From 16 to 23 September, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton, took part in the celebrations for the 125th anniversary of the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, the seat of a community of the Custody as well as of the Commissariat of the Holy Land.

The path of peace

During a lecture with benefactors, the Custos illustrated the situation that the friars and Christians are living in in the Holy Land, their needs, their fears and their hopes. He also indicated some steps for a path towards peace, in the footsteps of St Francis. “Peace needs an attitude towards sharing; it requires empathy and compassion – recognizing and sharing the pain of the other. Peace needs education on co-existence.” Peace needs religious leaders “who take the responsibility of announcing that God is peace, mercy and reconciliation,” and political leaders who “put the common good in the first place,” knowing that “our future is to be a single family.”

A bridge with the Holy Land

The Franciscan Monastery of Washington was founded to  bring the Holy Land closer to the Christians in the United States at a time when  it was difficult to travel. Many Christians in the USA have got to know the main Places of the Salvation thanks to their reproductions in the shrine. “At this time as well when pilgrims cannot come to Jerusalem, this bond can be kept alive at the Franciscan Monastery. It is a very important bridge between the Holy Land and the United States,” the Custos reflected. In addition, “the Commissariat has a very important function in supporting the Christians of the Holy Land.”

The Guardian of the Franciscan convent, Fra Ramzi Sidawi, comes from Jerusalem. “We are the bridge between the Holy Land and the Church of the United States. We want to continue offering a bond with the land of Jesus, a place of peace and reconciliation here, in the middle of the city.” People who take part in the celebrations in the shrines that reproduce the Holy Places can also obtain plenary indulgence.

Close to the Christians of the Holy Land

After the Sunday Mass, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, who presided over the celebration, stressed how the presence of the Franciscan Monastery contributes to “making the faithful aware of the needs of those who live in the Holy Land, which have never been as serious as now. I am pleased to be able to encourage the faithful to take care generously of the needs of our brothers and sisters.”