On Friday, July 18, 2025, the Catholic Church in Jordan marked the Pilgrimage Day to the Grotto of St. Elijah, Ajloun, which is one of the main Christian pilgrimage sites in the Kingdom,  during which a Holy Mass was celebrated by Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop Iyad Twal. In attendance were parishioners of churches in the governorate, in addition to parish priests from the Wahdaneh churches, namely Fr. Salam Haddad, Fr. Johnny Bahbah, and Fr. Yousef Francis.

Prior to the Holy Mass, Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader delivered an address during which he welcomed the participants of the pilgrimage on behalf of the region's priests. He pointed out the importance of this grotto, located in the "Listab" area, in its capacity as the birthplace of Prophet Elijah--one of the Old Testament prophets, who was taken into Heaven in a chariot of fire from St. Elijah Hill, at the site of the baptism of Lord Jesus Christ, namely the Baptism Site.

He stated that this year, we mark the 25th anniversary of Christian pilgrimage to this holy site, which is reminiscent  of the celebrations and activities conducted  by the churches over the past quarter century. He also greeted Fr. Manuel Bader--who marks his diamond jubilee of priesthood with this Mass—as he was ordained priest in 1965 and celebrated Holy Mass for the first time in this region 60 years ago.

Then, Fr. Rif'at Bader lifted up prayers for the three people who were martyred in the shelling of the Holy Family Church in Gaza yesterday, and for the wounded, especially for parish priest Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, as well as for the faithful who were martyred during the terrorist attack on St. Elias Church in Damascus.

In this context, Fr. Rif'at  Bader called for offering prayers for all those working for peace, especially  for the King of Peace, the man of peace, and the peacemaker, His Majesty King Abdullah II, and Prince of Peace Crown Prince Al Hussein Ibn Abdullah II. He said, "May the Lord grant us the determination of  Prophet Elijah so that we may not  be led into despair or be subjected to the temptation of giving in to the conviction that evil triumphs, particularly at this time of war and violence, by being all the time pilgrims of hope par excellence."

In his homily, Bishop Iyad Twal referred to the spiritual meanings of the Feast of Saint Elijah and the day of pilgrimage to his holy site. He said, "We are here today, in our pilgrimage procession to this holy site, where time and place meet. Time moves on and changes and we come to this site, while remaining all the time the salt of the Earth and the light of the world."

Patriarch Twal took pride in the fact of being children of the Holy Land, namely the land that witnessed the history of salvation. He said that that this exudes a blessing from the God of love, as it is also a message and an invitation that differs from all other parts of the world, regarding its blessings and its difficulties. He outlined several lessons that Prophet Elijah teaches the people of today, namely courage, supporting truth, faith in divine providence, the power of prayer, God's presence in daily life, humility and continuity, and hope in eternal life.

At the conclusion of the Holy Mass, pastor of St. Elijah Church in Al-Wahhadneh Fr. Salam Haddad, delivered an address during which he thanked all those who jointly exerted strenuous efforts to ensure the success of the pilgrimage day. This included the Ajloun Governorate, the security services apparatuses, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Jordan Tourism Board, as well as church committees from the St. Paul choir in Ajloun and St. Elijah Church in Al-Wahadneh, the temple servants, and the scouts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla' al-Ali.

Fr. Manuel Bader also delivered an address during which he expressed pride in being a son of the Mar Elijah region and the first priest to be ordained there 60 years ago. He thanked the Latin Patriarchate, the Latin Vicariate, and everyone who conveyed well wishes to him on the diamond jubilee of his priestly ordination.