The Custody of the Holy Land, led by the Custos, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, has gathered in the Church of St. Saviour to pray the “Te Deum,” in thanksgiving at the close of this jubilee year.

The prayer of the Te Deum takes its name from the Latin words “Te, Deum, laudamus” (“You, O God, we praise”) yet its true home is in the hearts of those who recognize the good they have received, even when they cannot fully explain it.

It is sung at the end of the year, after a trial overcome, before an unexpected grace, or in the presence of an unlooked-for joy. The Te Deum is the gathering of all the gratitudes that no single sentence can contain. It is this: lifting one’s eyes, giving a name to the light, and entrusting to heaven all that the heart has gathered on Earth.

The Custody and the Church of Jerusalem give praise to the Lord for every Grace received, despite the hardships that the Holy Land, and the whole world, have faced throughout this year.