The liturgical celebration of Easter, justheld, invites us to once again fix ourgaze on the mystery of Christ’s

resurrection, because, as the Pope Saint JohnPaul II said to the Equestrian Order of theHoly Sepulchre of Jerusalemon the occasion of the HolyYear in 2000, the glory ofthe resurrection is “the focalpoint” of our spirituality. Hewent on to add: “this requirescareful reflection on theCatechism and the Bible, aserious review of life andgenerous apostolic zeal.”(Address to the participantsin the Jubilee of the Order,March 2, 2000).

Easter, every Easter isalways a message of renewalfor us. It is not verydifferent from what theMost High asked of His‘chosen’ people at thebeginning of Revelation: “Beholy because I, the LORDyour God, am holy” (Lv 19:1);words echoed by Jesus

when he taught: “Be perfect, therefore, as yourheavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Theholiness of God belongs to us by grace, a giftof the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, by offering his life, on EasterJesus establishes in himself anew Covenant between Godand the human being; aCovenant that transcends theancient one and that hasopened the election, oncereserved for Israel, toinclude all peoples of allplaces and times, accordingto the beautiful expression ofSaint Peter: “I now realizehow true it is that God doesnot show favouritism” (Acts10:34).

These words tell us that,as members of the Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre ofJerusalem, we are invited togenerously accept biblicalteaching, more than anyoneelse, by virtue of our choiceof life in the Order. This isour ‘home’ where we are

The inner motivationof every Knight and Dame

Message from the Grand Master

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Official portrait of the Grand Masterof the Order of the Holy Sepulchre,His Eminence Cardinal FernandoFiloni.

May 2020

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Newsletter N° 57

ordinis equestris sancti sepulchri hierosolymitani

jerusalem cross

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sacrament that accomplishes this, whilebelonging to the Order is a significantexpression of this.

A distinctive feature of the Order of theHoly Sepulchre of Jerusalem is therefore alife, a spirituality in which each Dame andKnight assumes that Christian identitywhich allows them to be witnesses of Christ,friends of the Bridegroom, continuers of thework of Jesus who “went around doing goodbecause God was with him”(Acts 10:38);finally, it makes us convinced and sincereambassadors of peace and good (BenedictXVI, Address to the Members of theEquestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre ofJerusalem, 5 December 2008).

May Mary, silent and certain witness ofthe resurrection of her Son, accompany us inour spiritual growth as a good Mother.

Fernando Cardinal Filoni

happy to be. Otherwise, we are reminded ofthe words of the Lord, who, horrified by thefact that the sacred Temple of God inJerusalem had become a market, drove“buyers and sellers” out, in order not to make“my Father’s house a market place” (Jn 2:16).Very strong expressions.

With our biblical and ecclesiologicalspirituality, which is founded on SacredScripture and in line with the teaching of theChurch, we make this zeal for the ‘house ofGod’ ours. We do this first of all throughauthenticity of life and by taking on ourconcrete responsibility to actively commit tofostering a better society, both where we live(diocese, parish, family, workplace, politicaland social life), and towards the Holy Land.

Our participation in the Order, in fact,aims to clothe us completely, in body andspirit, in the One in whom we died, wereburied and rose again: Baptism is the

The Order in Union withthe Universal Church

Proceedings of the Grand Magisterium

The Order and the Holy Land

The Life of the Lieutenancies

THE RESTITUTION OF TIME AND INCLUSIVETHINKING III

THE ORDER WELCOMES OUR NEWGRAND MASTER DURING WINTER 2020 VI

THE VIRTUAL SPRING MEETINGOF THE GRAND MAGISTERIUM VII

A NEW SECTION ON THE ORDER’SINTERNATIONAL WEBSITE XII

THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE LATINPATRIARCHATE AND THE CUSTOS FACEDWITH CLOSURE OF THE HOLY SITES XIII

AN UPDATE ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19FROM THE LATIN PATRIARCHATE XV

BEIT SAHOUR AND PARISH LIFE DURINGQUARANTINE XVII

HOW THE HEALTH CRISIS IS CREATINGA PROBLEM TO SCHOOL FINANCES XIX

THE LIFE OF THE ORDER DURINGTHE GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS XXI

A DAME OF THE ORDER IN SOCIETYAND IN THE CHURCH XXIII

GRAND MAGISTERIUM OF THE EQUESTRIANORDER OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE OF JERUSALEM

00120 Vatican City

E-mail: comunicazione@oessh.va

c o n t e n t s

We would like to clarify that, in this issue, the photos depicting groups of peoplewere taken before the pandemic.

