On Monday, February 7, a senior  delegation from the British Embassy in Amman paid a visit to Anjara township, the shrine of Our Lady of the Mount, Mar Elias, and the Wahadneh township in Ajloun Governorate, northern Jordan. The delegation included Deputy Ambassador Richard Moon, Second Secretary Johnnie Walker, and political adviser Ms. Amani Hammad. The visiting delegation was accompanied by Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader.

The deputy ambassador conveyed the ambassador's greetings and recalled Prince Charles' visit to Jordan weeks ago, his official meetings, and his historic visit to the Baptism Site. On behalf of the CCSM and all the welcoming  departments, Fr. Bader conveyed well wishes to the British community on the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's celebration marking her 70th anniversary of ascending the British throne.

In Anjara, the delegation members met with parish priest Fr. Yousef Francis and the nuns of the Incarnate Word--where they listened to an explanation on the Marian Shrine, which is one of the main pilgrimage sites in the Kingdom--as well as the Latin parishioners in the township and the affiliated Latin Patriarchate School. They were also apprised of the children accommodation house which was built in 2006.

 In Ajloun, the delegation members visited the icons gallery which was established by Jordanian youth Rawan Al-Rabadi, where they were briefed on the icons and drawings that she makes. They expressed their admiration for this art which serves to preserve religious heritage as well as to promote art and culture in the city.

On the way to Mar Elias, Fr. Bader briefed the delegation members on the cable car project which is due to be inaugurated as it is considered one of the projects that will draw visitors and pilgrims to visit this beautiful governorate.

At  Mar Elias, the delegation members listened to a briefing from Professor Nabil Bader, professor of tourism and archeology at Yarmouk University, and were acquainted with the discovered two churches dating back to the 6th century AD known as the smaller church and the large Church.

At the Wahadneh township, the delegation members were received by Latin parish priest of Mar Elias Church Fr. Baha Stephan, the Rosary sisters, and a number of Muslim and Christian Wahadneh residents. A briefing was presented on the township's history and the people's aspirations for the future. Fr. Stephen gave a presentation on the establishment of the parish, while retired Brigadier Mahmoud Al-Sharida, a writer of the history of the Wahadneh and founder of the Heritage Museum, gave an overview of the history of the township. Ms. Ola Al-Sawa'i and Ms. Sarah Bader presented an overview of the role of women in the Jordanian society in general and in Ajloun Governorate in particular, in addition to the common living experienced in the township. Sister Claudine spoke about the  Rosary  Sisters Congregation and the work carried out by the nuns in the various parishes and schools. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Ratib Ayoub, a teacher at the Latin School in the township.

After lunch, which was served at the parish hall, the delegation members visited the Heritage Museum which was established according to a personal initiative by Mr. Mahmoud Al-Shraideh. The museum is currently supervised by the Ministry of Culture and is subject for expansion and development.