a very close footage withJudaism. The premises for this idea were put down,although still ambiguously, by Maimonides in the12th century. From that day on, the idea that youcan be part of an ethical monotheism also outsideJudaism became a quite powerful message and

quite in advance for its own time. That gave thefoundation to the possibility of dialogue.

In your opinion, what are the key differences inliving dialogue between Christians and Jews inthe Holy Land and in the other countries in theworld?Dialogue between Christians and Jews is not

easy because of historical realities that need to befaced, theological differences, prejudices even 50years after the Second Vatican Council and theNostra Aetate Declaration. In the Holy Land it isadditionally difficult because of the politicalsituation.

Christianity in the Holy Land is historicallymade out of Arabs so it falls into the conflictbetween Israelis and Arabs, Palestinians inparticular. Second, the question for Israeli Jews andJews in general all over the world is that the Stateof Israel is an element of Judaism, a cornerstone. Itis then difficult to have a religious dialogue inIsrael bypassing political issues because the realityis a political reality and because the political

There has been diversity in Judaism for a very longtime, even at the time of the Temple there were

different branches of Judaism: Pharisees,Sadducees, Essenes. Some branches remainedwithin Judaism, others were excommunicated andbecame something else, for example the Qaraites.

With the rise of modernity greater diversity wasofficially created. When Judaism was faced withmodernity and the ability to leave the ghettos, theissue was how such a tradition – that was essentiallycreated by rabbis who lived in a ghetto – couldadapt outside the ghetto. This led to a certain splitwithin Judaism between the Orthodox and nonOrthodox world as to how to incorporate modernity.

The different approaches to modernity take placeat two levels. The first question is how to face thegap you may sometimes witness between themedieval Halakha [the legal norms of Judaism] andlife as an equal citizen in a mixed and complexsociety. The second question is to what degreescientific understanding and criticism of tradition areincorporated. In Judaism you may have those who

believe that the Torah has been given by God toMoses on Mount Sinai and that includes bothwritten and oral Torah and those who have a morecritical approach and who consider that RabbinicalJudaism and even Biblical texts are the result of acreative process and that impacts on the authority ofthe founding texts.

On account of this it is translated into differentmovements ranging from the more Orthodox to themore Liberal:

■ The Hassidic movement inherited its traditionfrom Polish society. Within them there are differentkinds of Orthodoxy, sometimes at odds with eachother but essentially it is a group which abides toJewish law as they understand it and who are really

A very diverseJewish world


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Hpresence of the State of Israel is a mode ofexpression of Jewish identity.

The Catholic Church just celebrated the closureof the Jubilee of Mercy. In what ways do youthink that we can draw upon the commontheme of mercy in Christianity and Judaism(both in describing God and in considering thecall to implement mercy in our lives) to bringabout theological and practical reflections?The issue of mercy is complicated because there

are a lot of assumptions. We assume that mercy is atthe center of Catholicism and Judaism. In Judaismmercy is not different from the proper enactment ofjustice and dialogue might actually be difficult onthis topic. Furthermore, mercy is also what bringssuffering: mercy entails a certain patience withthose who are not behaving as they should. If youwant to be merciful, you don’t bring the judgmentimmediately, you give an opportunity to repent, tochange, you give time to words to convince butwhile you give time to this person, innocents suffer.So mercy is not without consequences.

There is a discussion on content that needs tobe considered: what do we really consider mercifuland what fits into that category and I am not surethat Judaism and the Church would reply in thesame way.

Is there any personal experience of dialogueand encounter that you may want to share?I have lots of experiences of dialogue, for

example here at the Pontifical GregorianUniversity where I am teaching. What I think isimportant to share is that any experience ofdialogue has to take into account the time factor:dialogue is not something you do occasionally, oncein a while. You grow into dialogue when you startknowing people, it is an ongoing effort whichhappens after you create friendship and trust.Dialogue is not conferences, it is not a lecture in aconference room nor a declaration. Encounter isface to face: it is when you meet someone who tellsyou something to which you react and respond andthrough your response he replies and so on.Dialogue shakes both worlds: his world and my

not at all penetrated by modernity issues. You cansometimes recognize them by their kind of clothingand the Yiddish language that they speak.

■ Standard Modern Orthodoxy is the result ofthe thought of Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, a19th century rabbi who established this movementthat doesn’t reject modernity as long as it doesn’timpact on tradition. It would be no issue to drive acar and watch TV but modernity would not changethe way you think about your own tradition and thatcreated the mainstream movement within Orthodoxy.

■ Crossing the Orthodoxy divide, there are thenon orthodox groups. The Conservative movementhas a real love for tradition and tries to cope withmodernity by looking back into traditional texts andtrying to find legal loopholes that would enable toincorporate modern issues. Sometimes this impliesminimal adjustments but other times it requiresmajor shifts such as the role of women. ConservativeJudaism generally considers man and woman equalin terms of ritual aspects while we know for sure thattraditionally this is not the case. Tradition is seen asa dynamic organism and by working smartly within itand with elements in one text or the other, they are

able to incorporate within tradition values that maybe considered outside tradition.

■ A little more to the left there is the Reformmovement which is more liberal. They made a lot ofchanges in terms of liturgy and the use of Hebrewbut from a legal point of view the Reform movementconsiders that if you have values outside yourtradition, these are just incorporated as externalvalues, not pretending to find a loophole in thetradition.

■ Liberal movement is more to the left. Itconsiders itself to be a radical movement and affirmsthat Judaism is facing a real crisis linked tomodernity, the Shoah and the ability to work insociety. Therefore Judaism needs a real reshaping ofits beliefs and systems. One point they are reallystrong about is the reintroduction of the self intoJudaism. The minimal unit for a Jew is normally theJewish family, while for Liberals it is the individual.This is a modern and interesting concept whichallows to acknowledge that Judaism has a problemwith the self, by always overemphasizing thecommunity aspect.

Rabbi David Meyer


world. What I learnt here is that it takes a lot oftime and energy because you cannot take it forgranted and you have to be involved, be prepared,work, let yourself be surprised, destabilized anddemystified.

The other thing I have learnt is that the onlyreal encounter is symmetrical and sadly in Jewish-Catholic dialogue it rarely happens because there isan a priori, that is that the Church needs Judaismbut Judaism does not need the Church becauseJudaism was there first. The reality is that nobodywas there before anybody else. There was a Biblicaltradition and out of that Biblical tradition came aChristian tradition and a Rabbinic one and thesetwo have equal roots within Biblical Judaism andequal distance from it. Rabbinic Judaism is nomore in line with Biblical Judaism1 thanChristianity is.

Here I discovered that I allow myself toconsider that I have as much to give to Catholicstudents who want to learn about Judaism as I have

to learn from their Christian thinking. WhatChristianity has done throughout the centuries isan authentic reflection of pre-rabbinic Jewish ideaof its time as Rabbinic Judaism is and when the twotraditions separate later on, Judaism became whatwas not in Christianity and viceversa. The reality isthat you discover that a good part of whatChristianity has put to the forefront of its thinkinghas a very strong Jewish echo. Encounter then isnot only about curiosity, it is about rediscoveringsomething about your tradition that your traditionhas extinguished for practical and historicalreasons.

1 By “Rabbinic Judaism” we intend to describe the ways,traditions, customs and ways of thinking that were developedby the rabbis after the destruction of the Temple. “RabbinicJudaism” is therefore very different from “Biblical Judaism”where Temple, Sacrifices and Priestly rituals were thedefining constituants of how Judaism was lived before thefall of Jerusalem.

A Palestinian Muslim approach to non-violence

Professor Mohammed Abu-Nimer serves as Director of

the Peacebuilding andDevelopment Institute atAmerican University. He is alsoSenior Advisor to the KingAbdullah bin AbdulazizInternational Centre forInterreligious and InterculturalDialogue (KAICIID) in Vienna.He has conducted interreligiousconflict resolution training andinterfaith dialogue workshops inconflict areas around the world and writtenextensively on peacebuilding and non-violentresponses to conflicts.

You were born into a Palestinian family livingin Israel. What was your perception of thesituation in that land when you were a youngstudent? What did you decide to do? What isyour feeling right now?I grew up in the North part of the country and

I attended university in Jerusalem between 1981

and 1986. During that periodliving in Israel-Palestine waschallenging also because of theoccupation in the West Bank andthe struggle for equal rights andcitizenship. I had the chance ofbeing in contexts where Arabsand Jews could meet and Idevoted a great deal of my timeand my life to facilitate encountersbetween Palestinians and Israelis.In fact many Israeli Jews livednearby Palestinians but they never

had the chance to meet and talk with them. So westarted an encounter program to support the ideaof living together and coexist in the same land.

This happened before Oslo took place in 1993and it became fashionable to talk about peaceissues. But at that time it was a very pioneer andnew idea considering the challenge we had asPalestinians living in Israel to work againstdiscrimination and for equal rights.

Let’s talk about peacebuilding and Islam: what


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Hare the important resources Muslims can usefrom their religious tradition to work for peaceand conflict transformation? Pope Francisoften talks about “a culture of mercy”. Whatrole may mercy play in the Islamic context? I have worked in many countries like Niger,

Pakistan, Iraq and I have always believed thatIslam as a religion has a solid framework topromote peace, coexistence and harmony. Nonviolence in itself is part of Islamic theology. In areasof conflict, when you work with Muslimcommunities promoting peacebuilding, you canrely on values like forgiveness and reconciliationwhich are part of the faith. The problem is aboutthe lack of functioning political, social, educationaland economic infrastructures. That makeschallenging to speak and apply the Islamic idea ofpeace.

Regarding the issue of forgiveness, mercy andreconciliation, I find inspiring to talk about it andsee similarities with Christianity. In Islam, if youforgive you gain a greater reward than choosingrevenge and fighting back. As for Mercy, this is oneof the names of God in Islam. Any action a Muslimdoes should be made in the name of the Merciful.The concept of Mercy is very foundational in Islam

and you can see it in the Qur’an , in the prophetictradition (Sunna) and it was not difficult forMuslims to relate to Pope Francis’ message in thatregard.

We just celebrated the 30th anniversary of theinterreligious gathering in Assisi for the WorldDay of Prayer for Peace. In your opinion, whatrole does prayer play for groups of believers inconflict transformation?Prayer is a powerful form of building alliance

and relationships and conflict transformation is allabout building relations. Any form of spiritualrituals can be a powerful tool and a way to feelingthe pain of the other and enter in solidarity withthose who are the victims. Everyone can engage inthat practice one way or the other, ritualized or not,and it gives people the chance to reflect and takethings beyond.

For example, when Muslims go to Mecca forthe pilgrimage there are about 2 million and a halfpeople together, connecting with each other andcalling to peacebuilding and coexistence, the sameway as Christians do when they gather in placeslike Jerusalem or Rome. Praying together for peacesends an incredibly powerful message. ■


The charisma of Mother Teresain the Holy Land

The presence of the charisma of MotherTeresa, who was proclaimed a saint by theHoly Father on Sunday September 4, 2016

in St. Peter’s Square, illuminates the streets of theHoly Land in the joy of a smile and in service.

The Missionary Sisters of Charity arrived in theDiocese of Jerusalem in 1970 and today have activecommunities in Gaza, Jerusalem, Nablus, andBethlehem and, in Jordan, in Amman, Ermaimimand Rusaifeh. Some are active in reception centres,caring for the elderly or those with disabilities andgiving support to poor families. In other realitiesthey are a roving presence visiting families in theirhomes, and even enlivening catechism.

Moreover, in Nazareth, there is a community ofthe Contemplative Missionary Brothers of Charity.Besides the three classic vows – obedience, poverty,and chastity – the brothers profess a fourth officialvow: to freely and wholeheartedly serve the poorestof the poor. On June 15, 2013, on the occasion ofthe solemn profession of five members of thecongregation, the patriarchal vicar for Israel, Msgr.Giacinto Boulos Marcuzzo blessed their new chapeldedicated to the Holy Family of Nazareth, like all

the chapels of the Contemplative Missionaries ofCharity. The altar contains the relics of MotherTeresa of Calcutta, Saint Mariam Baouardy, SaintMarie Alphonsine Ghattas and Blessed Charles deFoucauld.

Mother Teresa made a pilgrimage to the HolyLand in 1982 and, on that occasion, visited theHouses of Peace (Dar al-Salam) of her congregationin Amman (Tla Al-ali), Jerusalem, Bethlehem,Nablus and Gaza. She also visited the seminary ofthe Latin Patriarchate in Beit Jala where she wroteon the guestbook that love is the foundation of apriest’s life.

The Missionaries of Charity have several activecenters across the Middle East. We remember, withdeep emotion, the community in Yemen whichwitnessed the violent loss of four sisters killed onMarch 4, 2016 one of which, Sister Anselm, hadlived for some time at one of the houses in Jordan.

During the press conference for thecanonization of Mother Teresa on September 2 atthe Vatican Press Office, Sister Mary Prema Pierick,superior general of the Missionaries of Charity,responded to a journalist’s question asking what the

future saint of Calcuttawould have said about thecurrent situation in theMiddle East: “Dear brothers,love one another, take care ofeach other and come to eachother’s aid because we are allchildren of the sameheavenly Father and arecreated to love and be loved.The evil that we commit inconflict is to no one’sadvantage but God wants tosee us united”.

We join in prayer andthanksgiving for this womanof God whose life hasbrought many fruits to theHoly Land and throughoutthe world. ■

The Saint from Calcutta during her visit to the seminary in the Latin Patriarchateof Jerusalem at Beit Jala, in November 1982. Today the Missionaries of Charity,the women’s religious institute founded by Mother Teresa, who was canonizedlast September 4, have seven communities in the territory of the Patriarchate.

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HThree new cardinalsare members of the order

Three members of the Order of the HolySepulchre have emerged from amongst thenew cardinals created by Pope Francis on 19

November. We offer our heartfelt congratulationsto their Eminences Cardinals Blase J. CUPICH,archbishop of Chicago and Grand Prior of the

Lieutenancy USA North Central, Carlos OsoroSIERRA, archbishop of Madrid, and RenatoCORTI, archbishop emeritus of Novara. We assurethem of our spiritual union with them, in this newphase of their mission to serve entrusted to themby the Church.

Cardinal BLASE J. CUPICH, Archbishop of Chicago (U.S.A.)

Msgr. Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, United States of America, was born inOmaha, Nebraska, U.S.A., on March 19, 1949. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in

philosophy in 1971. From 1971 to 1975 he was student at the Pontifical North AmericanCollege in Rome, and studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 1979 heobtained a licentiate and in 1987 a Doctorate in sacramental theology at the CatholicUniversity of America in Washington, D.C.

He was ordained a priest on August 16, 1975 for the archdiocese of Omaha and heldvarious roles in parishes and in offices for liturgy and formation. On 30 June, 2010 he wasappointed bishop of Spokane, Washington. On September 20, 2014, Pope Francisappointed him as metropolitan archbishop of Chicago. He was chairman of the USCCBCommittee for the Protection of Children and Young People (2008-2011) and of the National Catholic EducationalAssociation Board (from 2006-2008) and is member of numerous committees of the Conference of Catholic Bishops ofthe United States of America. He is a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

Cardinal CARLOS OSORO SIERRA, Archbishop of Madrid (Spain)

Msgr. Carlos Osoro Sierra was born in Castañeda, province and diocese of Santander, on May16 1945. He graduated in philosophy and theology at the Pontifical University of

Salamanca and was ordained a priest on July 29, 1973 in Santander, remaining incardinated inthat diocese. After priestly ordination he held various pastoral ministries particularly in formationand in youth ministry. On December 27, 1996, Pope John Paul II appointed him as bishop ofOrense. He received episcopal ordination on February 22, 1997. On January 7, 2002 he waspromoted to the metropolitan see of Oviedo. From September 2006 to September 2007 he wasalso apostolic administrator of the diocese of Santander. On January 8, 2009, he was transferredby Pope Benedict XVI to the metropolitan see of Valencia. On August 28, 2014 Pope Francisappointed him as metropolitan archbishop of Madrid. Since March 2014 he has served as vice-president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference.

Cardinal RENATO CORTI, Bishop emeritus of Novara (Italy)

Msgr. Renato Corti was born in Galbiate in the province of Como and the diocese ofMilan (Italy), on March 1, 1936. He was ordained a priest on June 28, 1959 by

Msgr. Montini, the future Pope Paul VI, and was parish co-operator in the oratory ofCaronno Pertusella from 1959 to 1967. He then served in the archbischop’s College ofGorla as spiritual director. In 1969 he moved to Saronno with the same mandate, thenserved as rector for theological studies from 1977 to November 1980, when he wasselected by Archbishop Martini as vicar general.

Elected to the titular see of Zallata and appointed auxiliary bishop of Milan on April30, 1981, he was ordained in the same year. Appointed Bishop of Novara in 1990, heheld this office until 2011, when the Pope accepted his resignation for reasons of age.

In 2015, Pope Francis entrusted him with the task of writing the meditations for thetraditional Way of the Cross on Good Friday at the Colosseum.


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During the Jubilee of Mercy, the staff of theGrand Magisterium had the joy of passing

through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in thecompany of the Grand Master, Cardinal EdwinO’Brien, on February 22, 2016. The staffremembered the intentions of all members of theOrder in their prayers, in a special way those whoare going through times of illness or difficulty.

Msgr. Fortunato Frezza, Master of Ceremoniesof the Order and Canon of St. Peter’s, led the groupin this intensely spiritual moment which constitutesone of the conditions for obtaining a Jubileeindulgence, in addition to receiving the sacramentsof Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist and activelypraying for the Holy Father’s intentions and carriedout spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

The accompanying photo shows the staff of theGrand Magisterium along with the Grand Master, the Governor General Agostino Borromeo, the thenChancellor Ivan Rebernik and Consultor Pier Carlo Visconti, on having passed through the Holy Door, nextto the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter, in the well-known papal basilica.

Crossing the Holy Doorwith Cardinal O’Brien

Annual meetings of the GrandMagisterium and the continental

meetings of Lieutenants

PROCEEDINGS OF THE GRAND MAGISTERIUM

Opening proceedings on April 12, following theinaugural Mass celebrated at the Palazzo della

Rovere – seat of the Grand Magisterium –,Cardinal Edwin O’Brien strongly encouragedparticipants at the meeting of the Institution’s

governing body to study the Pope’s recent apostolicexhortation, Amoris Laetitia, “a hymn to familylife”, and to promote its reading among themembers of the Order.

After presenting his new secretary, US Air Force

The following summaries (meetings of the Grand Magisterium andLieutenants’ continental meetings) were drafted immediately following

the meetings and are included in this publication of Jerusalem Crossfor the Order’s historical archives.

The Spring Meeting of the Grand Magisterium


The Chancellor IvanRebernik, concluding histerm of office, was publicallythanked for all of his work onbehalf of the Order by theGrand Master and theGovernor General in thepresence of members of theGrand Magisterium who hadgathered in Rome. Inrecognition, the Chancellorreceived the Golden Palm.

chaplain Father John Bateman, the Grand Masterannounced his forthcoming visits to theLieutenancies and Magistral Delegations, inparticular for the first Investiture in the CzechRepublic, and later to the Pacific and Asia wherethe Order is growing. He underscored that hecounts on the members of the Grand Magisteriumto cultivate bonds with Lieutenants in the majorregions of the world.

