Eve of World Peace Day in the Jerusalem Vicariate

On December 31, 2010, the last day of the year, a festive mass was celebrated in the Saint James Vicariate for Hebrew Speaking Catholics in Israel. The mass for peace was celebrated in two languages, in Hebrew and in Arabic, by Patriarchal Vicar Father David and Father Rafic of the Vicariate, Father Yunus, a Turkish Capuchin monk and Father Jaroslav from the Ukraine concelebrated alongside him. The songs were also in Hebrew and Arabic, animated by a group of musicians from the Vicariate, directed by Benny, and a few members of the music group from the Old City, Al-Raja (Hope), animated by Souheil Asfour.

After the conclusion of mass, tens of participants continued to prayer in the chapel until 22.30 under the guidance of Benny, who together with a small group of assistants from the Vicariate community and from the Jerusalem kehilla sang songs in Hebrew and Arabic and other languages, meditated on Biblical texts and prayed prayers of intercession for the Church and the world. Particularly powerful moments during the evening were:

- Reflecting on pictures that reminded the participants of the events of the past year: difficult moments like the natural disasters in Haiti and Pakistan, the massacre of Christians in Iraq and the fire on the Carmel, and moments of joy like the World Cup in South Africa, the Synod for the Catholic Church in the Middle East in Rome and the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

- The procession with the Gospel, circling three times around the chapel, representing the penetration of the Word of God into the depths of our lives in the new year. After the procession, Father Rafic and Benny chanted the reading from Saint John (1:1-18) in Arabic and in Hebrew.

- Towards the end of the prayer vigil, the 60 participants who remained until the final moments, divided into four groups and read together the testament of Father Christian, one of the monks who was murdered, together with six of his brothers, in Algeria. After reflecting on his moving words on consecrating his life to God and pardon, there was a time to share on this text.

At the end of the vigil, the participants crowded into the community room to continue the celebration, to eat and drink a glass of champagne together and to experience the friendship that ties us together despite our differences of origin and way of life.

Thank you, Lord, for having blessed us as we begin a new year and we continue to pray that it will be a year of peace.