ST VINCENT'S & ST MARTHA'S
Today marked the last full day of the pilgrimage before the main diocesan group heads home tomorrow after what has been a monumental week and a half in the Holy Land.
The group started the day by visiting some of the projects we have supported both financially and with prayers: St Vincent's Orphanage and St Martha's Day Centre. Until now we have visited sites associated with the life of Jesus; today we met modern day inhabitants of the place of his birth. One could imagine that these people, some of the most vulnerable in this society, would have been the type of people that Jesus would have a special affection for.
St Vincent's Orphanage, run by Salesian Sisters, takes in children abandoned by their parents for a number of complex reasons, be they social, economic and political. The children the pilgrims encountered were filled with a joy born of the stability and security provided by the Nuns. One of the guides said that seeing the children makes him 'very sad but very glad of the great work the Sisters do’. When asked what gives the Sister who spoke to the Red Coach joy, she said ‘seeing the smiles on the faces of the children’.
Similarly, the work of St Martha's, a day centre for women who have been widowed, left a deep impression on the whole group. They welcomed us with great warmth and affection. We danced to quintessential Arabic music with the Palestinian ladies of the centre. In the lounge one could see the influence of English assistance and patronage. There were plaques from Friends of the Holy Land and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and a menagerie of photos of English Bishops who have visited the centre in the past few years.
MASS AT ST CATHERINE'S
After the moving events in the morning, in the afternoon the group had Mass in the Catholic Church of St Catherine in the Basilica of the Nativity, above the cave of St Jerome. It was an event of note for the local community and there were multiple guests of honour including local dignitaries, generals and the Mayor of Bethlehem, a Catholic woman, Vera Baboun (pictured below). To watch her address, click HERE.
In the evening, we held a reception for those who had made the pilgrimage possible: our wonderful tour guides, the staff of Laila and Tangney Tours and the priests who have given so much of themselves throughout the week. It was a joyous occasion filled with laughter, wonderful speeches, toasts and a fine summary from pilgrimage director Fr Paul McDermott: ‘This has been the BEST pilgrimage I have led!’
At the end of our final full day, Cardinal Vincent reflected on events of the day:
Tomorrow morning we will visit Abu Gosh before lunch and then make our way back to Tel Aviv to fly home in the afternoon.
For more photos of today, please click HERE.
For today's Youth pilgrimage blog, please click HERE.