The Governor General, Agostino Borromeo,also thanked Cardinal O’Brien for his steadfastcommitment to visiting the Lieutenancies aroundthe world, an activity that stimulates all of theOrder’s vital forces to come together and supportthe “culture of encounter” in the Holy Land. TheGovernor hailed the generosity of members of theOrder which has enabled the collection of 13.5million Euros in 2015 for the benefit of the “livingstones” of the Church in the territory of the LatinPatriarchate of Jerusalem, which extends fromJordan to Cyprus. After having warmly thankedthe Chancellor Ivan Rebernik for his work duringhis recently concluded four-year term of office, theGovernor officially welcomed lawyer FlavioRondinini as the newest member of the GrandMagisterium, who will also be responsible formanaging staffing issues.

In his speech, the former Patriarch ofJerusalem, and Grand Prior of the Order, Msgr.Fouad Twal, described the situation in the HolyLand, with special emphasis on the‘discrimination’ that Catholic schools in the HolyLand are facing, now that they have been deprivedof the certainty of government subsidies, which arein discussion. He also stressed the challenge ofmigrants, especially refugees who today make up

about 20% of the Jordanian population. Amongthe various relevant issues touched upon, Msgr.Twal mentioned the construction of the “Cremisanseparation barrier” and the tragedy that thisrepresents for Palestinian Christian families whoselivelihood depends on the cultivation of olive treesin this valley near Bethlehem. He also stressed theurgent need for the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, particularly at a timewhen public attention is being diverted from thiscentral question of international law by the wars inthe Middle East.

Faced with these growing difficulties,particularly with regard to social, healthcare andeducation problems in Palestine, the Patriarchproposed a larger participation of the GrandMagisterium to the general reflection, in theframework of a Committee which could also focuson better school management, in addition to theprojects regularly followed by the Holy LandCommission. This proposal was discussed atlength and will be the subject of further study,given that various members of the GrandMagisterium supported the use of local experts. Abroader collaboration with the Patriarchate washappily taken into consideration during theexchanges that took place, particularly in thedrawing up of a five-year development plan.

An effort for real, consolidated dialogue betweenthe Order and the Latin Patriarchate

The 2015 budget presented by Father ImadTwal, general administrator of the LatinPatriarchate, shows an overall higher deficit forthe institutions, the seminary and the schools


compared with previous years: this was attributedto the decrease in donations from sources otherthan the Order of the Holy Sepulchre which, forits part, has instead sizeably increased its regularcontributions.

Father Imad Twal echoed the Patriarch’s urgentappeal to the Grand Magisterium, especiallyregarding Catholic schools that form the futurepillars, lay and ecclesiastic, of the Holy Land,given that some in Jordan risk closure. One of theproblems is the low wages of teachers and staff –80% of whom are members of the Christiancommunity – leading to the exodus of teachers tostate structures. In agreement with thePatriarchate representatives, the GrandMagisterium will send a specific set of questions tothe general administrator to better understand thereasons for the deficit and try to remedy them aspart of its effort for real consolidated dialogue.

On this point, the Vice Governor, PatrickPowers, reiterated the willingness of Americanmembers of the Order to help form tomorrow’sleaders in the Holy Land while the Patriarchatewill commit itself with a rationalizing logic capableof restoring Catholic education to its position ofexcellence.

The Holy Land Commission, which is led byThomas McKiernan, described its ongoing andfuture projects, which include renovations in two

Jordanian schools. The Commission alsoconfirmed its willingness to engage in aprospective study of a pastoral nature with thePatriarchate. This would involve, beyond existingmaterial projects, “strategic planning” aimed atsaving the Catholic schools which are essential forthe consolidation and the future of the localChurch.

In his analysis of the state of the GrandMagisterium accounts, Engineer Pier CarloVisconti revealed that the annual aid sent to theHoly Land has passed from 9.3 to 11.3 millioneuro, while the Grand Magisterium expenses havedecreased. The contributions for schools continueto grow (3 million euro in 2015 compared to 2.5the previous year). The Assessor of the Order,Msgr. Antonio Franco, outlined how the VaticanFoundation St. John the Baptist has been able torepay the debts of the University of Madaba andensure development in the coming years.

Concluding his term of office to great applause,Chancellor Ivan Rebernik provided details on theOrder’s statistics showing the entry of 1,250 newmembers in 2015 (a total of 28,787 worldwide).He also presented a summary report oncommunications and his work on the GrandMagisterium’s archives, which have beenreorganized thanks to a lengthy restructuringproject including their digitalization.

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It was in the presence and with the active participation of the new ApostolicAdministrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem as of September 2016, Msgr.

Pierbattistta Pizzaballa, that the members of the Grand Magisterium were gatheredtogether, with the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, on October 25 and

26, in Rome. During the second day of the session, Mass in honour of Our Lady ofPalestine was presided by Msgr. Pizzaballa in the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, Romanshrine of the Divine Mercy, before the annual reception in the Palazzo della Rovere, seat

of the Order, where Cardinal Edwin O’Brien received his guests, of whom Cardinal PietroParolin, Secretary of State for His Holiness Pope Francis, was at the top of the list.

At the beginning of the meeting, CardinalEdwin O’Brien warmly welcomed Archbishop

Pierbattistta Pizzaballa, whom he had accompaniedjust one month before during his solemn entranceinto Jerusalem. The Grand Master equally greetedMsgr. Bernard-Nicolas Aubertin, Archbishop of

Tours and Consultor of the Grand Magisterium,future head of the Order in France, as well as theambassador Alfredo Bastianelli, new Chancellor ofthe Order.

The Governor General Agostino Borromeothanked the cardinal for his travels which had

The Grand Magisterium’s autumn meeting


already led him to meet 90% of the Lieutenancies,reinforcing the dynamism and renewing theenthusiasm of members everywhere, butparticularly in countries far from Europe. He alsoannounced that Msgr. Pizzaballa had joined theOrder, and is nominated for Pro Grand Prior. Hepraised the expansion of the Order, notably inNorthern Europe, with the creation of theSweden-Denmark Lieutenancy, and its continuingdevelopment in Asia and the Pacific region, forwhich Paul Bartley is becoming Vice GovernorGeneral.

Msgr. Pizzaballa then described the situation inthe Holy Land, expressing his wish to personallymeet all the priests of the Patriarchate, and tocreate councils planned by canon law. The youngarchbishop, who enjoys the complete confidenceof the Holy Father, has launched a call to themembers of the Order, to not hesitate inparticipating in this joint reflexion, according totheir competencies, showing availability andopenness to dialogue, and willing transparentcommunication between the two institutions. Hefurther asked that the Order participates in therestoration works, even just symbolically, for the

aedicule of the Holy Sepulchre, the Basilica whichhas forever been considered the cathedral of theCatholic Church.

The meeting was followed by Fr Imad Twal’s(responsible for the economical questions of thePatriarchate) presentation shining a light on thespecific expenditures of the seminary, wherenumerous future priests are studying, and takingstock of the aid brought by the Order to the parishand the three Catholic schools in Gaza (936,000dollars).

The Holy Land Commission of the GrandMagisterium then presented their report followingthe site visit conducted last summer byBartholomew McGettrick and HeinrichDickmann. Solidarity and subsidiarity characterisethe action of the Commission serving the projectsof the Patriarchate assumed by the GrandMagisterium, especially in the social andeducational domains, which remains attentive topeople in a dynamic of accountability andempowerment.

The preliminary report of the GrandMagisterium’s accounts, put together by theEngineer Pier Carlo Visconti, appears to be very

The feast of OurLady Queen of

Palestine, inOctober, is marked

every year with areception at

Palazzo dellaRovere, seat of theOrder situated nearSt. Peter’s Square:the Grand Master,

together with theGrand Magisterium,

receives guests,friends of the Holy

Land, including firstSecretary of State

of His HolinessPope Francis,

numerouscardinals, bishops,

prelates andambassadors.



The time of the Grand Magisterium’s meeting always starts with a Eucharistic celebration. In commenting on theGospel (Lk. 13: 18-21) Cardinal O’Brien held in high esteem the greatness of the vocation of the members of theOrder, reminding us that, “God sees all of one life’s potential, which we cannot even imagine, even in the darkesttimes and when we see ourselves as unworthy.” The following day, Msgr. Pizzaballa emphasized the gratuity ofSalvation, taking as reference Luke who gives us the image of the narrow door (Lk. 13: 22-30): only those who haveexperienced being saved as something independent to their good works, can pass through this door. “Accepting thefact that Salvation is free, is truly to take the ‘narrow’ path, because for us it would be easier to buy it through ourworks thus not owing anything to anyone.” But God invites us to enter into the “inverted” logic of his Kingdom.

positive; the expenditures have dropped and themembers’ donations do not cease to increase inproportion to the international development of theOrder.

The work of the Grand Magisterium has alsohelped the schools of the Patriarchate, whichconcern nearly 20,000 students whose future isthreatened by financial difficulties, especially withrespect to the need for a rise in teachers’ salaries.In accordance with suggestions of the GrandMagisterium, which have been expressed many

times in the past, Msgr. Pizzaballa plans to uniteforces progressively through bringing all theChristian schools together, including those beyondthe Patriarchate, with the aim of defending theircommon interests.

In concluding the meeting, amongst othersubjects dealt with in-depth, Chancellor Bastianellihighlighted the remarkable increase of membersbetween 1 October 2015 and 30 September 2016(1457 admissions). The next meeting of the GrandMagisterium will be held 3 and 4 May 2017.


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In early June the North American Lieutenantsgathered for their annual meeting in Baltimore,

Maryland. It was the first ever meeting ofLieutenants in the Premier See of the UnitedStates.

His Eminence, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, GrandMaster, and Governor General AgostinoBorromeo, travelled from Rome to attend themeeting. Vice Governor General Powers, and fourmembers of the Grand Magisterium, attended twodays of meetings along with Monsignor John E.Kozar, President of the Catholic Near East WelfareAssociation (CNEWA), and Monsignor RobertStern, President Emeritus of the CNEWA andconsultant to the Order.

On Thursday evening, June 2, the GrandMaster presided at Vespers in the historic Basilicaof the National Shrine of the Assumption of theBlessed Virgin Mary. The Most Reverend WilliamE. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore, welcomed thegroup to Baltimore. Following Vespers, a receptionwas held in the Archbishop’s residence whereArchbishop Lori greeted guests and provideddetails on the history of the first Roman Catholicdiocese in the United States. The Archdiocese ofBaltimore was established as a diocese on 6November 1789, with Father John Carroll as thefirst Bishop of Baltimore. Baltimore was laterestablished as an Archdiocese in 1808. It is herewhere the Catholic University of America wasfounded, the site of the First Synod and Councils

of Baltimore, and where Baltimore Catechism waspromulgated.

The meetings commenced with the GrandMaster giving an opening address in which heemphasized the importance of the annual meeting,and asked that the Lieutenants continue theirefforts in renewing the spiritual lives of the Knightsand Dames. Governor General Borromeo alsoaddressed the group and provided an update onthe hotel, which thus far is entrusted to theColumbus society, and the recent appointment ofthe Order’s new Chancellor, His ExcellencyAmbassador Alfredo Bastianelli. Vice GovernorGeneral Powers gave a detailed presentation on thefinances of the Order.

The two days of meetings included a widevariety of topics ranging from the daily operationsof a Lieutenancy, to finances, liturgy, pilgrimages,and candidate formation. Several newly appointedLieutenants attended and the meeting providedthem the opportunity to observe and participate invarious discussions.

Professor Thomas McKiernan, President of theHoly Land Commission, gave an update on theconstruction projects currently underway in thePatriarchate and insight into the planned 2016programs. Monsignor John E. Kozar, President ofthe Catholic Near East Welfare Association

The Lieutenants of North America and their consortsduring the meeting which was held in Baltimore, in

the United States, last June.

North American Lieutenants Annual Meeting


(CNEWA), having recently returned from theMiddle East, provided first-hand insight into therefugee crisis facing Christians in Kurdistan.

On Saturday morning, the Lieutenants and theirspouses attended Mass at the historic NationalShrine of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, located indowntown Baltimore, where Monsignor Robert L.Stern was the principal celebrant and homilist. The

final day of meetings included discussions aboutthe legacy program, recruitment efforts,microcredit opportunities, the Squires program,and activities planned during the Year of Mercy.The meetings officially concluded on Saturday withan evening dinner honouring the Grand Master.

John Carmen PiunnoMember of the Grand Magisterium

The European Lieutenants of the Order of theHoly Sepulchre held their annual meeting at

the headquarters of the Grand Magisterium inRome, June 27 and 28, 2016. Welcoming them, theGrand Master Cardinal Edwin O’Brien spoke of theimportance of the Jubilee pilgrimage to the Marianshrine of Pompeii, October 15, in the footsteps ofBlessed Bartolo Longo, the first lay member of theOrder to be beatified, a model of holiness for all theKnights and Dames. European Lieutenancies wereparticularly invited to send their delegates on thispilgrimage, organized by the Italian Lieutenancies.

Following on from this, the Governor General,Agostino Borromeo, spoke of giving priority toprayer and Christian formation, thanking theCardinal for his “fruitful stimulus of the Order’sspiritual development,” seen in his actively takingpart in Investitures on all five continents. TheGovernor then spoke of how the members of theOrder, encouraged to become increasingly involvedin the commitments they have taken on, were moregenerous than ever considering that donations havereached, for the first time, more than 13.5 millioneuro (here we must take into consideration the pastyear’s fluctuating currency excahnge rates). Thecontinued growth and expansion of the Order,especially in Eastern Europe and Latin America,was outlined by the newly appointed Chancellor,Ambassador Alfredo Bastianelli. He also unveiledthe new website of the Grand Magisterium, in fivelanguages, which will foster the Order’sinternational communications (www.oessh.va).

Engineer Pier Carlo Visconti, gave apresentation of the Grand Magisterium’s financialbudget, noting a favorable trend and a positive year,thanks to reduced costs and increased revenue.Pierre Blanchard, a member of the Grand

Magisterium, went on to explain that this positiveresult is also the fruit of the Grand Magisterium’sprudent management of revenues in favour of theHoly Land.

Archbishop Antonio Franco, Assessor of theOrder, then gave an outline of the financialsituation regarding the San Giovanni BattistaFoundation, the institution established by the HolySee to support Catholic universities and inparticular that of Madaba, Jordan, to promote aculture of encounter. Last year Lieutenanciesresponded to the Grand Master’s call to supportthis Church institution, whose development ispromising and, through the Foundation, theSecretariat of State has provided a loan that theLatin Patriarchate will have to repay over fiveyears.

Other topics that were covered include thefrustration expressed by Lieutenants in the delay inthe reconstruction of Gaza, despite considerablefunds having been allocated. However, for themoment the Israeli authorities generally continueto prohibit the export of products that are notfood, clothing and medicines to this territory. TheLieutenants are also interested in the evolution ofthe social reality in Israel, a country that sees theHebrew-speaking Catholic community inexpansion due to the number of migrant workers,in particular from Asia, whose children areeducated in Israeli schools.

The president of the Holy Land Commission,Thomas McKiernan, gave a presentation on theOrder’s involvement with the Vicariate for migrantsin Israel, in helping the younger children ofimmigrants through the establishment of aprofessionally organised daycare center. He alsospoke in detail of the other projects of the Grand

Annual meeting of European Lieutenants



Magisterium in the HolyLand for 2016: akindergarten in Jordan thatwill allow the development of a school, theexpansion of a playground at another school, acontribution for a nursing home in Taybeh,Palestine, and an increase in teachers’ salaries in thePatriarchate schools, which is vital in order topreserve the quality of education.

In this context the Commission has proposed afive-year plan to simplify the management ofschools and to improve provisions for socialsecurity contributions and staff pensions, to thePatriarchate. “We want to be part of the solution,not the problem,” said the Vice Governor Generalin America, Patrick Powers. He was referring to theissue which faces the new Apostolic Administrator,Father Pizzaballa, one he will have to attempt toresolve. In fact, Fr. Pizzaballa joined the group overdinner Monday night, honouring the Lieutenants

and the whole Order with hispresence. Through hiscooperation, the Order can

count on a healthy coordination of aid, with eachLieutenancy being able to devote 10% of itsresources to projects other than those of the LatinPatriarchate, for example to aid the Catholiccommunities of the Greek-Melkite and Maronitechurches.

The meeting was followed by a lengthy exchangeon how to reach out to the non-active members ofthe Order. Some of these are very old but still incommunion of prayer with the Holy Land, whileothers have distanced themselves, even morally. Inthis regard, a committee chaired by the Chancellorwill present proposals to the Grand Master.Concluding, Cardinal O’Brien spoke of his desirethat ordained members of the Order be increasinglyintegrated into the spiritual accompaniment ofKnights and Dames’ missions. ■

European Lieutenants gather aroundCardinal O’Brien during their Spring

Meeting at the Order’s headquarters inRome.


A Vice Governor General forthe Pacific and Asia region

The continuous development of the Order inAsia and the Pacific region led the Cardinal

Grand Master to appoint October 20, 2016, Dr.Paul Bartley Vice Governor General with a specialassignment for this region. Member of the Ordersince 1997, Lieutenantfrom 2004 to 2012 ofthe Lieutenancy ofAustralia Queenslandand, later, a memberof the GrandMagisterium, PaulBartley joins PatrickPowers and GiorgioMoroni Stampa intheir mission tocollaborate with theGovernor Generaland assist him in the performance of his duties. Atpresent the Order has five Lieutenancies inAustralia, a Magistral Delegation in New Zealand,in addition to Lieutenancies in the Philippines andin Taiwan which Cardinal O’Brien visited duringhis trip in September 2016, when he wasaccompanied by Bartley.

Welcome to AmbassadorAlfredo Bastianelli,new Chancellor of the Order

The Grand Master of the Order of the HolySepulchre, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, has

appointed Ambassador Alfredo Bastianelli asChancellor for a term of four years. Bastianelli is aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregorythe Great and a Grand Officer of the Order ofMerit of the Italian Republic.

Born in Rome on January 26, 1951, he marriedFiammetta Fiorentino in 1983, and is father tothree sons: Giovanni Battista, Ascanio and Niccolò.A graduate in Law, the new Chancellor served theItalian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for many years,

holding positions atthe Italian Consulatein Sao Paulo, Brazil,and at Italianembassies in Canada,Mozambique andIndonesia, inaddition to thePermanentRepresentation at theEuropean Union. Hethen served asAmbassador of his country in Angola, Cyprus andBelgium.

Alfredo Bastianelli has also been a Gentlemanof His Holiness since 2007. The members of theOrder, present throughout the world, wish himwelcome, and join together in prayer, entrusting hisnew mission to Our Lady of Palestine.

Flavio Rondinini, memberof the Grand Magisterium

Te he Grand Magisterium of the Order of theHoly Sepulchre has a new member in the

person of Supreme Court lawyer Flavio Rondinini.Born February 9, 1962in Faenza, he graduatedin Law from theUniversity of Bolognaand holds a licence incanon law from thePontifical OrientalInstitute. He is also theauthor of severalreference books. As amember of the Order of

the Holy Sepulchre, he has collaboratedprofessionally with various realities of the HolySee, in particular with the Secretary of State andthe Congregation for Eastern Churches. Marriedwith three children, he is also a reserve officer inthe Carabinieri. Cardinal O'Brien officiallywelcomed him to his new international role duringthe Spring meeting of the Grand Magisterium.

