Feast of Our Lady at Rafat

On Sunday, October 30, 2011, hundreds of faithful from Israel and Palestine gathered at Deir Rafat to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Palestine, patroness of the diocese of Jerusalem. The shrine was built in 1927, at the time of the British Mandate, when Patriarch Barlassina sought to erect a place of prayer for this troubled land. The faithful continue to come to intercede for peace in the Holy Land.

The mass was celebrated by Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, assisted by Bishop Marcuzzo from Nazareth, retired Bishop Bathish and Father David and priests from all over the diocese, including many religious. A special guest was Greek Catholic Archbishop of Jerusalem, Youssef Zreyi.

In his homily, Patriarch Fouad drew attention to the Assisi peace prayer that he had attended last week, hosted by the Pope. He said that we might hope that the beautiful words mouthed there by Jews, Muslims and Christians might become a reality. He also addressed the subject of the "new evangelization," pointing out the new context in which the Church of the Holy Land lives. He described visits he paid to local Christians living in North and South America, underlining that more Holy Land indigenous Christians live abroad than in the Holy Land. At the same time, he explained, the Church in the Holy Land is called to accommodate large numbers of migrants. He underlined that the migrants now outnumber the indigenous Christians who have remained in the land. Pointing to the "Arab spring," he described the fear that many Christians feel as they see the old regimes tumbling down. No one knows what the future holds. These fears we bring to Mary our Mother. However, Christians are called to be confident in the Lord's promise that he will be with us until the end!

Among the prayers of the faithful, there was also one in Hebrew, read this year by Lucia, from the Jerusalem kehilla.

Following the mass, the Patriarch and the entire assembly marched in procession around the sanctuary and received the final blessing in front of the church.