The Patriarch meets the pastoral committee of Saint James Vicariate

Last Friday, on May 21, His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited the Saint-James Vicariate, at the House of Saint Simeon and Anna, and met the new pastoral committee of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic communities in Israel. It was also the first meeting of the Pastoral committee whose members were elected a few months ago, but were prevented from starting their activities due to a sequence of unforeseen events.

The members of the committee spoke, in the presence of the patriarch, about the life of our local communities and about our various activities:

 - The enterprise of translation (liturgical texts, books of Christian thought, etc.),

- The work with teenagers, and summer camps,

- Saint Rachel Center for Children of Migrants and Asylum Seekers in Jerusalem,

- The catechism in Hebrew for migrant children in Tel Aviv,

- Family meetings,

- Visits to prisoners, and the preparation of prayer material for the prisoners,

- Interreligious dialogue,

- Lessons via Zoom, and commentary on Sunday's gospel on YouTube (on the channel: Daily Gospel in Hebrew)

- Prayers via Zoom and Lectio Divina,

The Patriarch encouraged us to continue serving generously despite our small number, and despite the difficult challenges we have to face. At the end of the meeting, he celebrated Eucharist with us, entrusting our vicariate to God.