Nominations and Promotions


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Ambassador Ivan Rebernikappointed Honorary Chancellor

On 12 December 2016, the Grand Master,Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, appointed

Ambassador Ivan Rebernik Chancellor of Honor.Member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre since2000, Ambassador Rebernik fervently served theOrder as Chancellor from 2012 to 2016.

During those years he has closely chaired thework of the Order’s Commission on Appointmentsand Promotions and supported the

On his arrival to Rome he said: “This assignmentwas a big surprise for me. In recent years I began tofeel a spiritual closeness to persecuted Christiansand I am glad to be able to work for the Christiansin the Holy Land. Without my knowing it, Godwas preparing me for this task.”

Collar bestowed onVice Governor Generalsand Lieutenant General

During the meeting of European Lieutenantswhich was held in Rome at the headquarters

of the Grand Magisterium of the Order, at the endof June, the two Vice Governor Generals, PatrickPowers for North America and Giorgio MoroniStampa for Europe, as well as the LieutenantGeneral Giuseppe Dalla Torre del Tempio diSanguinetto, received the Collar of the Order, fromthe hands of the Grand Master, Cardinal EdwinO’Brien, thus becoming part of the class of theKnights of the Collar, the Order’s highest rank. TheCollar was bestowed on the evening of June 27during a convivially shared meal at the end of the

The bestowing of theCollar took place on thesidelines of a convivialmeal shared at the end ofone of the days of work.

communications development of the GrandMagisterium of the Order that led to the openingof the new site in five languages and entry into theworld of social media. In addition, he promotedthe reorganization of the Grand Magisteriumarchive given his valuable and long experience inthe library sector.

Father John Bruce Bateman,secretary of the Grand Master

In the early days of January 2016 father JohnBruce Bateman was presented at the offices of

the Grand Magisterium as the new secretary ofCardinal O’Brien. He was ordained a priest in 1996in the diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and forthe past 12 years has served the Church as a parishpriest, in addition to serving as a military chaplain.

day’s working session.The Collar is an honor conferred on the highest

authorities, as in the case of the King and Queen ofBelgium in 2015, in exceptional cases. For thehighest offices within the Order, the Collar isbestowed as a sign of recognition for the workdone.

In the Order’s history, the first lady to havereceived the Collar was Elizabeth Verreet who wasalso the first woman member of the GrandMagisterium. ■

Mary CurrivanO’Brien, enteredas a Dame of the

Order in 1987, wasLieutenant for USANorthwestern fromOctober 2008 toSeptember 2015 and is nowa member of the GrandMagisterium of the Order.A resident of SanFrancisco, she is marriedwith four children and sixgrandchildren. In thistestimony O’Brien recallsthe path that led her to giveherself more and more toservice within the Order upto her appointment as amember of the GrandMagisterium.

“My appointment as amember of the GrandMagisterium was not asurprise to some of themembers of the Order, butit certainly was to me! Myinvolvement with theEquestrian Order of theHoly Sepulchre has been ajourney of many years.

I have served for manyother non-profit charitiesalong the way. CatholicCharities of San Franciscoand Santa Rosa were mypassion for 25 years and Iwas on various fundraisingcommittees. Allvolunteering was donewhile my husband, Terry,

Archbishop GIUSEPPE DE ANDREA wasborn in Rivarolo Canavese on 20 April, 1930.

He was ordained a priest in 1953 in the ConsolataMissions Institute. He served in the Diocese ofGreensburg, Pennsylvania (USA), for more thantwo decades.

He was called by the Holy See to serve in theoffice of Permanent Observer to the UnitedNations in New York from 1983 to 1994.Subsequently for five years he worked for the Vatican as theUndersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care ofMigrants and Itinerant People.

Monsignor De Andrea received the fullness of the priesthood in2001 and was appointed titular Archbishop of Anzio. He also receivedthe responsibility of serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrainand Yemen, in addition to serving as Apostolic Delegate to the ArabianPeninsula.

In 2003 he was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Qatar. In 2005,upon having reached the age limit, he retired from diplomatic office.

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem has beenfortunate enough to benefit from the experience and pastoral care ofMsgr. De Andrea in the years when he served as Assessor of the Order(2008-2013), a position which he carried out with special dedicationfrom 2011-2012, the period of time between the resignation of theGrand Master Cardinal Foley and the moment his successor, CardinalEdwin O’Brien, took possession of his position. From that time until hislast days, as Honorary Assessor, he was always close to the mission ofour Knights and Dames, and sustained it with his efforts and prayers.

Monsignor De Andrea passed away on June 29, 2016, the Solemnityof Saints Peter and Paul, and all members are united with the GrandMaster, in accompanying this friend and supporter of the Order withprayers as he has returned to the house of the Father.

* * *

ALBERTO CONSOLI PALERMO NAVARRA: LieutenantEmeritus for Central Italy, member of the Grand Magisterium of

the Order of the Holy Sepulcher from 2010 to 2014, the lawyer AlbertoConsoli Navarra participated actively in the Commission ofAppointments and Promotions. Married to Marinella Bottani, Dame ofthe Grand Cross, both have shown great willingness towards the Order

helping to create bonds of fraternity andsolidarity among the members. The Knight ofthe Grand Cross died on May 13, 2016, at theage of 81. We assure his wife and his family ofthe profound gratitude of the Order and ourcloseness in prayer for the repose of Alberto.

in memoriam MaryO’Brien


and I raised our four children. My motto learnedfrom my father: Take the “t” out of “can’t” andyou can!

Starting in 1987, I was one of the youngermembers of the Order, and with my husband, theannual meetings were our “vacation.” We spentthree days every year enjoying the liturgies,learning about the Holy Land, and renewing ourfriendships with other members of ourLieutenancy. My involvement started slowly withchairing the Saturday theme nights and Sunday

banquets forthe 900+members of ourexpandingLieutenancy.

In 1993, Iwas appointedthe arearepresentativefor the SantaRosa Diocese,and held thatposition until2003 (10 years)when I was

appointed the Chancellor for the Lieutenancy.The year 2008 was difficult for all the membersof our Lieutenancy: our Lieutenant, JohnMcGuckin, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.Three weeks before our planned annual meetingin Oakland, California, I was asked to presideover the entire annual meeting. No sooner was Iappointed to the position of Lieutenant (onlywoman at that time among 58 men) in October2008, and then I received notice that I wasexpected to attend the Consulta in Rome the endof November.

Our Lieutenancy is the smallest numerically inthe United States, but one of the largestgeographically from Alaska to California (8

Western states and 21 Dioceses) My travel mileshave increased over my seven years as Lieutenantby visiting our members in their Dioceses, andmeetings in Rome and Bethlehem. I have servedon the Bethlehem University International Boardof Regents for the last four years.

The best description of the Equestrian Orderof the Holy Sepulchre membership is: Prayerful,committed and generous. Many times throughoutthe year, our members come together to pray forthe suffering of the families in the Holy Land atretreats, annual meeting liturgies, and especiallyon Good Friday when Knights and Dames takeup the special collection in their parishes for theHoly Land.

Our membership has been committed andgenerous to the Christians in the Holy Land. Wehave nine scholarships for students attendingBethlehem University. We also support a parishschool in Mafraq with tuition subsidies, twosummer school programs in Mafraq and Ader,the Our Lady of Peace Center for special needschildren in Amman, Jordan, and tuition supportfor a Seminarian at Beit Jala.

One of my favorite commitments is a programour Lieutenancy started five years ago in honor ofmy predecessor, known as the “McGuckinMentoring Program,” for Bethlehem University.Over 50 students in the last five years have beenable to travel to the United States and Australiafor six weeks in the summer, and be mentored byvarious employers. This is due to thecommitment and generosity of our members.When the students return to Bethlehem, they areeager to give back to their University and theirhomeland with their new business knowledge.

It has been an incredible journey in assistingwith the mission of the Order, and I look forwardto serving as a member of the GrandMagisterium, even if I am the only woman fornow!” ■

places her love for the Holy Landat the service of theGrand Magisterium PR

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It was my pleasure to attend the Installation ofArchbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa as ApostolicAdministrator of the Latin Patriarchate in

September. Having spent twelve years as Custos ofthe Franciscans in the Holy Land he is so very wellversed on the challenges facing Christians there ashe is experienced in dealing, with trust and respect,with the many religious and political communitiesthat claim that Land as their own.

The Supreme Pontiffs gave our Order themission of helping the Church in the Holy Land,and particularly the Latin Patriarchate ofJerusalem. In all these years, in addition to thefulfilment of the needs of the latter, we madesignificant efforts to support the Catholicinstitutions that do not depend on the Patriarchateas well as to help many initiatives of the EasternCatholic Churches. However, in this particularmoment, I want from now on to publicly guaranteeour availability and our total support toArchbishop Pizzaballa in the delicate service whichPope Francis has decided to assign him.

The Archbishop, as he declared in his speechgiven on September 21st, gave himself the task of“acceptance, listening, discernment and orientationof the path of the Church in the next years.”During his episcopal consecration, in Bergamo onSeptember 10th, he had already expressed theauspice that “the ability to meet and accept eachother starts again in Jerusalem, building bridges,roads and not walls, for us and for all the Church.”

This exacting agenda encompasses broadhorizons that compel us to demonstrate ourspiritual proximity to the new ApostolicAdministrator through our most efficacious means,prayer. Material tools must also be made availableto realize it and, as an Order, we have a particularresponsibility to provide him with all the necessaryresources.

Therefore, I appeal urgently to our members tomake further efforts with their usual generosity inorder to make the necessary means available toArchbishop Pizzaballa.

I am sure – and for this I thank them – that

Lieutenants and Magistral Delegates will knowhow to satisfy these expectations, with conscienceand loyalty. I, together with my closestcollaborators and the whole Grand Magisterium,commit to remain in contact with the Patriarchateand coordinate our combined effort to the best ofour abilities. On the other hand, I am certain thatour new Archbishop knows very well theimportance of his own duties and is aware that ourattentive management of the donations fromKnights and Dames is necessary for the efficientfulfilment of the mission given by the Holy See.

I know that I can depend on all of you and,therefore, express my highest gratitude. I alsorestate our spiritual and material proximity toArchbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, wishing fullsuccess upon the challenging path he has started totread.

Edwin Cardinal O’Brien

Cardinal O’Brien calls for supportfor the Latin Patriarchate

During the installation of the new ApostolicAdministrator of the Latin Patriarchate ofJerusalem on 21 September 2016, CardinalEdwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre, assured Msgr. PierbattistaPizzaballa of his support and that of all theKnights and Dames.


Grand Magisteriumprojects

Thomas McKiernan, president of the Grand Magisterium Holy LandCommission outlines ongoing projects in addition to the regular aid provided

by the Order to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem for its institutions(parishes, schools, health facilities, pastoral care of migrants and the

Hebrew-speaking Catholic community, communication works ...). His text,published during summer 2016 on our website www.oessh.va was updated on

December 31, by the Grand Magisterium Communications Service.

In 2015 a project was started in Jaffa ofNazareth, in Israel. It is a three-phase project

to reconstruct the school to include a high schoolwith a computer lab, a science lab and an indoorgym. To enable these additions, the communityhouse of the religious sisters had to be moved aswell as the priest’s residence to the newkindergarten building. This will be the third highschool that we have supported in Israel, afterReineh and Rameh.

It took a long time for construction to beginbecause of the numerous and expensive permitsrequired by the Israeli government. Most of thesepermits have been granted and so work hasbegun. In 2015, the Order had pledged tocontribute $ 865,000 to the realization of the firstphase of the project, of which 260,000 weregranted in 2016 and the remaining will be paidduring 2017 based on the progress of work.

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A high school in IsraelThree-year project, started in 2015

PROJECTS ALREADY UNDER WAY



A Church in JordanA joint venture between the parishioners and theOrder

Another project started in 2015 is the church andmultipurpose parish hall at Marj Alhamam in

Jordan, an area with about 30,000 residents. The parishis home to about 300 families, 1500 parishioners with atotal Christian population of about 4000 people. Thechurch and the hall will be open to all. A lot of theinitial work was paid for by a local Christian benefactorand the parishioners themselves, so it is therefore, ajoint venture between the parishioners and the Order.The cost of the project amounted to $ 494,000. Thechurch was inaugurated on September 2016.

Amman’s Our Lady of Peace CenterA place of encounter and sharing for the Church in Jordan

Also in 2015, work began on the Our Lady of Peace Center near Amman, Jordan. The Our Lady of PeaceCenter, established in 2004, specializes in assisting families with members who have limited physical andsocial abilities. Currently Jordan is the most stable of the Middle East countries, thus the Our Lady of PeaceCenter (photo p. 53) has become a regional nerve point for retreats and meetings for priests, scouts. Theproject transformed an existing structure, partially complete, into a conference center and residence for thepriests and nuns working at the center. The cost was $ 141,000.

Grand Magisterium projects

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A kindergarten for the childrenof foreign workers in IsraelThe joint initiative of the Order in collaboration with the Vicariate forHebrew-speaking Catholics is important because every year a sum of60,000 euro is sent by the Grand Magisterium of the Latin Patriarchatefor the pastoral care of this community. In addition to this help, theGrand Magisterium also donates 50,000 euro at the beginning of the yearto the Patriarchate for day nurseries for the infant children of foreignworkers of the Hebrew language in Israel. Finally 40,000 euro is donatedfor the pastoral care of migrants, ensured by the Vicariate under theresponsibility of Father David Neuhaus.

The Vicariate for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Tel Aviv has reported that migrants and refugees are inneed of assistance for their children while they are at work, given the low wages they receive to support

their family. Often, between 40 to 50 small children are kept in rooms without windows or with the light off(to keep them asleep), supervised by an unskilled worker. Two or three children die every month. Thanks tothe intervention of our Order and private donors, as well as the energy of Father David Neuhaus,Patriarchal Vicar, and an important legacy received from the United States, we are responding to thisdramatic reality. The Holy Land Commission has discovered a situation for which everyone should beashamed and today we can be proud to see a significant improvement. This is just one example of the waysin which the Holy Land Commission has expanded its mandate.

Extraordinary help for the people of Gaza

In summer 2014, following the operation “Protective Edge” in Gaza, Cardinal O’Brien called onmembers of the Order to make an extraordinary effort to help the people of Gaza. The

contributions amounted to $ 936,000 and helped to meet various needs until October 2016: integrationof the payment of school fees of students and salaries of teachers of Catholic schools, the renovation ofthe buildings annexed to the Latin parish (home of the parish priest and parish offices) in addition topastoral activities, psychological support for children and medical and humanitarian aid. Therenovation of the Holy Family parish is still ongoing and will continue through this donation in 2017.

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Grand Magisterium projects

Work on the safety standards of two Jordanian schools

Besides the increase in wages, three other projectswere presented in 2016 representing a total cost

of $ 1.5 million.The Hashimi Kindergarten in a poor quarter of

Amman no longer conformed to Jordanian law;nursery schools must be on the ground floor so thatchildren do not run the risk of falling down stairs. Ifthese rules were not followed, the school would havebeen closed. The school in Tla Al-ali in an evenmore poverty stricken area, needed more space forgames for children or it too faced closure. The schoolis home to 300 students for the most part Christian,who are cared for by 30 teachers. The cost of thesetwo projects was $ 911,000.

NEW PROJECTS IN 2016

An increase in teachers’ salariesUrgent action to safeguard the quality of teaching in Catholic schools

The Latin Patriarchate executives have insisted that we aid them in increasing the salaries of teachersin Palestine and Jordan. During our previous visit, Msgr. Maroun Lahham, the then Patriarchal

Vicar in Jordan, hadexpressed his great sadnessat the loss of good teachersdue to low salaries in ourschools. The LatinPatriarchate then proposedan apportioned increase insalaries over five yearswhich, in practice, allow anaverage increase in Jordanof around $ 720 and inPalestine of around$ 1,060. The cost sustainedby the Grand Magisteriumin 2016 was $ 454,000.

Other contributions in 2016

The Order also contributed to the costs of a nursing home in Taybeh, Palestine, and a CatholicDocumentation Center in Amman, Jordan.


The Order of the HolySepulchre collaborating

in ROACO projects

Each year, as part of theReunion of Aid Agenciesfor the Oriental

Churches (ROACO), the Orderof the Holy Sepulchre commitsto support some projects,expanding its mission ofsolidarity in the Holy Land,meaning all the biblicalterritories, and all the Catholiccommunities in addition to theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

At the ROACO 2016 Springmeeting, the Order has agreedto collaborate in projects for theCatholic communities of theGreek-Melkite Church and ofthe Rosary Sisters who welcomea thousand pupils, in Gaza, invery difficult conditions.

■ The Greek-Melkitecommunity of Nazareth hasabout 10,000 faithful. TheChurch of St. Joseph, built 50years ago, works to meet thespiritual needs of parishioners,as well as hosting prayermeetings for students of theannexed Greek-Catholic schooltwice weekly and many otherparish activities. Work began onbadly needed renovation twoyears ago, with a localcontribution covering 60% ofcosts. The Order of the HolySepulchre contributesspecifically to about 75% of thecosts for the fence project toprotect the church fromvandalism which unfortunately

The Order gives its support to all the biblical land so that the land whereGod has made His promise is always open towards the spiritualexpectations of humanity. (Picture: Cabidoche)

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In this picture he (first left) is with (from left to right) Archbishop Georges Bacouni, Archeparchy of Akka Greek-Melkites; Msgr. John Kozar, President of CNEWA and Bishop Jacob Aerath, Syro-Malankar eparchy of St. John

Chrysostom of Gurgaon,India. The President of theCommission told us: “Forme, currently a member ofthe Holy Land Commission,which focuses mostly onthe needs of the Latin orRoman Catholics of theLatin Patriarchate ofJerusalem, my participationat R.O.A.C.O. was a ‘crashcourse’ about those partsof the world where Latinand Oriental Catholics liveside-by-side and remindedme of another comment ofPope John Paul II that theCatholic Church ‘breatheswith two lungs’- East andWest alike – rather thanwith only one Western, orLatin, lung.”

has recently damaged thestructure.

■ There is a small Christiancommunity of Catholic Greek-Melkite faithful and Greek-orthodox faithful in the villageof Bi’ina, next to Akko, innorthern Israel. The MelkiteChurch of Saint Peter, built in1907, has 250 parishioners.The project supported by the Order will providefor the construction of an annex to the church toaccommodate religious and social activities for thelocal community and the surrounding villages.

■ The last project that the Order has committed toin 2016 through ROACO, is the renovation of theSisters of the Rosary School in Gaza. This school,run by a Latin rite Catholic congregation of women

religious founded by Saint Marie-Alphonsine DanilGhattas, welcomes about 900 students – of whichonly 9% are Christians, considering the smallnumber of Christians left in the Gaza Strip – andprovides schooling from pre-school to the age of15-16. The Order will fund the renovation of thetoilets and kitchens, as well as realize side accessstairs to the facility and install a new drainagesystem. ■

Thomas McKiernan, President of the Holy Land Commission ofthe Grand Magisterium attended the ROACO Assembly which

took place in Rome on June 2016


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From 22 to 30 August 2016 two members ofthe Holy Land Commission of the Order of

the Holy Sepulchre, Dr. Heinrich Dickmann andProfessor Bartholomew McGettrick,accompanied by the head of theCommunications Service of the GrandMagisterium, – in the exceptional absence ofThomas McKiernan who presides theCommission – made a working visit to theterritory of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem,meeting the persons concerned in the diverseprojects, current or future, essentially in thefields of humanitarian service, the education ofyoung people and the life of parish communities.A summary of these days, presented here in formof a testimony, illustrates the mission of theOrder and the challenges the Latin rite CatholicChurch must overcome today in the Holy Land.

