Feast of St. James 2025

The Feast of St. James is a cherished celebration held annually at the Deir Rafat Monastery, located in the Jerusalem District of Israel. This event brings together the local Hebrew-speaking communities to honor St. James, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.

Deir Rafat, also known as the Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Our Land, was established in 1927 by the Latin Patriarch Luigi Barlassina. The monastery is renowned for its beautiful church, which features a striking statue of the Virgin Mary and a ceiling adorned with angels carrying banners inscribed with the Hail Mary prayer in 280 languages.

The Feast of St. James at Deir Rafat is marked by a series of religious and cultural activities. The day typically begins with a solemn Mass, celebrated by the Vicar with all the priests and attended by a faithful from various congregations. The Mass is a profound expression of faith, with hymns, prayers, and readings that reflect the life and teachings of St. James. This year, fr. Piotr in his homily underlined the necessity of Christian testimony, as he said: Today, maybe more than ever, the world needs our example of active love. Today, for sure, more than ever, this place as well as the entire Middle East need our brave position about what is good and moral and what is unacceptable form the point of view of Christian values. The entire homily can be read: HERE.

Following the Mass, the festivities continue with a communal meal, where attendees share grilled chicken wing prepared by the parents of Tel Aviv children and enjoy the company of fellow believers. This meal symbolizes the unity and fellowship that St. James promoted among the early Christians.

The lunch was followed by the yearly tournament of the Communities. This time the Cup of St. James went to the community of Jaffa-Tel Aviv.

The Lotery of St. James that took place for the first time, was an occasion to win great prizes: a laptop computer, weekend for two in Tiberias, guided trip to the Negev, weekend in Jaffa, hand-made icon, a dinner with the Vicar in a nice restaurant in Jerusalem or handcrafted souvenirs from local artists in Haifa. The prizes were paid by the priests of the Vicariate, but every single coupon was rewarded by a small gift.

Here are the words of the Vicar to all who helped preparing the feast:

I wanted to thank all of you. The work done to prepare the Feast of St. James was enormous. Thank you for your efforts in coming the day earlier and preparing the church and the courtyard, for all who prepared the liturgy (songs, prayers, readings, etc), for bringing the people (organizing buses, cars, etc), for the organization of the food (barbeque, tables, chairs, drinks, coffee station, etc), for the secretary job (tags, posters, etc) and the reception (bringing materials, receiving people, selling coupons, etc), for the Lottery (the prizes, the packing, the distribution, etc), for cleaning and guarding, for cooking, photographing and logistics, for every big and little thing that was done by every single person, teams and groups. I cannot write here all your names, but I hope the Lord will repay you for this service. Let me mention just the name of Monika who took care of the organization and work for a long time to make this day happen. Thank you. 

I am sure that what you all gave to others will bear fruits. Our common prayer as Vicariate, our participation and building relations must bring new energy in the communities. Let us hope that our "small but vivid" local Church may be a home for everyone. Celebrating together our feasts is a great help to create a family where everyone is invited to search for the meaning of life, to learn what it is to love others, and to discover God's Will. Thanks again! Long live St. James Vicariate!