Brothers by blood, in the vocation of Franciscans and now in the priesthood as well. On Saturday 6 July, in Aleppo (Syria), their home city, George and Johnny Jallouf, of the Custody of the Holy Land were ordained priests. The new priests thus join their two companions, Mark Vertido and Lorenzo Pagani,  ordained  on 29 June in Jerusalem.

In Aleppo 17 years later

For the parish of St Francis in Aleppo, where the twins grew up from childhood, where they served as altar-boys and then animated the youth groups,  it is the first priestly ordination for 17 years. The Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo of the Latins, Mons.  Hanna Jallouf , also a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land and the uncle of the two new priests, presided over the Mass.  The Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, Fra Ibrahim Faltas, who presented the candidates; some discreets of the Custody of the Holy Land representing the whole community of the friars of the Custody,  the friars of the Syrian communities and the representatives of the other Christian Churches in Syria were also present.

The rite of the ordination

After the homily, the rite of ordination took place. After being questioned by the bishop, Fra George and Fra Johnny prostrated themselves to the singing of the litanies of the saints, with a mention of the  Martyrs of Damascus, who will be canonized on 20 October and the liturgical memory of whom falls on 10 July. The bishop then recited the prayer of consecration and laid his hands on them, followed by all the priests present.

The two friars then put on the white priestly robes, their hands were anointed with the chrism oil and their hands were bound with a piece of white linen (manuterge). According to an ancient tradition, it was the mother of the new priests who undid the cloth, dried their hands and kissed them for the first time, followed by her husband. That cloth will be kept by the mother of Fra George and Fra Johnny and will be placed between her hands at the end of her life. Tradition has it that when she is presented to the Lord, she will have the priesthood of her sons  to offer, symbolized by the cloth anointed with the chrism. The new priests then blessed their parents. They received the chalice and the paten and the embrace of peace from the priests present. The celebration continued with the two new priests as concelebrants.