Ninth Family Encounter in Tiberias


On Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16, 2015, families, representing the Hebrew speaking Catholic communities in Israel, met in Tiberias to continue their study and prayer together.

families tiberias 1.2015

The families gathered at Casa Nova in Tiberias, alongside the Saint Peter parish church. Here they were once again warmly welcomed by the community that animates the place, Koinonia John the Baptist. This time, seventeen families took part in the gathering.

On Friday afternoon, Father David introduced the program to the participants and they introduced themselves to each other and caught up on recent news. After dinner, the families gathered for a fun evening, animated by Kiril in the form of a Bible quiz. Then there was still time for a stroll on the waterfront.

The following day, the discussions began in earnest. While Kirill and Daniel took care of the children, the parents convened with Father David. The day was broken up into three sessions. The first session was on the sacrament of reconciliation and there was a time of sharing on the experience of going to confession. The testimonies shared were very moving.

This was followed by a session on the two new saints from the Holy Land that were to be canonized the following day in Rome by Pope Francis, Carmelite Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified and the foundress of the Sisters of the Rosary, Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas. The participants watched a shot documentary on the life of Marie-Alphonsine and the work of her sisters in the Holy Land today.

After lunch and time for a rest and even a boat ride on the Kinneret, the third session continued the discussion about the Church’s work with the migrants and asylum seekers in Israel. The participants watched the documentary about the work of the Church. (The documentary can be watched here).

The weekend ended with a festive mass commemorating the Feast of the Ascension.

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