Trip of the Haifa kehilla

On Saturday, May 31, 2014, the kehillot of Haifa, the Hebrew speaking kehilla and the Russian speaking kehilla’ travelled together to Jerusalem. The main purpose of the trip was to visit the two places connected to the great feasts that the Church celebrates in these very days: the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord into heaven and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.

We began the trip on the Mount of Olives. We visited the chapel of the Ascension of the Lord and prayed there. We then went to see the panoramic view from the peak of the Mount of Olives. After a short visit in the Chapel of Dominus Fleviit (where the Lord wept), we reached the foot of the mount. First, we went down to visit the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, a place people like especially. Then we entered the Basilica of Gethsemane, situated at the place where Jesus prayed the night before his death.

Continuing the trip, we went to Mount Zion. First we entered the Cenacle – the Upper Room where Jesus had his last supper. In the same place, fifty days after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire. After we sang the song of the Holy Spirit in Hebrew, Fathers Roman and Sergey prayed, laying their hands on the heads of the faithful. From the Room of the Last Supper, we went to the Franciscan Cenacle and there we celebrated mass in the two languages, Hebrew and Russian.

At the end of the trip, we visited the Church of the Dormition, where Mary, mother of Jesus, fell asleep forever.

After returning to Haifa, we all are seeking to prepare for Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit who will guide us and lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven, heavenly Jerusalem.