The pro Terra Sancta Collection returns on Good Friday
13 April 2022
“This year on Good Friday, please remember us, your brothers and sisters who live in the Holy Land. Help us according to the generosity of your heart, remembering the words of our Lord Jesus: There is more joy in giving than in receiving (Acts 20:35)". These are the words of Brother Francesco Patton, OFM, Custos of the Holy Land, a few days before the pro Terra Sancta Collection, traditionally held on Good Friday.The Custody of the Holy Land, thanks to the collect of the offerings, is able to sustain and continue the important mission and vocation it owns: to keep and custody the Holy Places, the stones of the memory and preserve the christian presence, the living stones of the Holy Land trough many solidarity activitiesThe Custos of the Holy Land, Br Francesco Patton, explains why it is important to donate: "In an unprecedented situation like that of the last two years, we Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have tried to continue our mission: in the shrines without pilgrims, and above all we have intensified our prayers, giving voice to the cry of all humanity. In the parishes we have continued to celebrate and to be close to the people, local faithful, migrant workers and refugees. In our schools we have tried to educate in an environment of fraternity and hope. In our study centres we have welcomed and trained young friars, priests, men and women religious and lay people from all over the world. With difficulty we have tried to support materially the weakest communities: the community of Bethlehem and that of Jerusalem, with no more pilgrims and no work; the communities of Lebanon, devastated by an increasingly economic and political crisis; those of Syria, which remains like a prisoner of a war that seems to never end”.What will be the purpose of the donations collected with the Colletta pro Terra Sancta? Br. Ramzi Sidawi, Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land, answers: "We have 15 Custody schools for the poor and local people. Another social work is the houses that we offer for very low rent to those who are most in need. The Custody has at least 1,000 people employed in the different activities. The Good Friday collection is the main resource of the Custody of the Holy Land and with it we cover at least 70% of the expenses: the works of the custody, the maintenance of the sanctuaries and social works".The collection "pro Terra Santa" held every year on Good Friday, can be a gesture of closeness and consolation for the Christians who live in those places. This is the message at the center of the Letter released by the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches. Read it here.(Thanks to Christian Media Center)