Hope, love, justice: a motto to better servethe Holy Land

Our journey started on the feast ofthe Queenship of Mary, August 22, bya short pilgrimage to the shrine of OurLady of Palestine, at Deir Rafat inIsrael. There, a religious of the LittleSisters from Bethlehem, member of thecontemplative community whoanimates the shrine, told us of how thehabitants of the near Kibbutz came tohelp clean the aggressive graffiti left byJewish extremists on the walls of theirmonastery, manifesting aninterreligious solidarity which goesdeeper than the apparent tension. Thistestimony opened a week of meetingsfor us under the banner of hope, loveand justice, during which brotherlylinks could be seen everywhere,confirming in us the great desire tostrengthen them.

Accommodated at the seat of the

Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in the heart ofthe Holy City, we shared fraternally our mealswith the recently named Apostolic AdministratorMsgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Msgr. WilliamShomali, then Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem andPalestine1, and the community of priests who livethere.

The first evening we visited Msgr. MichelSabbah, Patriarch Emeritus, who lives with thesisters of Saint Brigette on the Mount of Olives.He spoke to us of his regular pastoral service atTaybeh, an entirely Christian village in the northof Israel. The following morning we went to thehospital Saint-Louis of Jerusalem where thedirector, Sister Monika Düllmann nurse andtheologian, spoke to us with enthusiasm of theinterreligious dialogue lived around the sick. Inthis hospital which specialises in palliative care,Jewish, Christian and Muslim patients alikereceive care and respect from the sisters, thepersonnel and volunteers who come from manydifferent countries. “Health unifies everyone,”

With the Holy Land Commission of the Order listening to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

TESTIMONY

Moment of silence at the Our Lady of Palestine sanctuary inIsrael.


summarises Sr Monika, congratulating in particularthe collaboration of many rabbis amongst thechaplains of the establishment, where, “the love ofthe human being is more important than all therules”. This hospital, founded at the end of the19th century thanks to the generosity of a FrenchKnight, the baron of Piellat, has been recentlybrought up-to-date with regulations through thehelp of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, inparticular its huge ‘Kosher’ kitchen, adapted to thedemanding rituals of the Jewish Religion, issomething entirely new. The example given by thisReligious woman opens up prospects for a dialogueof life more successful in knocking down walls thanall the theoretical discussions.

Education a priority project

Next we attended a meeting concerning theprojects of the Patriarchate, in the service officesmanaged by Henrique Abreu, a Brazilian Knight ofthe Order who voluntarily put himself at thedisposition of the Church in the Holy Land fromalmost three years until December 2016. Theseprojects, totalling thirty and representingapproximately 15 million euros, are presented onthe website of the Patriarchate in a very thoroughway, with a clear outline of what the Order isfunding (http://project.lpj.org/). During thismeeting the question was posed concerning thesalary of the teachers in the schools of the

Patriarchate, a call for it to be raised in order toavoid large numbers of teachers leaving to go toother establishments, private or public. Because thequality of the teaching depends on the quality ofthe educational staff, the members of the HolyLand Commission of the Grand Magisterium haveasked for a 5-year plan to be put into place thataims to rationalise help and better distribute it,paying particular attention to the deficit of schoolsin the Patriarchate in Palestine. The new Directorof Schools, Fr. Iyad Twal, has promised to talk withthe Apostolic Administrator on the subject of thisplan as a priority. Other projects for 2017 havebeen voiced, amongst which are the completion ofa new church in Amman, a religious book shopneeding development in Beit Sahour, Palestine, andmore building works in a convent of sisters atMadaba.

In the context of both institutional relations andfriendship, the team of the Order was also able tomeet with the director of the Pontifical Mission inJerusalem, Sami El-Yousef, who told us about hishumanitarian trip to Gaza, a very disadvantagedzone, where his organisation in particular favoursjob creation with a view to support the life of thesmall local Christian community.

The visit continued to Beit Jala, near Bethlehemin Palestine, with an exchange between the parishpriests, then dinner together in the seminary of thePatriarchate. The priests described the tragicsituation with which many young people areconfronted; imprisoned by the dependency ondrugs, internet pornography and sometimesearning money through prostitution. The LatinPatriarchate is trying to develop activities for them,in particular through the Scouts, supporting asmany families as possible in this challenge. Theyouth camps run by volunteers, like the oneorganised by French volunteers in Ramallah thissummer, should multiply, and a call has been putout for volunteers who speak English.

Jordan, a refuge of peace for Arab Christians

The next day we left for Jordan for two days,accompanied by Fr. Imad Twal, head of theadministrative services of the Patriarchate, himself

Sister Monika, director of the Saint-Louis hospital inJerusalem.

TESTIMONY


originally from Madaba like the Patriarch FouadTwal who has just retired. We made a stop at theschool of Tla Al-ali, at Amman, which is helped bythe Order and we spoke with the Director, MajidaKawar. “Education is a ministry of Hope”, notedthe professor Bartholomew McGettrick one of themembers of the Commission during theconversation, commenting on the success of thisJordanian school where 300 students study, for themost part Christian. Then we discovered anotherreality, still in Amman, in an extremely poorneighbourhood in Hashimi where a nursery forinfants will soon be built thanks to the action of theOrder. The town of Amman was only severalhundred inhabitants in 1930, it is now more thanfour million, as Msgr. Maroun Lahham thenPatriarchal Vicar for Jordan explained to us.

There are still 70,000 Latin Catholics in Jordan,out of six million inhabitants, whilst the Christianstogether formed half of the population before thearrival of the Palestinian refugees, which todaytotal two million.

We were taken to the construction site of achurch, at Jubeiha, in the northern suburbs ofAmman, a quartier increasingly frequented byChristians who have come to settle there. Theyoung 34-year-old parish priest explained to us thatthe current church is no longer sufficient for the1,500 families, and he is continuing to gathertogether the money needed to finish the churchSaint Paul, whose construction was stopped morethan a year ago. However, Mass continues to takeplace there for 7,000 people, with tarpaulins put upto give cover from the rain, whilst they wait forbuilding works to restart. Great was our joy onseeing this believing community, glowing with faithand enthusiasm. The adjacent parish school, one ofthe twenty-five schools of the Patriarchate inJordan2, is also in need of modernising, as weverified ourselves.

The members of the Commission, when goingon site visits to specific projects, often also have theoccasion to observe certain malfunctions which canthen be resolved by working in tandem with thoseresponsible in the Latin Patriarchate.

We followed our route to the Centre of OurLady of Peace, still in Jordan, constructed

originally to care for people with mental handicapin the spirit of Jean Vanier’s movement, Foi etLumière (Faith and Light). There are twenty whocome to the framework of four classes and followdaily therapies without being accommodatedonsite. This house also has a pastoral activity with acommunity of Religious, in welcoming groups. TheOrder is financially committed here with respect tothe Centre’s kitchen, the sisters’ accommodationand painting the building.

Tour of the Holy Land Commission: Jubeiha, outskirtsof Amman, where a church is being built.

Our Lady of Peace Center in Jordan.

Hebrew speaking Christians a growing minority

The visit continued with Fr. David Neuhaus,Patriarchal Vicar for the Hebrew-speakingCatholics, who has charge of the pastoral care of150,000 immigrants and refugees currently presentin Israel, of whom 60,000 are Catholic. Fr.Neuhaus showed us the buildings of a newwelcome centre, currently under construction forthe infants and young children of foreign workersin Jerusalem, in the court of a convent ofCapuchins. Thanks to this structure, their parentshave thus the possibility of earning a daily livingknowing that their children are kept in goodconditions, their situation often otherwise beingprecarious. Six infants recently died because they

were kept in an inhumane manner somewhere else,without any care. With respect to this humanitariancrisis, the Holy Land Commission of the GrandMagisterium is very committed with Fr. Neuhaus,all the more so as these Hebrew-speakingChristians originally from foreign countries areincreasingly more numerous and they will be animportant part of the future of the local Church.The second generation immigrants or refugees willbe entirely Israeli from a cultural point of view, butno one can say yet if they will able to legally stay inthe Holy Land.

After this very moving time spent with Fr.Neuhaus we went to Ramallah, in Palestine, to talkto the Directors of schools. The necessity of raisingthe teachers’ salaries from 5 to10% appeared to bea priority once again, in order to preserve thequality of teaching; “the important thing is notwhat we teach but how we teach,” according to theexpression of one of the members of the HolyLand Commission of the Grand Magisterium. TheOrder is already financing the first part of salaryraise in 2016.

Mother Church: a universal vocation

At the end of the week we were able to go toBethlehem where we met the Dean and the vice-chancellor of the University of Bethlehem, Br.Peter Bray, in his establishment, which is a trueoasis of peace and dialogue in the Holy Land, andone of the teachers explained to us how sheorganises internships in the region, in localcommunities and businesses, so that the studentsmight be well prepared for the service they shouldlater give to the development of their country.

Not far from there, very close to the separatingWall in Jerusalem, we visited the sisters who runthe Centre of Our Lady of Sorrows, a retreat housefor forty elderly and poverty stricken people. TheReligious women would like to restore the Centre,making it bigger in order to welcome more people,with the help of a young new director.

On Sunday we were expected by the priest atBeit Sahour, in the area close to Bethlehem wherethe angels announced the news of the Saviour’sbirth to the shepherds. The Christian community is


FatherNeuhaus, incharge of thepastoral careof migrants inIsrael, isinvolved in theimportant workof caring forthe children offoreignworkers.

TESTIMONY


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lively and numerous, and a religious bookshopsupported by the Order generates funds whichenable diverse pastoral activities. The parishpriest is head of a movement for the youngChristian students and he plans on organising

small local WYDs in Bethlehem, with thepresence of European youth in order to buildfriendships and strengthen solidarity. All of theselocal activities, an expression of the pastoral careof the Patriarchate, are possible thanks to thepermanent and persevering solidarity of ourmembers.

Before leaving, our hearts full of the faces ofthe people we had met, we crossed on foot thestreets of Jerusalem, and made a pilgrimage to theHoly Sepulchre, praying in the empty tomb forthe Church in the Holy Land and for the Knightsand Dames, so that the relationship of goodcollaboration between the Patriarchate and theOrder may be strengthened.

A new page of history opens for the Church inthe Holy Land which is undertaking a decisivestep, and is perhaps being asked to rememberever more closely its vocation to universality: sheis the Mother Church where all languages andcultures must feel at home. It’s the spiritualrichness of this Family Church that we haveexperienced and wish to serve.

François Vayne

1 In February 2017 Pope Francis accepted theresignation of Msgr. Maroun Lahham by his PatriarchalVicar for Jordan office and was appointed in his placeMsgr. William Shomali.

2 The Patriarchate also has fifteen schools inPalestine and six in Israel.

On the right, view ofBethlehem University

from the terrace of theChristian Brothers

Schools in Palestine.Below, the basilica of the

Holy Sepulchre, in theheart of Jerusalem

attracts pilgrims fromaround the world,

including many membersof the Order who

experience the joy ofvisiting the Holy Land in

the footsteps of Jesus.


The new website and social mediaof the Grand Magisterium

On Tuesday June 28last, during the

European Lieutenantsmeeting in Rome, theGrand Master CardinalEdwin O’ Brien officiallylaunched the GrandMagisterium’s newwebsite, which is nowavailable in fivelanguages:www.oessh.va. Allmembers, Knights andDames, butalso friendsof theOrder andpress can nowsubscribe to theNewsletter via email.Each Lieutenancy cansend texts and imagesto be included, as wellas links to articlespublished in the press.This site will be able toreflect the universality ofthe Order, and thedynamism of itsmembers and createlinks, where possible, tothe Lieutenanciesvarious publications inthe correspondinglanguage areas.

At the beginning oflast summer, parallel

to the creation of thenew website in fivelanguages(www.oessh.va), theGrand Magisteriumcreated a Facebook page (@granmagistero.oessh) and a Twitter account (@GM_oessh) to increase the dailycommunication between all members of the Order. The 30,000 Dames and Knights of the Order in the worldand their friends, are therefore invited to join us on these social networks in order to testify to the dynamism ofthe life of the Lieutenancies in service of the culture of encounter in the Holy Land.

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Excellency, we would like to helpour members get to know youbetter, on a deeper, more spiritual

level. How has Saint Francis inspiredyour pastoral ministry?I belong to the Franciscan religious family

and the example of the saint of Assisi istherefore at the center of my life and serviceto the Church. The reason why I followedFrancis was because he was in love withChrist in his humanity and when he sawhumanity, he saw Christ. This would be how Iinterpret my role as pastor today inJerusalem: first of all start afresh from Christand my encounter with him in every livingreality. The love of Jesus Christ mustenlighten our pastoral choices. If our firstconcern are needs we will always befrustrated but instead if we start from ourrelationship with Jesus Christ, it illuminates all ofour problems from within. A heart filled with joyfor the salvation we have been gifted addressesdifficulties in a different way, in an open dialogue

and this is even more necessary in Jerusalem wherethere are so many divisions, fears, closures, bothreligious and political. A Church free from fear isopen. We have nothing to lose and, as St Peter saidto the impotent at the Beautiful Gate, the entrance

THE ORDER AND THE HOLY LAND

Seeing Christlooking at humanityThe new Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Msgr.

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was appointed to this role by Pope Francis June 24, 2016, thefeast day of St. John the Baptist, and then elevated to the dignity of archbishop. His

episcopal ordination took place on September 10 in Bergamo’s cathedral. OnSeptember 21, Msgr. Pizzaballa made his solemn entry into the Holy City, Jerusalem,through the Jaffa Gate, accompanied by the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy

Sepulchre. On September 30, he was officially welcomed to Jordan, one of thecountries in which he carries out his pastoral function, and on October 16 it was theturn of the Patriarchal Vicariate in Israel, in Nazareth, where he celebrated a Mass inthe Basilica of the Annunciation in the presence of numerous delegations. “I want tobe the bishop of all and for all and count on the full cooperation of all of you”: this

was the heart of his message during the various stages of his inauguration as head ofthe Mother Church in the Holy Land.

Interview with Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa

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to the Temple of Jerusalem: “I have no silver orgold, but what I have I give you: in the name ofJesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!”.

To go even further into the heart of yourspirituality, could you explain your choice ofepiscopal motto for the members of the Order? Just before the official announcement of my

appointment, I read this passage of the Word ofGod in chapter 12 of the second letter of St. Paulto the Corinthians in which it is written, “My graceis sufficient for you.” In fact, I feel like a late-comer, not entirely qualified for the role as I am anItalian in the Holy Land, a Franciscan but notthere because I am a Franciscan, here for an Arabchurch, but I do not speak Arabic. I can see all ofthese limitations inherent in this choice so my onlyoption is to entrust myself totally to grace.

You have spoken of how the writings of aFrench Jesuit of German origin, ChristophTheobald, inspire you. Can you draw anyuseful insights from his work “The revelation”to help members of the Order of the HolySepulchre in their spiritual life ?This Western society, where everything changes

so quickly, is no longer Christian and I wonder howwe can be Church today, how can we reach peoplewho do not welcome faith anymore and do notknow Jesus Christ in a “post-Christian” society. Ifound an original thought in Christoph Theobald’sinsights: It is not a question of converting people

but to awaken in them the desire for Christ and tolive every encounter in this light. Christ is alreadypresent in the world and has conquered death, allwe have to do is bring him into the world, revealhis presence and awaken the consciousness of thepeople to God’s love that is waiting for them.

The shrine of Our Lady of Palestine in DeirRafat, Israel, is very important for you. Howare you going about inviting the faithful to visitit and promote it?Our Lady of Palestine, the patron saint of the

Order of the Holy Sepulchre, plays an importantrole in the life of the Christian communities of thevast diocese that the Pope has sent me to serve. Ofall the shrines of the Holy Land, often linked to aspecific territory, that of Our Lady of Palestinegathers together all of our local Church, beyonddifferent sensitivities, or origins, or language. I

“As you know, the Patriarchate extends fromJordan to Cyprus, passing through the Holy Land

(Israel and Palestine), with the heart of Jerusalem. It isa vast territory and quite diverse, where politically,socially and pastorally speaking the issues arecompletely different.

In Jordan, the political environment is stable.Compared to the tragedies in the countries thatsurround it, especially in Syria and Iraq, it is a calmand serene oasis. But even here, as is the caseeverywhere, there are plenty of problems: theeconomy remains fragile and there is a seriousproblem of unemployment among the youth. The vastnumber of refugees, who are mainly Syrian, is creatinga serious unease from a social point of view. It must

Msgr. Pizzaballa during his official entrance intoJerusalem, accompanied notably by CardinalEdwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Order of theHoly Sepulchre.

A few days after his appointment asApostolic Administrator of the LatinPatriarchate of Jerusalem, Msgr.Pierbattista Pizzaballa describedthe territory of the Patriarchate inan interview published in full onour website www.oessh.va

http://www.oessh.va/content/ordineequestresantosepolcro/en/dalla-terra-santa/aggiornamenti-dalla-terra-santa/ripartire-da-cristo-risorto--intervista-a-padre-pierbattista-piz.html


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be noted that the efforts of the whole country to helpthose who are desperate are admirable, but it remainsobjectively difficult to offer opportunities to hundredsof thousands of people who arrived so suddenly,above all, as we said, in an economical context that isalready fragile.

In the Holy Land the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is apolitical reality that is known to all and honestly Iwould not know what to add in this regard. We hopethat the political earthquake that has shocked theMiddle Eastern ports will also cause the rulers ofPalestine and Israel to meet again in order to give aperspective to their respective peoples that is not onlyto accuse one another. It seems that they areredefining a new equilibrium between the variousMiddle Eastern countries. In the Holy Land it is alsotime for a new language that offers prospects and a

future. The alternative to this is only war.In Cyprus too it seems that discussions between

the two sides have become easier. We hope that thisis the case not just in appearances.

In this context of great change, our pastoral activityalso changes. The changes, in fact, not only concernthe macro-political, but also (and I would sayespecially) the societies of the respective countries.The role of the family, the youth field and the world ofwork are rapidly changing in the Middle East.Interreligious dialogue, in a context of a growingfundamentalism, poses new and difficult questions.The relationship between the Christian churches isfaced with common needs of coordination not only ona pastoral level. The questions are many, therefore,and we will try to understand and to work together asa Church to find the possible answers.”

want to develop the reception capacity of thisplace, especially so that young people, couples,families can gather there for their spiritualrefreshment.

