Jaffa kehilla on Lenten Via Dolorosa

Lent is a time of prayer and conversion. These were the two elements that characterized Saturday, March 29 for the kehilla of Jaffa-Tel Aviv, accompanied by Father Apolinary, Brother Alberto and Father Piotr, spending a day of prayer and recollection in Jerusalem. The entire morning was dedicated to a meditation on the passion of Jesus. The kehilla of Jaffa, with some friends from the kehilla of Jerusalem (Father Piotr, Kirill and Eran) made their way down the crowded Via Dolorosa, in prayer, not without some difficulties because of the very many groups at each of the stations of the Cross. The members of the kehilla contributed to the enrichment of each meditation with personal contributions to the meditations that they had previously prepared.

When they arrived at the Basilica of the Resurrection (Holy Sepulcher), the friends from Jerusalem left in order to go and teach catechism in south Tel Aviv, whereas the faithful from the Jaffa kehilla continued to visit the Holy Places inside the Basilica. After a very fast picnic at the convent in the Old City of Maria Bambina, near to the Basilica, the group paid a visit to the Convent of Saint Savior, the refectory of the Franciscan friars, the great canteen, usually closed to the public, the Mother of Pearl Hall and the church. The afternoon was dedicated to a visit to the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu, for many a place never visited before.

The day drew to a close with a mass celebrated in the Franciscan church alongside the Cenacle, where the last supper took place on Mount Sion. This had been an intense day of prayer and unity, a wonderful occasion to prepare our hearts for Holy Week and the Feast of Easter that are approaching. Next week, a day of retreat will signify another important appointment for the kehilla before Easter.