Every year, between Christmas and the start of Lent, the rite of blessing the houses is repeated in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. With a long list of names in his hand, Fra Johnny Jallouf, deputy parish priest of the parish of St Saviour, goes up and down the lanes in parish of St Saviour,  taking the blessing of God to every home and every family of the Latin (Catholic) rite.  

The Christian Quarter: a place of faith

In the Christian Quarter of the Old Coty, along the streets and on the doors, it is common to see wooden crosses and small icons portraying St George or the Virgin Mary, tangible signs of the devotion of those who live in these houses. It is here that every year the simple but very meaningful gesture of blessing the homes is repeated.

Fra Johnny knocks on every door, asking permission to go in. He is given a warm welcome by the families who welcome him into their homes. Together they recite some prayers to then receive the blessing with holy water on them and in all the rooms of the house.

Testimonies of faith

We meet Angela, an elderly woman who lives in a small house in the Old City. "I like to have my house blessed,” she said with a smile. "For a very long time I went to Mass every morning at the Holy Sepulchre to ask the Lord for the grace I needed, and He has always helped me. This is why it is so important for me now to have my house blessed. Now that I am getting on, I cannot go to church any longer, but I have never stopped praying. I am pleased when Fra Johnny comes to bring me the blessing, because I know that the Lord can enter my home this way.”

Anulla, a young mother of two children, also emphasizes the importance that this gesture has for her and for all her family. “Without the blessing of Christ in our lives, we are nothing,” she says. “It is very important for me to pass on this teaching to my children as well, praying all together in the evening, going to Mass on Sundays or making the sign of the Cross before leaving the house.”

Like the shepherd with his flock

The gesture of the blessing of the houses has a very deep meaning as Fra Johnny explains, “It is a mark of closeness of the Church to its faithful.  Like the good shepherd who stays with his flock and gradually learns to get to know his sheep one by one.

Fra Johnny is given a warm welcome in each home; everyone leaves what they were doing and gathers in prayer. “What is most striking,” he continues, “is entering into people’s daily lives. As parish priests and as pastors, we are called to be at the sides of our faithful in every circumstance, both at times of joy and of difficulty.”

A sign of Christian hope 

The blessing of the homes is a simple but deep gesture, a  testimony of the living faith of the small community of the small Christian community.  The warm welcome by the families and the dedication of Fra Johnny in this service to the faithful of the Latin parish give joy and serenity. The blessing of the homes is a unique moment when the Lord enters the daily routine of family life, bringing hope and comfort even in this period marked by uncertainty and fear.