Over 27 years you have had the opportunity toget to know the reality of the Holy Land,starting with the Franciscan Custody , theHebrew-speaking Catholic community, theLatin Patriarchate, as well as other Christianchurches and non-Christian communities.What do you think is the meeting point to

allow all these actors to cooperate for the goodof this land?My experience is that someone has to start

taking chances, without being afraid of losing, andstarting from the shared reality. We encountereach other in service to the poor, in the commonhumanity, and there we build a relationship whichcan open to other horizons. You cannot meet eachother starting from a dialogue of faith or greatprinciples because this can create barriers.

As Pro Grand Prior, is there a particularmessage you want to entrust to the Knightsand Ladies of the Order of the HolySepulchre?I would invite you to continue your prayers and

support for this land and to continue to come onpilgrimage. Through your presence in our villagesand in our cities you create a universal network ofspiritual solidarity, vital to the survival of ourChurch of Jerusalem, the Mother Church, calledto keep in touch with all the Churches of theworld. Also, not everyone can come here and soyou can bring the Holy Land to your own realitiesand answer your call to be “announcers” of thebeauty of these places that are not only narratedby the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also by thegreat passion of a rich and vibrant community thatinhabits them.

Interview by François Vayneand Elena Dini

Father Pizzaballa, just three days after hisappointment as Apostolic Administrator of the LatinPatriarchate of Jerusalem, was received atheadquarters of the Grand Magisterium of the Orderof the Holy Sepulchre by the Grand Master and theGovernor General and shared a convivial meal withEuropean Lieutenants.


Tribute to Patriarch Emeritus,Msgr. Fouad Twal

Fouad Boutros Ibrahim Twal was bornOctober 23, 1940 in Madaba in Jordan. Heentered the seminary of Beit Jala in 1959 and

was ordained priest on June 29, 1966. He wasparish vicar in the Church of the Holy Family inRamallah, Palestine, and then the pastor at St.George’s Church in Irbid, Jordan and later in thechurch of Mary Mother of the Church in Marka, inJordan.

In 1972 he began his studies in Canon Law atthe Lateran University in Rome and in 1977entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See andwas sent to Honduras, Cairo, Berlin and Lima. OnMay 30, 1992 he was appointed bishop of Tunis.Ordained Bishop on July 22 of that year, he waslater appointed Archbishop of Tunis in 1994.

In 2003 he was appointed president of theEpiscopal Conference of North Africa

(C.E.R.N.A.) and in September 2005 PopeBenedict XVI appointed him ArchbishopCoadjutor of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Inaddition, he was elected president of BethlehemUniversity in 2006 and appointed a member of thePontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in2007.

On June 21, 2008 he succeeded His BeatitudeMsgr. Michel Sabbah, becoming only the secondArab Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. On 24 June2016, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation ofMsgr. Fouad Twal for reasons of age.

On July 12, 2016, Palestinian PresidentMahmoud Abbas gave the Jerusalem Medal toPatriarch Emeritus in gratitude for his pastoralactivity and for the service he has rendered to thePalestinian people and the Catholic Church inPalestine. ■

Msgr. FouadTwal togetherwith Msgr.AntonioFranco,Assesor ofthe Order,and Msgr.FortunatoFrezza,Master ofCeremonies,during one ofthe Massescelebrated inPalazzo dellaRovere, onthe occasionof a GrandMagisteriummeeting.

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre thanks the Patriarch Emeritus Msgr. FouadTwal who has filled the role of the Grand Prior of the Order over the past

eight years, joyfully welcoming members during pilgrimages to the Holy Land,and often visiting the offices of the Grand Magisterium in Rome.


Among the various changes that have directlyinvolved the Holy Land in 2016, we recallthe appointment of Father Francesco

Patton as the new Holy Land Custos on May 20,2016. After his first vows September 7, 1983 at theage of 20 and his solemn vows on October 4, 1986,Father Patton was ordained a priest on May 26,1989. In 1993 he obtained a Licentiate inCommunication Sciences at the Pontifical SalesianUniversity of Rome. He held various positionswithin the Franciscan Order and also, in the widerecclesial community, in the Archdiocese of Trento.

“I received the news with surprise and even fearand trepidation – the new Custos told VaticanRadio – knowing that it is a complex and delicatereality, of great importance for the Order and forthe Church”. His request to the local community

was to be welcomed as a brother: “I would say thatI humbly approach the Christian communities ofthe Holy Land. I come with a heart filled with greatlove for this land. I also ask to be welcomed andhelped to carry out my service for the good of thepeople who live there and for the good of thepeople who come to study, for pilgrimage or,simply, out of curiosity for these places. But what Iam really asking for is that I be welcomed as abrother. “

From June 6, his solemn entry into Jerusalem,until June 18, Father Patton was warmly welcomedby local communities, in Bethlehem, Jaffa andNazareth. We wish the new Custos the very best inhis important ministry and that he may beilluminated by grace and accompanied by theSpirit. ■

Father Patton (center) is the new Custos of the Holy Land, succeeding Father Pizzaballa. As Superior of theFranciscans of much of the Middle East, he is in charge of ensuring the reception of pilgrims to the holy sites incoordination with the local leaders of the various Christian churches.

Father Francesco Patton,the new Custos of the Holy Land

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Father Faysal Hijazen was director of theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem schools. Heunexpectedly passed away during the year.

In an interview he granted us a few months beforeand that we publish here in tribute to him, wespoke about the vital work carried out by morethan forty schools in the Holy Land that gatherapproximately 20,000 students and 1,500employees.

Why does the Patriarchate give such pastoralimportance to these schools where a greatnumber of Muslims are also welcomed? Education is an important sector of the Latin

Patriarchate. The first reason is that througheducation, we can target the human person in thetotality of its identity; in order to strengthen thefaith of the people, we must be present in societycarrying values of respect, of acceptance of others.

Pastorally, the schools allow us to practice thedifferent Sacraments close to the pupils. Religiouslessons enable Christians to deepen theirknowledge of the Bible and to strengthen their

faith. Celebrations organised in the schools for thedifferent liturgical seasons (something madepossible by the presence of a school near parishchurches) enable us to live unity with Christians,because all Christians come, no matter what rite.

Muslims are welcomed in these schools andattend Islamic religious lessons all along theiracademic life. Their presence in the school is achance for the Latin Patriarchate to teach valueslike openness to others, respect, and values whichin themselves are fundamentally Christian: love ofyour neighbour, forgiveness. A Muslim leaving ourschools will never become a fundamentalist.

What do you do to develop a culture ofopenness and encounter in the schools of theLatin Patriarchate, by what sort of initiatives?The Religious lessons are mixed, one hour a

week, Christians and Muslims. We study bigthemes which are for example “Living together”,“studying together”, “meeting the other”… the restof the time dedicated to religious classes is spentaccording to the religion of the pupil.

“A Muslim leaving ourschools will never become

a fundamentalist”


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And so daily life at the school is a meeting withthe other. The children who play in theplayground, at football, with marbles, they playtogether without asking the religion of the other.The schools in the Latin Patriarchate enable us tobuild bridges between religions, between differentcultures. These bridges go over the walls whichoften surround our hearts.

How is the action of the Equestrian Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre essential for theeducational work of the Latin Patriarchate?Let me be clear: without the support of the

Order, our schools would have closed a long timeago. One third of our outgoings is covered by theOrder, through its generosity and its donations. Aneducation without material means is an educationwhich dies very quickly. The Order keeps themission of education in the Latin Patriarchate alive.

What do you see as the future for all theseschools and what message would you like topass on to Western Christians?

Our schools should respond to the needs of asociety faced with an increase in fundamentalisms.The future asks us to be even stronger in order toface up to the fundamentalist bodies in oursocieties. Whilst there is a school of the LatinPatriarchate open, respect and openness will betaught and so the schools enable us to cope to thereality of our society.

Here is my message to our Western Christianbrothers: Think about your Christian brothers herewho are in need of your moral, spiritual andmaterial support. Think about resolving thepolitical problems of countries to make a bettersociety.

Twinning our schools with Western schools inFrance, Germany, and other countries gives ourpupils openness to the world and is a way to meetvalues forgotten in our society such as love of yourneighbour and not the rejection of him who is notlike myself, or forgiveness, which is very difficultto be accepted. Do not forget that the children inour schools today, are the leaders of tomorrow’ssociety. ■

Father Faysal Hijazen (pictured third from left), who died unexpectedly during 2016, directed the schools of theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem with passion and dedication from 2013.

When pilgrimage brings us to the Holy Land, there are many places thatdeeply touch our hearts but there are two cities in particular that leave a

mark on all: Bethlehem and Jerusalem. This year we want to dedicatetwo small special reports for our readers to some of the thousands of

faces of these two cities through certain events of this 2016.

Spotlight on Orderinitiatives

in Jerusalem and Bethlehem


I rejoiced when they said to me,“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”

And now our feet are standingwithin your gates, Jerusalem.

(Ps 121:1-2)

In Jerusalem


Jerusalem is the city of many holy places, of many religious communities and many pilgrims. A citythat fosters the local dimension, with the same problems and the beauty of every city, but at thesame time is universal. Let’s begin with a look at our special place, that from which our Order

takes its name: the Holy Sepulchre which has undergone restoration work this year. Msgr. JacquesPerrier, former Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy for France, offers us a historical clarification regardingthe aedicule covering the empty tomb of Christ in the Holy Sepulchre.

We will then shift our focus to the road that normally leads to the Holy Sepulchre: the one onwhich Jesus took his steps to Golgotha. Right next to the first station of the Via Dolorosa, in Marchthe Terra Sancta Museum, to which the Order contributed, was inaugurated. A few stations later,precisely at the fourth, where we commemorate Jesus’ meeting with his mother, we find the ArmenianCatholic Church of Our Lady of the Spasm where a small religious community of women, theDisciples of the Divine Master, carry out a ministry of prayer for peace in the Holy Land, giving theopportunity for daily Eucharistic adoration to those who want to join them. A special invitation to“stand with the Lord” that the Knights and Dames on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land can welcome.

Jerusalem is also a city with so many needs, especially for the small and weak. Following this, wewill read about the opening of the new Rachel center for the migrant children and the Our Lady ofSorrows hospice which is next to the separation barrier and that welcomes the elderly regardless oftheir economic ability.

The angel announced to the women who hadcome to embalm the body of Jesus, “Why look

for the living amongst the dead?” The fact remainsthat: the believer keeps the place where the body ofJesus was deposed, for veneration. It appeals to theconcreteness of the faith. Particularly for themembers of the Order.

During the second half of the 20th century, thebasilica was restored. The cupola was once againopened to the sky and light came down on the“aedicule”, according to the term which refers tothe small building covering the tomb itself.

Alas, the light showed that the aedicule was invery bad condition. The three principalcommunities, co-guardians of the edifice (GreekOrthodox, Latin Catholic and ArmenianApostolic) decided to restore it. Works started atthe end of the summer.

In Constantine’s basilica, the tomb had beenexcavated from the rock slope out of which it hadbeen dug. But the tomb itself was conserved. OnOctober 19, 1009, the Caliph Al-Hakîm decided todestroy it. The pics of those charged withdemolishing it wiped out all that was in relief andhalted at the funeral layer carved in the rock. A few


Restoring the Aediculeof the Holy Sepulchre

Msgr. Jacques Perrier, who used to be GrandPrior of the French Lieutenancy, offers us an

historic perspective on the subject of theAedicule, under restoration in 2016, whichenshrines the empty tomb of Christ in the

basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.

Afew days before Holy Week 2016, a weekwhich like every year invites Christians to

follow Jesus’ steps in Jerusalem, including themystery of his passion, death and resurrection, thefirst section of the Terra Sancta Museum, on theVia Dolorosa, was inaugurated. Hosted at theMonastery of the Flagellation – which preserves theremains of the Antonia Fortress, where tradition

indicates that Jesus was condemned, and fromwhich pilgrims usually begin to walk the Via Crucis– the museum opened its doors on March 17 andcan be visited with a track available in eightlanguages, including Hebrew and Arabic. Visitorshave the opportunity of taking part in a 15-minutemultimedia experience that aims to prepare themfor a personal journey of the Way of the Cross.

Experiencing the Journey of the Cross:the first section of the Terra Sancta Museum opens

years later, the basilica was restored, with muchdifficulty, until the arrival of the crusaders, whichnow leaves us with the current building.

Since this time, the original rock has been puton top of a marble slab, that which the pilgrimsvenerate, which protects it. It was in 1810, duringthe construction of the current aedicule, that theoriginal rock appeared for the last time. Since anidentical reconstruction has been planned for therestoration, there is a risk it will disappear, onceagain, for several centuries.

Msgr. Jacques PerrierBishop emeritus of Tarbes and Lourdes


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DMusic, images and voices accompany pilgrims todiscover the history of this place and the urbanevolution of Jerusalem, as well as to invite them totake their place in an unbroken chain of pilgrimswho for millennia put their steps in those of Jesus toGolgotha, and all the way to the now empty tomb.The Order was happy to be able to contribute, atthe direct initiative of the Grand Master, CardinalEdwin O’Brien, to the implementation of thisproject which will include the realization of a halldedicated to the Knights and Dames of the Orderof the Holy Sepulchre.

The spiritual guide (available on the media section of the website of the GrandMagisterium, www.oessh.va) is a booklet to guide you in the experience of Eucharistic adoration inJerusalem, at the Armenian Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Spasm, the fourth station of the Via Dolorosa, or,in common purpose and prayer, at any point you may find yourself.

Being with Our Lord: an hour of adorationduring the pilgrimage to Jerusalem

The pilgrimage to the Holy Land allows us to carve out a spacein our lives to rediscover the beauty of being with Our Lord,

retracing his steps.In the colorful and bustling streets of Jerusalem’s old town, we

can choose to walk the Via Dolorosa, sharing in Christ’s journeyto Calvary, certain of his victory over death.

We are often consumed by the frenzy of the moment, by thenoise, by too many things going on around us and within us andthis experience becomes difficult to live fully.

Marking the annual publication of Jerusalem Cross 2016 wealso announce the next edition of a spiritual support for 2017which invites the Knights and Dames of the Order who havethe good fortune to experience a pilgrimage to the land ofJesus to pause in prayer along the Via Dolorosa, to give in tothe joy of a moment of Eucharistic adoration, to experiencerefreshment for the soul bearing in their hearts a specialintention for peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East.Prayer enables us to fulfill our mission of supporting theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, not only materially but alsospiritually.

By the Communication Office of the Grand Magisterium

in coordination with Msgr. Fortunato Frezza,

biblical scholar and Master of Ceremonies of the Order

BEINGWITH OUR LORD

ORDO EQUESTRISSANCTI SEPULCHRI HIEROSOLYMITANI

An hour of adoration during the pilgrimage to Jerusalem

A spiritual proposal to accompany our brothers and sisters in

prayer to the Holy Land and to pray for peace in the Middle East

Through advanced multimedia technology, visitors to theTerra Sancta Museum can discover the urban

development of Jerusalem through the centuries. Thephoto shows one of the phases of urban expansion in the

millennial history of the city.

http://www.oessh.va/content/ordineequestresantosepolcro/en/media.html


On September 5, a new welcome centre for theinfants and young children of foreign workers

in Jerusalem, was inaugurated inside a convent ofCapuchin friars. The Order is very happy to beable to contribute to this project. Dedicated toRachel, the great biblical figure of a sufferingmother, the centre receives twenty-five babiesduring the day, thirty children on average come todo their homework after school, and sixtyteenagers are able to meet together there at theweekend. Two playpark areas, one for infants andtoddlers and the other for older children, adormitory and playrooms, offices, meeting roomsand a small apartment for volunteers are part of theensemble, situated in the neighbourhood ofTalbieh.

Indians, Africans, Filipinos, Sri-Lankans, and

Sudanese – who speak Hebrew due to their activityin the country – have the possibility of earning adaily living knowing that their children are kept ingood conditions, their situation often beingotherwise precarious. Seven infants recently diedbecause they were kept elsewhere, in ‘pirate’nurseries, without any care and in an inhumanemanner, whilst many others are deeply traumatisedfrom staying in these “baby warehouses”.

The Holy Land Commission of the GrandMagisterium is committed to helping Fr. Neuhauswith respect to this humanitarian crisis; all themore so as the Hebrew-speaking Christians,originally from foreign countries, witnesses of theuniversality of the Church, are increasinglynumerous.

On November 10, the Apostolic Administrator

The Rachel Center opens its doors in Jerusalem

Inauguration of the Rachel Center, which welcomes children of foreign workers, presided over by Abp. Pizzaballa.


of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Msgr.Pierbattista Pizzaballa, blessed the center. Alsopresent were Msgr. William Shomali, Msgr.Giuseppe Lazzarotto and Msgr. Antonio Franco,Assessor of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.During his homily, Msgr. Pizzaballa insisted that“these children sat in this courtyard represent thewhole Church, in all its diversity, Jews and Arabs,religious and secular, migrant workers and asylumseekers, they are called to be one heart and onesoul.” In fact, the center aims to help children to

integrate into Israeli society in which they live andthe activities aim to give them an attentive andrespectful education and to teach them theHebrew language.

Father David Neuhaus, Latin Patriarchal Vicarfor Hebrew-speaking Catholics, coordinator of themigrant communities in Israel and now director of“Saint Rachel Center”, commented: “The waitinglist is already long, but our hope is that the centerwill grow, to continue to welcome and serve thosewho need it most.”

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The Home of Our Lady ofSorrows, in the

neighborhood of Ras El-Amud, near the separationwall in Jerusalem, welcomeselderly Palestinian men andwomen of all denominations.This center was supported,in the past, by the Knightsand Dames of the Order, andon September 18 celebratedthe 150th anniversary of theCongregation of theDaughters of Our Lady ofSorrows, to whom it belongs.This congregation wasfounded by Marie Saint Fraiand Father Dominique Ribeson March 28, 1866 inTarbes, France, and has aparticular charisma and compassion for the elderly,the sick and the poor. We spoke with Jean-FrançoisKlos, director of the Home of Our Lady ofSorrows, in Jerusalem.

On Sept. 18 you celebrated the 150th

anniversary of the Congregation in the Homeof Our Lady of Sorrows. What can you tellabout this beautiful day?The 150th Jubilee anniversary of the Daughters

of Our Lady of Sorrows was an important momentof sharing, joy and emotion. The day organized by

the group of the Home(employees, volunteers andthe entire communitygathered in this project)began with a familycelebration. There weregames organized involvingyoung and old in a joyfulatmosphere.

The midday barbecueallowed us to meet again withfriends of the house in asimple and friendly way.

In the afternoon Mass,presided by the Father Abbotof Latrun Monastery, allowedus to give thanks for the workdone in all these years by theDaughters of Our Lady ofSorrows.

The celebration continued with songs anddances to end the evening with a performance thatrecalled the lives of our founders, Marie Saint Fraiand Father Dominique Ribes.

At the end of this wonderful day, we held atorch light procession gathering all participants inprayer.

Can you speak to us about the history of thishome, are there important moments that youlike to remember?During a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Superior

The Home of Our Lady of SorrowsCaring for the elderly with love: the Home of Our Lady of Sorrows in Jerusalem.


General of the Congregation of the Daughters ofOur Lady of Sorrows was shocked by the povertyin the Holy Land. In November 1957, HisBeatitude the Latin Patriarch of JerusalemMonsignor Alberto Gori, a Franciscan,inaugurated the House of Our Lady of Sorrows, onspacious grounds on the road that goes fromGethsemane to Jericho. Thus, the desire of theDaughters of Our Lady of Sorrows to take care ofthese poor people became reality.

