On 2 November 2024,  the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land prayed in Jerusalem for the faithful departed and visited the three Latin Catholic cemeteries – that of the friars and the two parish cemeteries (one of which is no longer used) – and blessed the graves.

Death and eternal life

On this day, in addition to the Mass at the convent, the friars attend the solemn Mass in Arabic in St Saviour’s church, the Latin parish of Jerusalem.  The celebration is presided over by the parish priest, Fra Amjad Sabbara with, as concelebrants the Custodial Vicar, Fra Ibrahim Faltas, and the visitator-assistant, Fra Marcello Ghirlando, and a number of other friars.

The colour violet dominates the liturgy which commemorates the faithful departed. The violet of the chasuble, the stoles and the liturgical vestments recall , as soon as they are seen, the penitential tone of this celebration. Songs, reading and prayers invite us to put ourselves before the Mystery of death, which is present in the life of every  man, but always with a glimpse of hope. Our destiny is eternal life.

“The Eucharist assures us eternal life according to the words of Jesus,” said Fra Amjad in his homily. “This is why we ask him to increase our faith in Him and to live according to His promise.”  Commenting on the passage from the Gospel on the Final Judgement (Matthew  25, 31-46), the Latin parish priest of Jerusalem invited the faithful to live according to a “style of mercy towards those beside them, especially the weaker, trying to relieve their suffering, recognizing in them the presence of the Lord.”

In prayer in the cemeteries

Immediately after the Mass, the friars and faithful formed a procession. Reciting the Rosary, they crossed the Old City of Jerusalem to Mount Zion, where the Latin cemeteries are. Just outside the Gate of Zion there is the cemetery of the Franciscan friars. Here a brief moment of prayer was held, after which Fra Ibrahim Faltas blessed and incensed the graves.

The procession then went down towards the  two parish cemeteries: the old one, in function until 1947, and the “new” one, which since 1967 has been the resting place for the mortal remains of the faithful of the Latin parish. In both, after a prayer led by the parish priest the friars sprinkled the graves with blessed water. On the tombstones,  fresh flowers and incense burning show the recent visit by the faithful to their dear ones.