In an atmosphere of profound prayer and concern for the events shaking the region, the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated in Jerusalem the feast of Saint Anthony of Padua, its patron and protector. A recurrence that this year in particular represented a cry for reconciliation and an invocation for peace.

A bond, the one between the Custody and the Saint, rooted in history: it was precisely to Saint Anthony that the friars entrusted themselves in 1917, obtaining the decisive intercession to guarantee the permanence of the Franciscans in Jerusalem. A miracle kept in memory and sealed, on June 13, 1920, with the official proclamation of Saint Anthony as patron of the Custody. The celebrations kicked off on the afternoon of Friday, June 12 in the church of St. Saviour, where the Franciscan friars gathered in prayer for the first vespers.

The Bread of Saint Anthony on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

This year the first vespers of the Solemnity of Saint Anthony were held on the same day that the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was celebrated.

The Vespers were presided over by the Father Custos, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, who blessed and distributed the Bread of Saint Anthony, as per tradition. A simple but disruptive gesture.

In his homily, the Custos stated: "The Heart of Christ reveals to us a God who is moved, a God who loves, a God who does not remain distant from human events, but who enters our history to the point of sharing our fragility and our suffering."

Furthermore, Fr. Ielpo highlighted the connection between the two recurrences, Saint Anthony and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, recalling that the Saint of Padua, in his Sermons, used to dwell on the meaning of God's love, "while the love of the flesh passes and the love of the world changes continuously, the love of God remains forever."

The Solemn Celebration for the Patron and Protector of the Custody  

The culmination of the celebrations was reached on the morning of June 13 with the Solemn Mass, presided over by Fr. Francesco Ielpo.

Present at the celebration were Mons. Shomali and Mons. Marcuzzo, representatives of the Latin Patriarchate, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Melkite Church Mons. Ayyash and several religious from the Orthodox Churches, together with some civil authorities: Ms. Tammy Ben-Haim, head of the Department for Religious Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accompanied by Mr. Cesar Marjieh, Director of the Christian Department of the same Department; the Italian Vice Consul Mr. Damiano La Verde and Ms. Manuela AFFEJEE, Counselor for Religious Affairs at the French Consulate.

In a historical moment marked by fear and uncertainty, the Custos asked Saint Anthony to grant the faithful hope and the strength to create bridges of peace throughout the world: "Today we ask our patron for a special grace: that he may help us cast out the demons that divide peoples, our communities, our families and our hearts. May he teach us to speak the new language of the Gospel. May he make us men and women capable of standing in the midst of the wounds of history like Christ: not to condemn, but to reconcile."

In front of the altar set up for the occasion, the Custos pronounced the solemn prayer of consecration of the Custody to its patron and protector.

In the afternoon, the Custos took part in the celebrations in the parish of Saint Anthony of Padua in Jaffa, where the local community celebrated with a procession led by the scouts and celebrated with a shared dinner.

The celebrations finally concluded in Jerusalem with the recitation of the second solemn Vespers, presided over by Fr. Ulises Zarza, Vicar of the Holy Land, sealing a day of intense prayer and renewed entrustment.