The monastery of Latrun was the first tosupport the Daughters of Our Lady of Sorrows,both spiritually and materially, and the ties betweenthe two communities remain very strong, sharingthe same devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows. Overthe years the Order of the Holy Sepulchre hashelped in development and upkeep.

Marie Saint Frai wanted to dedicate all his timeto the service of the poor. How is this vocationpracticed in Jerusalem with the elderly? In Jerusalem we welcome the elderly regardless

of their resources and their origins. Familiescontribute whatever they can according to theirmeans. The poorest are welcomed free of charge.

What is a typical day at the Home of Our Ladyof Sorrows?After breakfast, we meet every morning in the

chapel for Mass. Then we provide simple motoractivities, wellbeing (manicure, hairdresser) ormanual work (painting, drawing). After lunch andrest, we have the daily recitation of the Rosary at15. During the afternoon and evening the elderlyreceive visits from their families or the students inJerusalem for some conversation and to listen tosome music together. After dinner our guests retireto their rooms to rest while some decide to stay alittle and converse on the terrace, enjoying the coolevening air. Life is simple in the Home. We seek inparticular to maintain a friendly environment.

You are in a “mixed neighborhood” inJerusalem, where people of the threemonotheistic religions live together. What isyour experience and what do you see as yourmission in the midst of this diversity?We are a place of peace: that’s what we are

often told by families that come for the first timebefore entrusting their parents to us. The garden,the birds and the chicken coop create anatmosphere of well-being and tranquility. Ourneighbors are often generous and bring gifts to theelderly in food (milk, eggs, pasta, rice, cheese ...).They all have a deep respect for this mission andfor their elders.

Interview by Elena Dini

Even as a child, Marie Saint Frai had a compassionateheart and tried to help the poor. So, together with her

brother, she would distract her parents and hide a part ofher meal and take it to the poor. Whenever she receivedsome money it was all for her brothers, the poor!

Her heart became ever more open to compassion and,when anyone came knocking on her door in the evening toask for bread, they were never refused. When there wasbad weather, she would never leave the poor outside. Theywere welcomed into her house. Donating bread was notenough, so she began to welcome the sick. In the city therumor spread that Miss Saint Frai welcomed those in need.Requests multiplied. Soon there was no more space andtemporary hospitality became permanent. Mr. Saint Fraiaccepted that, because of the lack of space, many poorslept with him in the same room.

On the death of Mr. Frai, there were 20 “poor” receivedinto his house and depending on the family. But what todo? What was God’s will? Marie thought she might finallyrealize her dream: to give herself to God as a religious.She prayed and decided to write to the Superior Generalof the Daughters of Charity. But after several exchanges ofcorrespondence, she realized she could not enter theconvent and continue to help her poor. With theencouragement of her confessor and spiritual directorMsgr. Laurence, she continued on with her work. It wasthrough the poor who knocked at her door that MarieSaint Frai decided to answer her call. She wanted tocontinue to serve the suffering Christ and inhabited by hisPresence, exuded his compassion.

Jean-François Klos

The story of Marie Saint Fraiand his work among the poor


In BethlehemBut you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,

who are one of the little clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for me

one who is to rule in Israel(Micah 5:2)

If Jerusalem particularly speaks to the heart of the Knights and Dames of the Order for the fundamentalbond with the Holy Sepulchre, Bethlehem is no exception in the heart of every Christian. It was here, inthis small village that the Savior of this world came into being.

Today Bethlehem is a complex city, both internally and in its relations with the outside world. A fewkilometers from Jerusalem, but divided by the separation barrier, with a declining Christian population, thisplace which witnessed the birth of Jesus is also incredibly full of associations, institutions, good works andcharity which deeply affect the local population and all the pilgrims who come.

We will not have the opportunity to dwell on every reality but in the next few pages we will read theexperience of Bethlehem University, supported by the Order for many years, in an intimate interviewgranted to us by its vice-chancellor, Peter Bray. Then we will focus on an initiative fostered by various localschools that allows high school students to learn the art of debating: the Debate Club. The Western USALieutenancy contributes to this project to give young people the means to know how to explain themselves,to learn to listen to others and present their reasoning. Concluding this special focus, a brief update on therestoration of the Basilica of the Nativity and the extract of an interview with the Mayor of Bethlehem, theCatholic Christian Vera Baboun.


Peter Bray is a brother of the Congregation ofthe Brothers of the Christian Schools (FSC)

founded by John Baptist de La Salle. Brother Braycomes from New Zealand and is currently the vicechancellor and president of Bethlehem Universityin Palestine. He has extensive educationalexperience over more than thirty years ofadministration in educational institutions. Heholds a doctorate in leadership from theUniversity of San Diego, USA, and has taught andexplored his field of leadership in Universities andother educational institutions in many counties.He moved to Bethlehem University in November2008 and has been in the position of ViceChancellor at Bethlehem University since thebeginning of 2009.

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre has beensupporting this initiative for over twenty yearsallowing Universities to carry out their educationalmission and to ensure a presence of peace.

Brother Peter Bray, what makes the BethlehemUniversity that you supervise an oasis ofpeace?There is a concerted effort on the part of faculty

and staff to create an atmosphere where people(students, faculty, staff and visitors) feel safe andare aware that there are people around them whoreally care about them. Many of our students comefrom backgrounds and environments which areharsh or dangerous, so it is important that whenthey step on campus they know they are respected,that there is a graciousness about the relationshipsthat exist here and that as a Christian university weare seeking to live Jesus’ command to love oneanother.

How many male and female students do youwelcome each year? Where do they come fromand what are the courses they mostly attend?The students at Bethlehem University come

from a rather restricted area because of thedifficulties the Palestinian have with movement.Before the Separation Wall was constructed inBethlehem in 2005, there were students fromRamallah and north of Jerusalem coming to

Bethlehem University. However, since theconstruction of the Wall, coming from such areas isvery difficult, so the places from which studentscome are virtually restricted to Bethlehem, EastJerusalem and Hebron. They come to BethlehemUniversity to study in five faculties and an Institute.These are the Faculties of Nursing, Education,Business, Science and Arts as well as in theInstitute of Hotel Management and Tourism.Around 78% of the students at BethlehemUniversity are female.

Is interreligious dialogue happening amongstudents? I think one of the very important contributions

Bethlehem University makes to Palestine is that itprovides an opportunity where Christian andMuslim students are able to engage with oneanother in an atmosphere that helps them come tounderstand and appreciate one another. About26% of the students are Christian and this meansthere is a significant body of Christian students oncampus making it impossible for Muslim studentsto be here and not engage with Christians. Anumber of our Muslim students have not met aChristian until they come on campus and thatengagement leads them to get to know and

Bethlehem University: an Oasis of Peace in the Holy Land

Brother Peter Bray, president of the University ofBethlehem, in the company of BartholomewMcGettrick (right) and Heinrich Dickmann, membersof the Grand Magisterium’s Holy Land Commission.


appreciate them. Apart from their engagement with one another

in class, particularly the classes on ReligiousStudies where together they explore Christianity,Islam and Judaism, the extra-curricular activities,athletics, the workshops and the colloquy thatstudents have on campus, bring them closer to eachother. They learn how to accept one another’s pointof view or how to counter argue and open theirminds to the wider world. And so, the campuscomprises an intellectual hub, an oasis of peace anda safe place where students enjoy their day in abeautiful atmosphere with attractive facilities.

For you, as a religious man, what does thisexperience in the Holy Land represent? Whatare the most significant moments you lived?May you give us a testimony?Some of the most significant moments for me

have been in relation to students here at BethlehemUniversity. I have been incredibly inspired inwalking with students through some of thechallenges they face. I found it inspiring to sit andlisten to a student talk about the fact that his house

had just been demolished for the second time andto have him reflect on the fact that the Israelis havetaken his house, they have taken his land, they havetaken his freedom, but they cannot take hiseducation! It is this resilience that I see in so manystudents who deal with the implications ofOccupation and still live a full life. I find ituplifting to hear a student talk about the fact thatshe is a twenty year old girl and she wants to livelife to the full. She is aware of the Occupation, therestrictions, the challenges, but states strongly thatit is not inside her, she is not going to be dominatedby them in terms of how she thinks about what shewill do. She will make her own decisions aboutliving life to the full in the context in which shefinds herself.

Knowing that what I am involved in is biggerthan my agenda, bigger than my prejudices anddesires, leads me to develop a trust in God’sprovidence and an awareness that I live in thepresence of this God the whole day. It is God’sagenda that I am committed to. It is God’s call thatI am responding to and for the time that I amworking here, it is God’s work that God is doing

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Short history of Bethlehem University

Bethlehem University emerged from the visit of Pope Paul VI to the Holy Landin 1964. Pope Paul wanted to do something to support the Palestinian

people, but it was not clear what that might be. In the early 1970s ArchbishopPio Laghi, the Apostolic Delegate to Palestine, wanted to follow up on thisdesire of Pope Paul, but there were difficulties in deciding on the best way todo this. Towards the end of 1972 and the beginning of 1973, Archbishop PioLaghi called together some of the senior educators of Jerusalem andBethlehem to discuss the possibility of an institution of higher education. Atone stage the suggestion was to create a teacher training college to provideteachers for the Catholic schools. However, Brother Jean Manuel FSC, at thattime Director of the Collège des Frères in Jerusalem, argued this was toolimited a vision and he pushed very hard for a university. The reason for thiswas that at that stage there was no registered university in Palestine and anyyoung people wanting a university education had to go outside Palestine, manynever to return. As a way of moving things forward, Brother Jean, on behalf ofthe De La Salle Christian Brothers of the region, offered the site in Bethlehemwhere the Brothers’ school was operating, as the place where the universitycould be situated. Eventually, this suggestion was accepted and with the help of Archbishop Pio Laghi, thesupport of the Vatican’s Congregation for Oriental Churches, and the Superior General of the De La SalleChristian Brothers, an agreement was reached for Bethlehem University to be located in Bethlehem and to be ajoint venture between the Vatican and the De La Salle Christian Brothers. Very soon after that agreement wassigned some 112 students walked onto the campus, on October1, 1973, to begin Bethlehem University.

Brother Peter Bray

Artistic representation of adove of peace at BethlehemUniversity.

through me.

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is committednext to you so that the University of Bethlehemmay respond to contemporary challenges ingiving an education of quality. What is the fieldin which Knights and Dames supported youthe most and what message do you want tosend them? Bethlehem University is financially always in a

difficult position. The students contribute onlyabout 36% of the operating budget and so theDevelopment Office at Bethlehem University hasto find some 64% of the $13 - 14 million annualbudget. One of the miracles of BethlehemUniversity is that somehow for over forty years ithas been able to raise that portion each year toenable Bethlehem University to survive andprosper. In the struggle to find that 64% of ouroperating budget, the Order of the HolySepulchre, as an international body, is the most

supportive of any such group in the world. We aredeeply grateful to the Knights and Ladies aroundthe world for that support. This comes fromvarious parts of the world and since 1995 theOrder has contributed more than US$6.6 millionto Bethlehem University. There are a variety ofways this support is given: as scholarships andstudents support; as Faculty and Departmentsupport; for capital projects; to help with thepurchase of the Mount David property; forequipment and books; and particularly for theunrestricted gifts, which enable us to respond tothe unpredictable needs as they arise. BethlehemUniversity is very grateful for this amazing support.

We want to create the environment and providethe opportunity for our students to live life to thefull, to face and overcome the challenges they face,despite the restrictions, despite the suffering theyendure. The support of the Order is enabling us todo this and for that we are deeply grateful.

Interview by François Vayne


“What happens in Bethlehem affectsthe Catholic population just as it

affects everybody. This city is now segregatedfrom Jerusalem, and the faithful ofBethlehem can hardly go to pray at the HolySepulchre: it is easier for people comingfrom Europe or America to go to the HolySepulchre than it is for a 21 year-old manfrom Bethlehem.

It is not a normal process and we arefighting abnormality; we are living anabnormality and trying to adjust to it. Ouryoung people lose their lives and yet there isno solution at the horizon.

With the absence of peace, I face manycomplicated situations as a Mayor. Since82% of the Governorate of Bethlehem iszone C, meaning that it is controlled byIsraeli administration and security, it is anunbelievable challenge for me to practice myauthority and serve the people.

In the Governorate we now have only 48,000 Christians out of 200,000 inhabitants. There is also a new wallin Cremisan which leads to the confiscation of the land of 58 Christian families.”

Vera Baboun, the Mayor of Bethlehem, and Msgr. Shomali,then Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem, releasing doves as asign of hope that peace may be reached in the Holy Land.

About a year ago the mayor of Bethlehem Vera Babounthus described the situationin the city entrusted to her administration

Sometimes words just seem to be a set of soundsone after another and yet convey meanings and

are our way to get in touch with each other, todescribe the world and to express what we believein and that we carry in our hearts.

The gift of speech and the ability to expressourselves and to argue our thinking is at the heartof an initiativepromoted by theDebate Club of the Dela Salle Brothers Collegein Bethlehem. Thisschool was founded bythe brothers of theOrder in 1893 and sincethen has pursued itsmission of providinghigh quality and cuttingedge education to localyouths. To date about athousand students areenrolled.

In December 2014,the school principal,George Naber, decidedto introduce a program

into the school that gives an opportunity forstudents to compete with their peers from aroundthe world putting to the test their critical thinkingand analytical skills, the knowledge of importantfacts about the world and society, their ability toargue logically and carefully and to wisely articulatea debate through the format proposed by the


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DSupport critical thinking and debate:the Bethlehem Debate Club

An initiative funded by the USA Western Lieutenancy

“After three years of being a part of the DebateClub I no longer take things for granted. I have

begun to discuss many more issues with my friendsbecause debating has developed my criticalthinking. I also learned how to present my ideas andmy thoughts in an appropriate manner so thatpeople can understand me. This has improved myinterpersonal skills. I was a shy girl who never felt atease in speaking in front of other people, but now Ihave grown more sure of myself and am a personwho can discuss, debate and argue her point.

Debating has taught me to be an objectiveperson. Through debate you learn to listen to thosewho think differently and to understand their pointsof view and this helps to get a clearer idea of thegeneral situation.”

Dana Ewaiwi

“People ask me: ‘What does debating mean foryou?’ I have a lot of answers to this question

but perhaps the most important one is that debatinghas become a friend who helps me. Debating hasenabled me to think quickly and deeply about eachtopic and to arrive at a solution to problems. It hasgiven me strength and logic in negotiating with myfamily and my friends. In addition, it has provided mewith the speed and clarity necessary to draw up aconvincing answer to any question I may be asked. If Ilook at how I was a year ago and how I am today, Iwould say that there is a huge difference.

I had great fun at the World School’s DebateChampionship and Slovenia. I have had manyexperiences and made new friends with great people:my life has changed.”

Vanessa Abu Kova

World School’s Debate.Since then, thanks to the cooperation with

international guests, like Professor Alfred Snider ofthe University of Vermont, a process that aims tocreate a healthy culture of debate in the Lasallianschool and, hopefully, throughout Palestine hasbegun. Already in just two years dozens ofacademies have emerged and five other schoolshave participated. In 2015, the best students wereselected to take part in the World School’s DebateChampionship in Singapore and the WorldSchool’s Debate Academy Slovenia. In 2016 therewas the first local championship in Palestine andtwo international events in Slovenia and Germany.

The USA Western Lieutenancy of the Order has

willingly supported this project allowing thestudents selected to live these importantexperiences of discussion and formation abroad. Inthe letter of thanks received by the school, theheadmaster George Naber and the coordinator ofthe Debate Club Muna Kattan, write: “While webrought forward the debates, while we werepreparing, forming and coordinating, we alwayshad in mind that we had to make you proud of thesupport that you have given us.”

The Debate Club of the De la Salle brothers’school in Bethlehem has its own facebook pagewhere you can keep in touch with the students andfollow their updates:

www.facebook.com/freresbethlehemdebate

The Basilica of the Nativity has seen many thingsover the centuries: wars, earthquakes and even

deterioration due to lack of work on stability issuesand waterproofing of the roof. Since 2012,UNESCO has recognized it as a heritage site.

The basilica is managed by three religiouscommunities: Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic.For the past three years an Italian firm, PiacentiSpA, has been working on the restoration of thissacred place for millions of faithful who live here orcome on pilgrimage. Initially the tender issued bythe Palestinian Authority was only for therestoration of the roof and windows of the basilicabut later the work was expanded. In 2016, thecompany was responsible for the restoration of themosaics, bringing to light, among other things, thefigure of a beautiful angel that had been hidden byplaster.

During the meeting with the Reunion of AidAgencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO) June16, 2016, Pope Francis made reference precisely tothis angel: “I have been told that in the course ofrestoration work in Bethlehem, on one of the wallsof the nave a seventh angel in mosaic has come tolight, forming with the other six a sort of processiontowards the place commemorating the mystery ofthe birth of the Word made flesh. This can lead usto reflect on how the face of our ecclesialcommunities can also be covered by ‘incrustations’as a result of various problems and sins. Yet your

work must unfailingly be guided by the certaintythat, beneath material and moral incrustations, andthe tears and bloodshed caused by war, violenceand persecution, beneath this apparentlyimpenetrable cover there is a radiant face like thatof the angel in the mosaic. All of you, with yourprojects and your activities, are part of a“restoration” that will enable the face of the Churchto reflect visibly the light of Christ the WordIncarnate. He is our peace, and he is knocking atthe doors of our heart in the Middle East.”

The works in the basilica will continue in thecoming years depending on funding which nowcomes from both states and individuals, Christianand non. You can follow the restoration processand receive updates on progress by visiting thewebsite: www.piacenti.org ■


The “new face” of the Basilica of the Nativity


On August 24, 2016 the territoryof the province of Rieti, in

particular the towns of Amatriceand Accumoli suffered a massiveearthquake that flattened entirevillages leaving 298 dead and 388wounded.

There are also some of ourbrothers among those who havesuffered the loss of loved ones anddamage to property, one of whom isKnight Augusto Colangeli, theowner of a supermarket thatcollapsed in the quake. He arrivedon the spot before the emergencyservices and did not hesitate toretrieve as much of his produce aspossible to provide to the peopleaffected.

The Rieti Delegationimmediately activated its apparatus to raise fundsfor earthquake victims. Spontaneous offers werereceived from the Knights of Lazio amounting to5,270 euro.

Since the Equestrian Order of the HolySepulchre of Jerusalem in the Holy Land alsosupports schools, the Rieti Delegation Council hasdetermined that the amount collected be allocated

THE LIFE OF THE LIEUTENANCIES

Through various testimonies of members of the Order, we want tounderline the wealth of commitment of the Knights and Dames as they

follow Christ throughout the earth. Our website www.oessh.va carries indepth stories of the lives of the Lieutenancies revealing a diversity of

activities all oriented to the service of the inhabitants of the Holy Land.

Solidarity with those closest: Knights and Dames bringrelief after the earthquake in central Italy

witnesses of the risen onein prayer and action

Following the strong earthquakes that hit central Italy from the month ofAugust on, we publish this testimony received from the Order’s Rieti

Delegation (Lieutenancy for Italy Central). Sharing this experience reminds usof the importance, as Knights and Dames of the Order, to always listen to the

needs of those who are closest to us.

