Yom HaShoah in the Vicariate

In all our kehillot special prayers were offered during Yom HaShoah, remembering the victims, the survivors and the Righteous among the Nations, who risked their lives to save Jews. Yom HaShoah, the annual commemoration of the Shoah, began this year on Sunday evening, April 7,2013. Father David, Latin Patriarchal Vicar responsible for the Hebrew Speaking Catholics in Israel, accompanied H.E. Archbishop Giuseppe Lazarotto, Nuncio to Israel, to the official ceremony at Yad VaShem. The ceremony this year underlined the 70th anniversary since the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943. President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu and many other dignitaries were present. Among them were also the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos, accompanied by Archbishop Aristarchos.

The entire ceremony can be viewed here

On the following day, Monday, April 8, 2013, a delegation from the Saint James Vicariate made its way to Yad VaShem to attend the wreath laying ceremony. Fathers David, Rafic, Nicola and Johannes, accompanied by Benny, Claudia, Giordano and Nicole represented the kehillot during the official ceremony. They also took a time of prayer in the forest of the Righteous among the Nations.

Let us pray that these horrors will never be repeated and let us commit ourselves to tikkun olam.