News

On October 1, around 50 participants gathered at the House of Saints Simeon and Anne in Jerusalem for an evening dedicated to learning about the Jewish festival cycle and the significance of Hoshanah Rabbah. The event was organized by the St. James Institute for Jewish and Christian Education and hosted by the Jerusalem Community.

Fr. Piotr Zelazko, Vicar for Hebrew-Speaking Catholics, reflects on the third anniversary of October 7th.

We are pleased to share joyful news with our community. After six years of dedicated work by a large team of students and lecturers from the Heritage College in Moscow, two books by Prof. Ilya Grits (1949-2020) have been published and have now arrived in Israel.

On the occasion of the Feast of Sukkot, the Jaffa Community welcomed Rabbi Oded from Jerusalem to the sukkah erected in the monastery courtyard. Community members gathered to learn more about the meaning of this important Jewish feast and to share an evening of fellowship and dialogue.

Last Sunday (27.10), following the Holy Mass and the traditional kibud in the sukkah, members of the Jerusalem Community gathered for a joyful evening of games and fun as part of the celebrations of the Feast of Sukkot.

On Monday, September 28, members and friends of the Interfaith Initiative in the Negev gathered in the sukkah of Eshel Avraham Synagogue in Beersheba. The annual meeting, held during the Feast of Sukkot, offers an opportunity to strengthen relationships and discuss shared concerns in a festive atmosphere.

We are pleased to announce that the new Liturgical Calendar for 2026/2027 is now available online and can be consulted by all members of our communities.

Nearly 200 members of the Hebrew-speaking and Russian-speaking Catholic communities of the Vicariate of St. James gathered in Kiryat Yearim on Saturday, 26 September, to celebrate the annual Feast of the Communities. Held during the joyful days of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, the event brought together participants from Jerusalem, Haifa, Jaffa, and Beer Sheva for a day of prayer, reflection, friendship, and thanksgiving. The gathering was hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph, whose warm hospitality provided an ideal setting for this special celebration. The day offered an opportunity not only to meet old friends and welcome new faces, but also to strengthen the bonds that unite our diverse communities throughout the country.

We present the homily of fr. Piotr, the Vicar of St. James on the occasion of Feast of Sukkot during the Communities Day in Kiryat Yearim, September 26th, 2026.

This year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, began on the evening of Saturday, September 20. A group of twelve faithful from the different communities of the St. James Vicariate gathered at the Monastery of Deir Rafat to spend this holy day in silence, fasting, and prayer.

On Saturday, August 8th, the Haifa community spent a day of prayer, reflection, and fellowship on Mount Carmel, following in the footsteps of the Prophet Elijah and discovering the spiritual heritage of the Carmelites and Saint Sharbel. Fr. Igino reports.

Fr. Piotr Żelazko, Patriarchal Vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Israel, spoke to Vatican News about his meeting with Pope Leo XIV during the audience granted to the bishops of the Arab countries. He emphasized the Pope’s genuine concern for peace and for Christians living amid conflict.

From 7 to 11 September 2026, the priests serving the Catholic communities of Israel gathered in Georgia for their annual spiritual retreat. Hosted in Zerovani and combined with visits to important Christian sites across the country, the retreat offered an opportunity for prayer, silence, fraternity, and reflection on the priestly vocation. Guided by Bishop Giuseppe and several local Church leaders, the days focused on the theme of responsibility in the life and ministry of a priest.

The Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions held their annual meeting in Rome from September 1 to 3, with the participation of around 15 bishops serving Latin-rite Catholic communities across the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula.

The Vicar of St. James, Fr. Piotr participated in a conference organized by the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oświęcim (Poland). The occasion was 84th anniversary of the death of Edith Stein.

Can God still change the world through a child? That question accompanied the 42 participants throughout this year's third St. James Vicariate Children Summer Camp at Beit Noah (Tabgha) that took place from July 27th till 31st.

From 13–16 July 2026, 41 participants gathered at Beit Noah in Tabgha for our second Youth Kaytanah "In the Footsteps of Jesus". Over four unforgettable days, the young people did much more than spend time together. They literally walked where Jesus walked, prayed in the places where the Gospel came alive, and discovered what it means to follow Christ as His disciples today.

Thirty-two participants aged 16 and above gathered at Beit Noah in Tabgha, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, from 7–10 July 2026 for our annual 16+ Keitanah (summer camp). Under the theme, "Challenges – Walking with St. Paul," they spent four days exploring the life of one of Christianity's greatest missionaries through prayer, pilgrimage, workshops, friendship, and unforgettable moments of joy.

On 23 June 2026, the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Mary of the Resurrection in Abu Ghosh celebrated a significant milestone: the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first three brothers from the Abbey of Bec-Hellouin in France. The jubilee brought together members of the local community, friends of the abbey, and guests from across the Holy Land for an evening marked by prayer, music, gratitude, and fellowship.

On the weekend of 19–20 June 2026, 20 young adults from the St. James Vicariate communities gathered in Nazareth with Patriarchal Vicar Fr. Piotr Zelazko for a weekend of prayer, fellowship, reflection, and spiritual growth.