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http://www.oessh.va/content/ordineequestresantosepolcro/en/nelle-luogotenenze.html

Just days after the end of the intense and movingWorld Youth Day experience in Krakow, a

Knight of the Polish Lieutenancy, Janusz Kamin’ski,comments: “In 1984 I was 22 and I was in Romewhen John Paul II invited young people from allover the world by giving them the Jubilee Cross”.That was the beginning of the World Youth Daysand Janusz remembers “the warmth and care that Ireceived in Rome from the organizers and thepeople who had hosted us. It was then that Idecided I wanted to welcome young people in thefuture and this year finally I had the opportunity todo so”.

Thus Janusz’s home became an intercontinental

guest house during the World Youth Day withthree priests from Japan. “I think the mostmemorable and touching moment was whenJapanese priests were leaving from our house, andthey said “ittekimasu”, which in Japan is used


From WYD in Poland to “Olympic Games” in Ramallah: theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre’s summer service for the Church

to a project for the physics, chemistry and biologylaboratory of the Amatrice High School.

On September 30, Delegation Prior Msgr.Gottardo Patacchiola and the Knight Fr. MarianoPappalardo, celebrated a mass in memory of theearthquake victims in the church of Santa Chiara inAntrodoco, a town close by to the areas affected by

the earthquake. At the end of the Mass, Fr.Mariano held a conference on “The 5 wounds asource of Mercy.”

Thank you all for the solidarity shown to ourdelegation of Rieti.

Anna Maria Iacoboni MunziDelegate for the Rieti Delegation to the OESSH

During the months when normally activities wind down in anticipation of vacation, therewere many possibilities to be at the service of young people around the world.

Between theOlympic Games atRamallah inPalestine, andWYD in Krakow,the members of theOrder – of allgenerations –dedicated a lot inservice of theChurch lastsummer.


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Swhen someone is leaving one’s own home and towhich you respond “itterashai” which means “goand come back again”. That was the best sign thatthey felt right at home”.

Several other members of the Order openedthe doors of their homes to welcome the youngpeople who flocked to Krakow last week. KnightJacek Antoni Rutkowski says: “Many have offeredhospitality to pilgrims, prayed with them, and toldthem something about our nation and its history,including over 850 years of the Order in Poland”,and have participated in the organization of theevent itself. In particular, the Adoration Altar inBrzegi was created by the renowned Polish artistMariusz Drapikowski, Knight Commander of theOrder. Now that the celebrations are over, thealtar will be brought to the Shrine of Our Lady,Mother of the Word, in Rwanda.

Meanwhile, a group of young Frenchvolunteers went to the Holy Land where from July20 to 30 they ran a summer camp in the Latinparish of Ramallah, offering ten-day of games,songs, discovery, learning French and encounter

on the theme “Olympic Games”.The project was proposed by Charles-Edouard

Roed-Guilbert, squire of the Equestrian Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, who had alreadyorganised a first camp in Ramallah in 2015. From30 children last year, this year the camp welcomed70.

Claire de Puybaudet and Guillaume Malnoy,two volunteers, shared their experience with us:“Among the many things that we observed andwhich amazed us, was the closeness between theChristian and Muslim communities. They all livein harmony and undertake certain publicinitiatives to organize activities that involves thedifferent actors of the their community. If the joyof children and communities were not enough towin our hearts, then the hospitality, of thecommunity in which we lived and those whoassisted us, the gratitude of parents, really made usfeel fortunate to have been of this buddingadventure”. They conclude: “Today we are certainof one thing: this summer camp transforms usmore and more each day.”

I am approaching 40 with dualBritish & French nationality,

married to a Dutch wife with twochildren aged 4 and 3. I am amember of the BelgianLieutenancy of the EquestrianOrder of the Holy Sepulchre andlive in Luxembourg. I have beena Knight of the Order since June2010 and was fortunate to havethe Cardinal Grand Master of thetime, the late Cardinal Foley,officiating at the ceremony in themagnificent Brabantine GothicChurch of our Blessed Lady ofthe Sablon in Brussels, completewith stained glass windows in the Choir depictingan Investiture ceremony.

I discovered the existence of the Order through

family. I had the chance to speakwith relatives about thesignificance and the role of theOrder in society today. Myinterest was encouraged andsupported by my wife. I wasliving in Brussels at the time.

Joining the Order was adeeply personal choice and thesubject of much prayer but theprocess in my case was very muchabout the couple, in a shareddynamic of reassuring andinspiring reflection. I was drawnto the primary goal of the Order,namely that of supporting

Christians in the Holy Land through a combinationof prayer and regular contributions to fundimpactful projects. The projects supported are

An appeal to support education and vocationsin the Holy Land

The testimony of Gregory Tugendhat, a young member of the Order.

diverse and take in activities such as fundingeducational institutions, and supporting seminaries.A teacher once said of me that I would either be ateacher or a Priest so perhaps the idea ofsupporting both simultaneously was alreadydormant within.

Within five months of becoming a Knight of theOrder I went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.The opportunity to visit as a Knight, the schools

and Universities, Seminaries andHospices, meeting the people whowork there, who inhabit and dependon the various assistance, is uniqueand makes everything immediatelymore tangible once you have seen,touched and heard.

The activities are many andfrequent. In August 2015, Iparticipated in Paris for theprocession in the streets and theriver surrounding the Notre DameCathedral on the feast of theAssumption. In October I joined aretreat in Wavremont focussing onthe Evangelii Gaudium. I was inNancy in December for the 770thannual procession in Saint Nicholas

Basilica. In May 2016 I accompanied the retreat toRome over the Feast of the Ascension to reflect onMercy and Forgiveness.

When I joined the Order, there were twomembers under the age of forty five in theLieutenancy. We will be not far off twenty as of2016. The Order has created a lot of opportunitiesto meet new and interesting people who sharecommon values and a desire to deepen their faith.


“O h, Almighty God, we, the Knights andLadies of the Holy Sepulchre, who

throughout the centuries have watched andwitnessed at the gloriously empty tomb of Jesus, begyou to send us forth again, under the guidance of theHoly Spirit, clad in the armor of our faith, with goodworks as our sword, in the loving service of ChristOur King. Amen”

Just how do we do that? We may be fortunateenough to visit the Holy Land on pilgrimage andwitness the empty tomb, but how do stay on-task,in loving service of Christ, with our goal ofsupporting Christians in the Holy Land when it is

7,500 miles away?This evening I will attend a First Monday

Rosary Dinner in my Pasadena, Californianeighborhood with fellow Knights and Ladies. Wewill share personal intentions and repeat ourongoing actions for peace and justice in the HolyLand. We will then pray the Rosary together andshare a home-cooked meal prepared by ourhost/hostess for the evening. We have done thismonthly for over a dozen years. In that time, I havecome to know my fellow Knights and Ladies in auniquely rewarding manner. Throughout the ninedioceses of the Western USA Lieutenancy at 16

Praying the Rosary at the heartof the fraternity experienced in the Order

A testimony from Karen McClintock of the USA Western Lieutenancy about acommunity prayer initiative that united Knights and Dames in California.

Gregory Tugendhat, family man and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre,during the Marian procession for the Solemnity.


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Sdifferent locations, our members gather in prayerand fellowship on the first Monday of the month insolidarity with each other, the Christians in theHoly Land, and the Universal Church.

At these casual dinners, we celebrate oneanother’s triumphs and empathize with oneanother’s challenges. We express gratitude for theact of meeting regularly – something our brothersand sisters in the Holy Land would never take forgranted. We laugh together, cry together, and wepray together. We have even worked together todraft our own meditations on the Mysteries of theRosary. In doing so, wehave brought themysteries closer to us as aRosary Group and as anOrder.

While we all prayprivately and have ourpersonal prayer traditions,there is something veryspecial about the Catholicdevotion to praying incommunity. “where twoor three are gatheredtogether in My name, Iam there in the midst ofthem”, we really do feelHis presence. I definitelyfeel His presence at ourFirst Monday RosaryDinners.

And there is somethinguniquely human about

preparing food for one another in our privatehomes. There is a humility that equalizes us;focuses our attention on the important attributesthat have brought us together. There is agraciousness about opening our homes to oneanother – without pretense, but with genuinewarmth and welcome.

I am open to receiving the sanctification wepursue as Knights and Ladies and our monthlyRosary Dinners bring me a bit closer to that goal.Our Rosary Dinners help clad us in the armor ofour faith to, in fact, serve Christ our King.

The testimony of a Dame of the Lieutenancyfor Austria highlights the important place of

women in the Order, of which they have been partsince 1871.

Is being a woman inside the Equestrian Orderof the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem different tobeing a man? In my personal experience, a passagefrom the Book of Genesis (cf. Gen 1:27) is tangiblein our Order: “God created man in his image; in

the image of God he created him; male and femalehe created them.”

The fact that we are fully accepted is whatdistinguishes our communities, thus creating afamily atmosphere and a “religious homeland”, inwhich each and every member contributes to thedevelopment of the charisms. Dames, Knights, laymembers and clergy: we all have the same rights aswitnesses of the Resurrection.

“All with the same rights as witnesses of the Resurrection”Being a woman in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Some Knights and Dames pray the rosary together as a community in theapartment of one of the members of their Lieutenancy.


My love for the Holy Land led me on a journey thatdrew me close to the Order and to becoming a

Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. In December of 2008 Imet Manuela. From the outset I spoke with greattransport of the Order and invited her to take part in themeetings and the monthly catechesis.

Thus it came to pass that a fire of love for the HolyLand kindled within her too and she subsequentlydecided to become a Dame of her own free will.

We received the Investiture from the hands of cardinalPietro Farina, in October 2009 in the Basilica of OurLady of Graces in Benevento, the same church we werelater married on February 19, 2011.

Little Dante Maria was born from our union, who isnow 5 years old. We nourish the desire in our hearts thatone day he can, if deemed worthy, become a Knight ofthe Holy Sepulchre.

We both see a divine plan in our story, that He had aparticular path for us to follow and brought us togetherin mutual love and attention for the Holy Land.

Massimo Continiand Manuela Libera Streppa Contini

United in love for each otherand for the Holy Land

While the official positions are still mostlyoccupied by men, Dames are represented in theGrand Magisterium, they hold board positions inLieutenancies and Delegations where they giveessential input to charitable and social outreach, in

the liturgy, in the organizationof pilgrimages and commonprayer. They can also take onthe role of Lieutenant,Chancellor or Secretary and thisis already happening in variousLieutenancies.

Our Lieutenant for Austria,Karl Lengheimer, gave greatimportance to womenoccupying more space withinthe Order, of which they havebeen members since 1871. Andthanks to his personalcommitment, Dames are nowrepresented on all of the Order’s

delegations. The close working relationshipbetween men and women are growing at all levelsand we can perfectly describe this reality with theexpression “the Order family.”

Eva Maria Leiner


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As every year, the Grand Master of the Order,Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, took theopportunity to visit many Lieutenancies and

Magistral Delegations around the world withoutmissing the important occasions of life of theChurch and of the Order in Rome. This year thetwo meetings of the Grand Magisterium were heldfrom April 11 to 13 and October 24 to 26 at theheadquarters in Palazzo della Rovere, as well as themeeting of European Lieutenants (June 27-28),while the regional meeting of the Lieutenants ofNorth America took place in Baltimore (USA) June2 to 4.

On April 17, the Grand Master celebrated thefirst Investiture of the Magistral Delegation of the

Czech Republic in Olomouc, preceded by theInvestiture of its Grand Prior, the archbishop ofOlomouc Msgr. Jan Graubner.

On June 10 and 11, His Eminence presided atan Investiture ceremony in Pelplin, Poland; then hewent to Pompeii, to the Marian shrine of the Virginof the Rosary, founded by Blessed Bartolo Longo, amember of the Order, for the Investiture organizedby the Lieutenancy for Italy South Tyrrhenian onJune 24 and 25. From July 22 to 24 he was inIreland for an Investiture in Maynooth.

The months of September and October werefull of events for the Grand Master. September 3he was in Madaba, Jordan, for the delivery ofdiplomas to new graduates of the University. From

In Rome and the world:the intense activity of theGrand Master of the Order

Investiture in Paris. Lieutenancy for France.


September 5 to 18, the Grand Master travelled tothe Pacific region where he presided overInvestiture ceremonies in Guam, Taiwan and thePhilippines. On September 21, Cardinal O’Brienagain travelled to the Holy Land in order towelcome the new Apostolic Administrator of theLatin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Msgr. PierbattistaPizzaballa, on the occasion of his solemn entryinto Jerusalem. A few days later, on September 24,His Eminence was in France where he celebratedthe Investiture ceremony of thirty new Knightsand Dames in Paris.

The month of October began with a visitoverseas for the installation of the new GrandPrior of the USA Western Lieutenancy onOctober 1, followed by an Investiture in Tucson,Arizona, the next day. On October 4, CardinalO’Brien received the Adelia prize, awarded by theSaint Pio Foundation in Tuckhaoe, New York. OnOctober 8, the Grand Master was in Barcelona tocelebrate the Investiture of the Lieutenancy for theEastern Spain.

Another important moment of this month ofthe Rosary was the Jubilee pilgrimage of the ItalianLieutenancies – strongly desired by CardinalO’Brien – to Pompeii, spiritual home of BlessedBartolo Longo, the only lay member of the Orderto be beatified. Having presided over theInvestiture ceremony of the new Hungarian

members in Budapest on 22 October, the monthended with the usual fall meeting of the GrandMagisterium at the headquarters of the Palazzodella Rovere in Rome. This year the meeting washeld on October 25 and 26 to permit thecelebration together, on the actual day of theanniversary, on October 25, of the feast of theBlessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine.

In November, the Grand Master celebratedtwo Investiture ceremonies in the United States:on November 5 in Boston and on November 18 inNew York. On December 3 in Anagni (Italy),Cardinal O’Brien received the InternationalBonifacio VIII Award “... for a culture of Peace”

Investiture in Budapest. Lieutenancy for Hungary.

Investiture in Barcelona. Lieutenancy for the EasternSpain.


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from the City of Anagni 2016 and the InternationalAward “Misericordes sicut Pater” for his work asGrand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchreand his intense episcopal activity.

Returning to the United States in December, theGrand Master presided at Mass in Shreveport,Louisiana, for the 150th anniversary of theapparition and the miracle of St. John Berchmans,a seventeenth century Belgian Jesuit who appearedsupernaturally to a dying American novice, whowas later cured. During this celebration it waspossible to venerate the relic of the heart of theSaint. On that occasion, the cardinal also met witha delegation of members of the Order.

On his return to Rome, Cardinal O’Brienparticipated in the celebrations of the Christmasseason at the Vatican with the Holy Father. ■

Investiture inOlomouc.Magistral

Delegationfor the Czech

Republic.

Among the Knights and Dames of the Lieutenancyfor USA Eastern who received the Investiture inNew York, there were also five members from theBahamas (Picture by Peter Ramsey, from thewebsite Magnetic Media tv).

Investiture in Pelplin. Lieutenancy for Poland.


Visits to the Pacificand East Asia

From September 5 to 18, the Grand MasterCardinal Edwin O’Brien traveled to the

Pacific and East Asia for two weeks of visitsduring which he celebrated three Investitureceremonies: in Guam (1), Taiwan (2) and thePhilippines (3), where the Order is growing.

In Guam, His Eminence received a gift fromthe Magistral Delegation: a copy of the statueof the patron saint of Guam, Saint MarianKamalen. The statue dates to 1700 but itsorigin is shrouded in mystery. Nonetheless, ithas a rich cultural history that stretches backto 1941, during World War II when Japanbombed Guam on the Feast of the ImmaculateConception, December 8. The statue of SaintMarian Kamalen was placed in safe andguarded by a girl who is now member of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre. Cardinal O’Brien’stour continued to Taiwan where the joy ofanother Investiture, celebrated on September11. The last leg of this transatlantic trip was inthe Philippines, a majority Catholic Asiancountry. The Grand Master was welcomed byCardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Grand Prior of theLieutenancy for the Philippines, MetropolitanArchbishop of Manila and President of CaritasInternationalis, who concelebrated theceremony of Investiture of new Knights andDames of the Order held September 15.

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important moments inthe life of the lieutenancies

worldwide

ITALY CENTRAL - In addition to the various activities organized by the Lieutenancy for Italy Central, there wereopportunities to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary and entrust actions in favor of the Holy Land to her. In particular, June17 to 20, there was a pilgrimage to Lourdes, organized by the Rome Section headed by Lieutenant Saverio Petrillo.

Some Lieutenancies wanted to send the report of their activities during thepast year. We invite our readers to read these texts rich in experiences on our

site available in five languages – www.oessh.va – under the heading“Lieutenancies”. The photos that we publish on the following pages illustrate

some great moments experienced by members of the Order of the differentLieutenancies who have written to us to bear witness in the publications of

the Grand Magisterium.

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http://www.oessh.va/content/ordineequestresantosepolcro/en/nelle-luogotenenze.html


SWITZERLAND - The Lieutenancy for Switzerland has experienced several intense moments during 2016,particularly from the spiritual point of view. In the picture a beautiful memory of the Investiture celebrated in Locarnoin the church of Saint Francis.

USA WESTERN - TheUSA Western Lieutenancyhas particularly taken toheart the invitation todialogue between Jews,Christians and Muslims thatPope Francis addressed atthe beginning of the Jubileeof Mercy. The Very ReverendFather Alexei Smith, amember of the Order whoworks in the ecumenicaland interfaith office of theArchdiocese of Los Angelesrecounts the manyopportunities that theLieutenancy has promotedat the level of mutualunderstanding andcommon social actions,from Phoenix to Salt LakeCity and from Los Angelesto San Diego.


AUSTRIA - Since thebeginning of the Jubilee ofMercy, many activities have

involved the Lieutenancy forAustria in an atmosphere of

joyful belonging to the universalChurch by recalling the vocation

of Knights, as stated by amember of the Order “to be a

Knights also means beingmerciful”.

PHILIPPINES - During the 2011pilgrimage to the Holy Land of theLieutenancy for the Philippines, the thenPatriarch Fouad Twal spoke to the Knightsand Ladies of the need to forge a chaplaincydedicated to Filipinos in Jordan. Thiscommunity numbers about 45,000 and theyneed to be guided and accompaniedspiritually by someone who knows theirlanguage and culture. The Lieutenancy tookthis request to heart and December 19,2016, Father Gerald Metal arrived inAmman. In this photo we see him during thecelebration of the Feast of the Baptism ofChrist in the River Jordan along with variousmembers of the Filipino community.

NETHERLANDS - One of themoments that particularly touched

the Lieutenancy for theNetherlands in 2016 was the

closure of the Priory of Emmaus inMaarsen, near Utrecht. The sisters

of this community have been afaithful presence and support for

the Lieutenancy since itsfoundation and for the past 60

years. In the photo we see the giftof the chalice from the superior ofthe community to the Lieutenancyand that will be the visible sign of

the union in prayer between thenuns and members of the Order.

