Holy Land Collection more vital than ever as conflict continues, commissary says

Two years ago, when Friar Bernie Thomas OFM, Commissary of the Holy Land (Australia), wrote to the people of the Church in Australia to promote the annual Holy Land Collection, it was the global COVID pandemic that was, he says, ‘causing havoc for the people in the Holy Land’. Now, though, ‘there is a new and more dangerous threat through the ongoing conflict, which may last for quite some time,’ he says.

‘Just when pilgrims were starting to return, the Sacred Places of our Christian Faith are once again closed to pilgrims,’ he says in this year’s letter, referring to the war between Israel and Hamas that has been raging since October last year, and appealing for the continued and generous support of Australian Catholics through the annual collection.

‘Pilgrims are vital because they generate income that allows the Friars and the local Church to fulfil their mission of caring for the Holy Places (which also give work to the local people), as well as running parishes, schools and caring for orphans, refugees, the homeless, and more.’ In the absence of this income, the collection is more important than ever.

The Holy Land continues to grapple with significant financial challenges, as the problems and obstacles created by the pandemic have been replaced by similar and even more severe problems resulting from the war.

For 800 years, the Franciscan friars have been a gracious presence in the countries that make up the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land—Israel and Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Rhodes andCyprus—walking with the people and sharing their often difficult lives.

‘The people of these countries face their own difficulties, but particularly Christians due to their minority status,’ Friar Thomas writes. ‘Among them, the friars have never ceased offering their pastoral care.’

As is the case in many places around the world, he says, the Holy Land continues to grapple with significant financial challenges, as the problems and obstacles created by the pandemic have been replaced by similar and even more severe problems resulting from the war in Israel and Gaza.

Quoting from a letter written in 2021 by Fr Francesco Patton OFM, the Franciscan leader of the Holy Land Custody, Friar Thomas said that if you replace the word pandemic with war, the letter is just as relevant today as it was then.

Outlining the important work that the friars continue to do under increasingly difficult and perilous conditions, he points out that although the tourists and pilgrims have disappeared, and with them a vital source of income, the sanctuaries have remained open, with celebrations being broadcast as a way of remaining connected with pilgrims and the faithful.

Our donation is a direct way to make a difference in the lives of people who are keeping alive the Christian presence in the land of Jesus, often in the face of great difficulty.

The friars also continue to care for their parishes, including Arabic-, Hebrew- and Greek-speaking locals, migrant workers and refugees, offering liturgies, sacraments and catechesis to nourish and encourage the faithful. They also care for the sick and accompany the dying, and have not closed their schools, even as the war continues to rage.

In the absence of income from pilgrims, the costs of these vital ministries are, in a large part, covered by the Good Friday Collection and the generosity of Catholics all over the world.

‘Brothers and sisters,’ Friar Thomas writes, ‘as is always the case, the Good Friday Holy Land Collection is extremely important, and a mission that we all can assist with … Our donation is a direct way to make a difference in the lives of people who are keeping alive the Christian presence in the land of Jesus, often in the face of great difficulty in recent years. On their behalf, I humbly and wholeheartedly thank you all.’