Patriarch celebrates feast of the Jerusalem kehilla

On Sunday, February 5, 2012, His Beatitude Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal came for a first visit since he became Patriarch to the Jerusalem kehilla, which meets in the chapel named for Saints Simeon and Anne. A few months after his arrival as coadjutor bishop in the Patriarchate, in 2007, he visited the Jerusalem kehilla. Today, the members of the kehilla were happy to welcome him as Patriarch.

He was invited to celebrate the mass of the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple forty days after the Nativity. This is the feast of the kehilla’s home – the Saints Simeon and Anne House, the two saints being those who awaited the Messiah and recognized him in the baby, held in his parents’ arms. On this occasion, the Patriarch dedicated the new altar in the chapel, a magnificent wooden altar made especially for the chapel by master carpenters, Yona and Stas. The altar was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of the Frick family in Switzerland and special thanks to Matthias, the seminarian from Switzerland, who made contact with the family. The dedication ceremony of an altar is a rare celebration and includes anointing with oil (which has been sanctified on Holy Thursday). It is similar to the ordination of a priest – preparatory prayers, litany of saints, anointing with oil and vesting.

The Patriarch celebrated the dedication of the altar in French and the mass in Arabic, the numerous congregation responded in Arabic and in Hebrew. It is significant to point out that the congregation was able to respond in Arabic thanks to a special transcription prepared by our brother Yohanan, who unfortunately was not present due to illness.

Alongside the Patriarch were concelebrants: Father David, in charge of the kehillot, other priests serving in the kehillot (Fathers Rafic, who served as master of ceremonies, Michel, Paul, Piotr, Daniel Moses and Wieslaw) and other priests who came for the feast and among them Father Marcelo, Vice Chancellor of the Patriarchate. Deacon Jérémie served at the altar. Twenty priests celebrated and about 120 faithful attended, a number superior to the number of seats in the chapel.

In his homily, which the Patriarch delivered in French and which was translated into Hebrew, he meditated on the figures of Simeon and Anne. He also spoke of recent events in the life of the Church and underlined the role that the Saint James Vicariate plays in the pastoral of the local Church. The homily can be read in French here

The prayer was accompanied by the splendid singing of the choir of the kehilla, directed by Benny, assisted by Magali. A special thanks is due to the members of the choir who spent long hours preparing: Cecile, Miriam, Martine, Eliane, Lucia, Carlos, Christina, Jérémie, Matthias and Sister Camelia.

After the prayer, those present gathered for a delicious reception in the parish hall, where the feast continued in a friendly atmosphere. Before leaving, the patriarch blessed all those present and especially some of the children: two little boys who celebrated their birthdays: Benny and Eden, and a baby girl, Josephine, who will be baptized shortly.

Thanks to Andrea Bergamini for the photos.