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SPAIN WESTERN -The Jubilee of Mercy has

been a special year ofgrace. Particularly for new

Knight Jean-PhillippeAndré Sendat of the

Lieutenancy for SpainWestern who received

Investiture in Madrid onNovember 5, “Entering

the Order of the HolySepulchre during the Year

of Mercy was as if Jesuscame to meet me. I feel

joy, enthusiasm, peace, adesire for justice,

compassion for others. Ifeel I have a big

challenge ahead of me:the new evangelization

and to offer hope to theChristians of the Holy

Land”.

FINLAND - In September 2016, the Lieutenancy for Finland traveled to Sweden in the footsteps of the saints,especially St. Bridget, on an annual pilgrimage. In fact the good news spread to the southwestern part of Finland fromSweden during the XI-XII century. Among the places visited during the pilgrimage, the brigidine convent of Djursholm,near Stockholm, where the group was joined by some Knights and Dames of the Lieutenancy for Sweden to celebrateMass and for a convivial encounter.


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CANADA QUEBEC - On Saturday, December 3, Archbishop of Quebec Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Grand Priorof the Lieutenancy for Canada and Quebec, presided over the ceremony of Investiture at the Basilica-Cathedral of OurLady of Quebec. Four new Knights received the Investiture during the ceremony. (Photo by Daniel Abel, officialphotographer of the Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of Quebec)

USA NORTHEASTERN - In 2016, the USA Northeastern Lieutenancy celebrated its 35th anniversary. It was a greatjoy to share this moment with the Grand Master, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, and the Grand Prior, Cardinal Sean PatrickO’Malley, on the occasion of the Investiture ceremony that was held on November 5 in Boston and during which 50new Knights and Dames were welcomed into the Order, bringing the number to 900 members of the Lieutenancy.


The historical origins of the Order of theKnights of the Holy Sepulchre is, of course,controversial. Contrary to what has been

stated by ancient authors, authenticdocumentation has never been found to supportthe argument that the Order arose at the time ofthe Crusades and, even less, that it was foundedjust after the Christian conquest of Jerusalem in1099 during the first crusade1. According tocurrent studies, it can only be claimed, based onirrefutable sources, that it was during thefourteenth century that noblemen and gentlemenfirst began to boast of the title of Knight of theHoly Sepulchre, after receiving their investiture –or renewing an oath previously taken in Europe –in Jerusalem, at the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre,according to the ancient codes of chivalry.

In the context of traditional medievalknighthood, these knights were part of a particularbranch. Its members, however, did not operatewithin a legally structured institution, nor had aGrand Master as their head. On returning to theirnative lands, they resumed their place in society,returning to their everyday life within their ownfamily2. A prime example of this traditionalpractice among the European aristocracy isprovided by the journal, published a few years ago,of the pilgrimage made by a high ranking Italiannobleman to the Holy Land in 14133.

This precious document gives us a brief butdetailed account of the journey there and back,made by Marquis Nicolò III d’Este, Lord ofFerrara in northern Italy, from 1394 to 1441. Asbefitted his rank, the Marquis had a great retinue,consisting of ten nobles, the Franciscan friarFrancesco da Lendinara (accompanied by abrother friar) as chaplain, a doctor, some officersand a large number of servants, each one taskedwith carrying out a variety of duties, for a total offifty people. The officers included ChancellorLuchino dal Campo, who had been given the task

of drafting the diary of the whole trip.Having left on April 6, 1413 bound for Venice,

the party set sail on the 14th. After several stops,they landed in Jaffa, Palestine, on May 11, andthen travelled directly to Jerusalem, arriving fourdays later. The first two days were devoted to theveneration of various places in the Holy Citymentioned in the Gospels. Then, on the afternoonof May 16, the party made its entry into the HolySepulchre. In the evening the sacred edifice wasclosed by the Muslim authorities (the chroniclernotes that its keys were held by “Turkmen”), theFerrarese pilgrims, accompanied by some friarsfrom the Franciscan Custody, remained inside,visiting and praying in the various chapels andAedicule. Having finished their devotions, theywere warned by the religious that the investiturewould be preceded by the singing of the divineoffice and the celebration of three masses: thosewho had not yet confessed, were invited to thesacrament of penance. The others could eat, restor pray, as best they believed. It was not, therefore,a real Vigil of Arms, but a night long vigil in theholy place (the so-called incubatio).

At midnight, the liturgy began with the singingof the divine office, which was followed by thecelebration of three masses, the last of which wascelebrated in the Holy Sepulchre itself. Then, afterthe distribution of the Eucharist to candidates toknighthood, preceded by the Marquis, he theninitiated the investiture of six gentlemen,according to the customary rite: interrogation ofthe applicant to ascertain his intentions andawareness of the obligations that assumed,bestowing of the sword.

At this point, however, the ceremonyundergoes a variant, which is the one that mostinterests us here. One of the gentlemen present,Messer Alberto della Sala, who was already aknight, relinquishes his sword and spurs of gold,saying he desired to renounces his previous

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A knightly investiturein Jerusalem in 1413

investiture “to be made a knight at the Sepulchre”.His sword was once again bound to his side. Thus,the entire group moved to the altar on MountCalvary, where the Marquis bestowed the goldenspurs on all.

Another episode enriches the narrative. Thenarrator notes how Nicholas III, though a knightfor some time, had never worn the Spurs. In thatparticular circumstance, on Calvary, he askedMesser Alberto to tie on only the left golden spur(the left side of the body was considered the mostnoble, because it is where the heart beats) ineternal memory of his pilgrimage to the HolyLand. As for the other spur, he reserved the rightto put it on only at the end of the next pilgrimagethat he intended to fulfill to Santiago deCompostela. The ceremony ended with a sungMass, after which those who had not receivedcommunion during the Mass at the HolySepulchre all received the Eucharist4.

The brief narration by Luchino dal Campo,presents us with an opportunity to make someobservations. First, it proposes an albeit briefdescription of an investiture ceremony in the HolySepulchre. Unlike what will happen a century anda half later, in the fifteenth century, the clergy (inthis case, the Franciscans of the Custody) onlyfulfills the priestly ministry, with theadministration of the sacraments and the

celebration of Masses. The Investiture ceremony isofficiated by a lay man, the highest ranking knight.Second, it is obvious that the sword and goldenspurs were the most characteristic outward signsof knighthood: and this especially helps usunderstand why we still use them today, eventhough they are endowed with a different symbolicmeaning. Third, we have documentary evidence ofhow previously invested Knights, gave up the titlethey had already acquired, to take on another one,that of “knight at the Sepulchre”. The report doesnot specify whether that name was also adopted byothers, but it is likely that this was the case, if weconsider the words spoken by the Marquis, whourged everyone not to forget “where they hadreceived this Order of Knighthood.”5 Finally, theclarification of Nicholas III of wanting to put onanother spur at the end of a pilgrimage to Santiagode Compostela shows how the religious investiturewas further enhanced when its ritual – or part ofit, as in this case – took place on having achievedthe sacred goal of a pilgrimage.

However, on the morning of Wednesday, May17, at the reopening of the doors by the“Turkmen”, the group emerged from the sacredbuilding not without having paid a tribute inmoney. On the afternoon of that same day, theMarquis and his entourage left for Bethlehem.After visiting the Basilica of the Nativity and the


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Jan van Scorel (1495- 1562), 12 members of the Confraternity of Pilgrims in Jerusalem from the city of Haarlem(Haarlem Frans Halsmuseum). The top left corner, an image of the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre. Of note, the fourthcharacter from the left wears a Jerusalem cross around his neck.

surrounding places, the next day they returned toJerusalem, where, on May 19, they began thereturn trip. It ended in Ferrara, July 6, 1413: thepilgrimage lasted around 92 days.

An incident that occurred on the way back,however, deserves mention. During the trip toVenice, the ship carrying the party droppedanchor in Cyprus. And during the stay on theisland, an unusual dinner took place. Faced with alavish spread, the most delicious dish being madefrom roasted peacocks, the Marquis and the newknights each pronounced a solemn vote. Tounderstand the context, please note that at thetime the peacock was considered a symbol ofimmortality because it was believed that his fleshcould not rot: therefore, the most solemn oathswere pronounced over it. In this case, Nicholas IIIvowed that at the first feat of arms to which hewould be called with a company made up of over ahundred men on horseback, he would lead theattack and that until he could fulfill his vow, hewould fast every Friday. The rest uttered similaroaths, some explicitly assuming the obligation tofight the Turks and Saracens, others promptlypledged to observe the rules of honor, and othersstill swore allegiance to the Marquis6.

This brief ceremony became a more temporal

aspect to the religious ceremony celebrated inJerusalem during the investiture. In the tradition,new knights feel obliged to recall the values ofmedieval chivalry: military courage, a sense ofhonor and loyalty to one’s lord. And this traditionwill be perpetuated among the knights of the HolySepulchre in Jerusalem until the nineteenthcentury, when the medieval chivalry was but adistant memory.

Agostino Borromeo

1 J.-P. de Gennes, Les Chevaliers du Saint-Sépulchrede Jérusalem, 2 volumes in 3 tomes, Cholet 1995 –Versailles 2004, I: Origines et histoire générale de l’Ordre,pp. 259-262.

2 A. Borromeo, L’Ordine Equestre del Santo Sepolcrodi Gerusalemme in “Bollettino del Circolo S. Pietro” 132,n. 1 (January-June 2001) pp. 50-53.

3 Luchino dal Campo, Viaggio del marchese Nicolòd’Este al Santo Sepolcro (1413). Edition and commentaryby Caterina Brandoli, foreword by Franco Cardini,Firenze 2011

4 Luchino dal Campo, Viaggio del marchese Nicolòd’Este, cit. pp. 189-191; p. 282.

5 Luchino dal Campo, Viaggio del marchese Nicolòd’Este, cit. p. 190

6 Luchino dal Campo, Viaggio del marchese Nicolòd’Este, cit. pp. 236-241.


The imageshows threepilgrims fromthe 15th

century,paying a tariffas they enterthe HolySepulchre,depicted instylized formon the rightside andcharacterizedby Christ'sempty tomb.

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ARGENTINALUGARTENENCIAC. Marcelo T. de Alvear 1173 2B1058 BUENOS AIRES – Argentina

AUSTRALIA – NEW SOUTH WALESLIEUTENANCYc/o Supreme Court of New South WalesGPO Box 3SYDNEY, NSW 2000 – Australia

AUSTRALIA – QUEENSLANDLIEUTENANCY11 Kentia StreetMOUNT GRAVATT – Queensland 4122 – Australia

AUSTRALIA - SOUTH AUSTRALIALIEUTENANCY54A Lower Portrush RdMARDEN - SA 5070 – Australia

AUSTRALIA VICTORIALIEUTENANCY23 Holroyd StreetKEW, Victoria 3101 – Australia

AUSTRALIA - WESTERN AUSTRALIALIEUTENANCYP.O. BOX 101OSBORNE PARK WA 6917 – Australia

BELGIQUELIEUTENANCEDamhertenlaan, 51950 KRAAINEM – Belgique

BRAZIL - RIO DE JANEIROLUGAR-TENENCIARua Gabriel Garcia Moreno 366 , São ConradoCEP 22610-360 - RIO DE JANEIRO - RJ – Brazil

BRASIL – SÃO PAULOLUGAR-TENENCIAAv. Cidade Jardim n° 400 – 6° AndarSÃO PAULO/SP. - CEP 01454-901 Brasil

BRASIL – SÃO SALVADOR DA BAHIADELEGAÇÃO MAGISTRALMosteiro de São Bento da BahiaC.P. 113840001-970 SALVADOR, BA – Brasile

CANADA-ATLANTICLIEUTENANCY851 Tower RoadHALIFAX, NS B3H 2Y1 – Canada

CANADA-MONTRÉALLIEUTENANCE4399, King Edward AvenueMONTRÉAL - QC - H4B 2H4 – Canada

CANADA-QUÉBECLIEUTENANCE5607 rue Saint-Louis, suite 306LÉVIS, QC G6V 4G2 – Canada

CANADA - TORONTOLIEUTENANCY90 Old Mill RoadTORONTO, ON – M8X 1G8 – Canada

CANADA - VANCOUVERLIEUTENANCY6625 Balaclava StreetVANCOUVER, BC - V6N 1M1 Canada

CESKÁ REPUBLIKAMAGISTRÁLNÍ DELEGACE679 39 ÚSOBRNO 58Ceská Republika

COLOMBIALUGARTENENCIACalle 71 n°1-9011001 BOGOTÁ D.C. – Colombia

DEUTSCHLANDSTATTHALTEREIRembrandtstr. 4440237 DÜSSELDORF - Deutschland

ENGLAND AND WALESLIEUTENANCY68 Goldington AvenueBEDFORD MK40 3DA – United Kingdom

GRAND MAGISTERIUM00120 VATICAN CITY

[email protected]

THE LIEUTENANCIESAND MAGISTRAL DELEGATIONS

IN THE WORLD


ESPAÑA OCCIDENTALLUGARTENENCIAC/ Alonso Heredia, 5- 1° A 28028 MADRID – España

ESPAÑA ORIENTALLUGARTENENCIAC/ Rivadeneyra, n° 3, bajos08002 BARCELONA – España

FEDERAZIONE RUSSADELEGAZIONE MAGISTRALEOzerkovskaya naberezhnaya 26, Apt. 55115184 MOSKVA/MOSCA – Federazione Russa

FINLANDKÄSKYNHALTIJAKUNTAItä-Linnake 802160 ESPOO – Finland

FRANCELIEUTENANCEArchevêché, B.P. 41117, 27 rue Jules Simon37011 TOURS Cedex – France

GIBRALTARLIEUTENANCYCloister Building, 6/8 Market LaneP.O. Box 554 – GIBRALTAR

GUAMMAGISTRAL DELEGATIONDulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica (Chapel of St.Therese)207 Archbishop Flores StreetHAGATNA, Guam – USA 96910

IRELANDLIEUTENANCYBeechmount’, Kilkelly RoadSWINFORD - Co. MAYO – Ireland

ITALIA CENTRALE LUOGOTENENZAPiazza S. Onofrio al Gianicolo, 200165 ROMA – Italia

ITALIA CENTRALE APPENNINICALUOGOTENENZAVia dei Servi, 34 50122 FIRENZE – Italia

ITALIA MERIDIONALE ADRIATICALUOGOTENENZAVia Cesare Diomede Fresa, 1470126 BARI – Italia

ITALIA MERIDIONALE TIRRENICALUOGOTENENZAVia Capodimonte, 1380136 NAPOLI – Italia

ITALIA SARDEGNALUOGOTENENZAVia Roma, 6909124 CAGLIARI – Italia

ITALIA SETTENTRIONALELUOGOTENENZAVia San Barnaba, 4620122 MILANO – Italia

ITALIA SICILIALUOGOTENENZAVia Monteleone, 5090133 PALERMO – Italia

LETTONIA/LATVIADELEGAZIONE MAGISTRALEBulstrumu Street 5IKSKILE, LV- 5052 Latvia

LUXEMBOURG (GRAND DUCHÉ DE)LIEUTENANCE21, rue Cents1319 LUXEMBOURG

MAGYARORSZAG - HUNGARIAHELYTARTÓSÁGHermina út 231146 BUDAPEST – Magyarország (Hungaria)

MALTALIEUTENANCY“La Dorada”Triq il-MigbedSwiegi, St. Andrew’sSWQ 3240 – Malta

MEXICOLUGARTENENCIAGómez Pedraza #50, Colonia San Miguel ChapultepecDelegación Miguel HidalgoCIUDAD DE MÉXICO, 11850 México

NEDERLANDLANDSCOMMANDERIJE NEDERLANDSchapendijk 467574 PG - OLDENZAAL – Nederland

NEW ZEALANDMAGISTRAL DELEGATION29L St. Stephens AvenuePARNELL 1052 – New Zealand

NORGEMAGISTRAL DELEGATIONNyveibakken 127018 TRONDHEIM – Norge


ÖSTERREICHSTATTHALTEREISeefeldgasse 15A-7100 Neusiedl am See – Österreich

PHILIPPINESLIEUTENANCY110 Mango DriveAyala Alabang VillageMUNTINLUPA CITY 1780 – Philippines

POLSKAZWIERZCHNICTWOArchbishop of Warszawaul. Miodowa 17-1900-246 WARSZAWA – Polska

PORTUGALLUGAR-TENENCIARua do Alecrim, 72, R/C DT.°1200-018 LISBOA – Portugal

PRINCIPAUTÉ DE MONACOLIEUTENANCE10, rue de Bosio98000 MONACO – Principauté de Monaco

PUERTO RICOLUGARTENENCIA265A Nelson RamírezMayagüez PR 00682 – Puerto Rico

REPUBLIKA HRVATSKAMAGISTRAL DELEGATIONNadbiskupski Duhovni Stol, Kaptol 3110000 ZAGREB – Republika Hrvatska

SCOTLANDLIEUTENANCY120 Brackenbrae AvenueBishopbriggs GLASGOW G64 2DU – Scotland

SLOVENIJANAMESTNI·TVOc/o Îupnijski urad sv. NikolajaDolniãarjeva 11000 LJUBLJANA – Slovenija

SOUTH AFRICAMAGISTRAL DELEGATIONApartment 1002 Twin Towers NorthBeach RoadThree Anchor BayCAPE TOWN – South Africa

SUISSELIEUTENANCELe Ménestrel – Avenue des Alpes, 10/A1006 LAUSANNE – Suisse

SVERIGE-DANMARK (SWEDEN-DENMARK)STÅTHÅLLERIETÅsögatan (Aasoegatan) 149, 6th floor S-116 32 - STOCKHOLM – Sweden

TAIWANLIEUTENANCYNo. 1-1, Shikan, Shihding Dist223 Shihding, NEW TAIPEY CITY – Taiwan, R.O.C.

USA EASTERNLIEUTENANCY1011 First Avenue - 7th FloorNEW YORK, NY 10022 – USATel. (+1) 212 371 1050

USA MIDDLE ATLANTICLIEUTENANCY11622 Hunters Run DriveHUNT VALLEY, MD 21030-1951 – USA

USA NORTH CENTRALLIEUTENANCY7575 Lake Street, Apt. 2ARIVER FOREST, IL 60305 – USA

USA NORTHEASTERNLIEUTENANCY340 Main Street, Suite 906WORCESTER, MA 01608 – USA

USA NORTHWESTERNLIEUTENANCY4684 N.W. Brassie PlacePORTLAND, OR 97229 – USA

USA NORTHERNLIEUTENANCY1715 N. 102nd StreetOMAHA, NE 68114-1141 – USA

USA SOUTHEASTERNLIEUTENANCY2955 Ridgelake Drive, Suite 205METAIRIE, LA 70002-4962 – USA

USA SOUTHWESTERNLIEUTENANCY2001 Kirby Drive, Suite 902HOUSTON, TX 77019 – USA

USA WESTERNLIEUTENANCYCathedral of Our Lady of the Angels555 W. Temple StreetLOS ANGELES, CA 90012 – USA

VENEZUELALUGARTENENCIAAvenida Los Pinos Quinta n° 45Urbanización la Florida CARACAS – Venezuela

SINCE 1975

Order of the Holy SepulchrePapal Equestrian Orders

Order of MaltaItalian Dynastic Orders and Orders of the Italian Republic

DECORATIONS OF KNIGHTLY ORDERS

Via dell’Orso, 17 - 00186 Roma - Italia ■ Tel/Fax: (+39) 06 68307839 ■ [email protected]

www.barbiconi.it

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