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The Order in Union with the Universal Church

The restitution of timeand inclusive thinking

It is not true that the four big clocks arethere, silent; two on the external facadeof St. Peter’s Basilica and two behind it,

within it. They ask us: What are you lookingat? What interests you? The time of day, orTime itself? The question is unavoidable,both for those who believe and for those whodo not believe.

To think is divine! It is a gift for man. God,creating, taught us to think, thus renderingthe human being ‘similar’ to Himself; but Healso taught us to reflect, that is, to think withdiscernment; reflection is human. TheEternal One himself ‘had seen’ that what hadbeen created “was good” (Genesis 1:4ff). Hethen taught us to give things a ‘name’. Todaywe would say that this was a harmonizinggesture; highly environmental. To lose thename of things is to pollute; it is to lose therelationship with the beauty of creation. Itgoes against God!

Even for those who do not believe, tothink remains a noble act. The history ofthought is infinite; sociologically it is of nointerest to know if he who thinks is rich orpoor!

But will thinking end with human beings?Will all thought return to God, or will itvanish into nothingness? Non omnis moriar: Iwill not die entirely, thought Horace (Odi, III,30, 6). But, perhaps he was referring to thefame gained by his verses. This howeverdoes not change the question. To think overtime remains an act, an anthropologicalitinerary; it is a continuous search for selfand meaning. Reflecting on God is a

theological thinking; it is the continuoussearch for ‘anOther’ relationship, even if ithappens over time.

Job knew well that he had a problem withhis ontological, existential nakedness andwith God: “[He] tore his cloak and cut off hishair. He fell to the ground and worshiped. Hesaid, “Naked I came forth from my mother’swomb, and naked shall I go back there.” (Job1:20-21); it was the nakedness of being and ofhis thinking, profound, beyond the reach of itall, and of that for which he felt himself avictim; without an answer. These werematters pertaining to his life, his children,and the things belonging to him. Theanswers of the self-righteous in search of thecauses for his disgrace were of no interest tohim.

Qoheleth, pseudonym of the son of David,king of Israel, was considering to “search andinvestigating in wisdom all things that are doneunder the sun. [Coming to the conclusion] Abad business God has given to human beings tobe busied with.” (Ecclesiastics 1:12-13). And he

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During the pandemic, where relationships have been taken away fromus, we need them restored to us. But how? Just as before?

Cardinal Filoni guides us in the following reflection.

Thepandemic has

brought usback to the

essentialquestions oflife and our

thoughtshave often

turned toGod.

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was not wrong, it will be said; but asked inthis way, did the question not seem ratherdecadent, pessimistic?

Thinking implies having relationships withothers; implies inclusiveness. Otherwise,everything is meaningless. Pascal made it thea priori postulate as a proper ontological act;it was the first step. After him, we too,consciously or unknowingly, appeal to it. Bybecoming aware of oneself, one either closesin on oneself (and this doesn’t make sense) oropen oneself up. To the other? In fact, wethink because we are in relationships. Andthis thinking needs to express itself, to reachthe other, to enter a relationship. Nobodythinks, except to speak and communicate. Allnature communicates in an interconnectedway. We discover this in ecology, that is, inthe context of the “common home” and wesee its terrible consequences, when this doesnot happen. John Paul II said it already andPope Francis referred to: “Authentic humandevelopment has a moral character. It presumesfull respect for the human person, but it mustalso be concerned for the world around us.”(Laudato si’, 5).

Are languages not a barrier? Yes, butsmall, low. They are not unsurmountablewalls; the Great Wall in China has neverprevented invasions and is now ‘reduced’ toa tourist attraction, which is a form ofcommunication; the Berlin Wall was solid,but did not prevent attempts to overcome it,that is, to communicate; the Wall that dividesIsrael and Palestine is crossed by modernmedia (and, alas! sometimes by violence!).

To kill is to prevent the other from

thinking; it is to interruptcommunication. This leadsto the uniform of thought,or to an elusive fluidity;that is, not to think, not toreflect. It is diabolical!Destruction is diabolical! Toremain with a few recentevents: did the bloody andterrible war between Tamilsand Sinhalese in Sri Lankanot begin by the burning ofthe Jaffna Library (1981),

one of the largest in Asia with its 97thousand books and manuscripts in Tamil,Pali and Sanskrit? Did not the occupation ofBaghdad lead to the burning of the NationalLibrary (2003), when ashes rained on the cityfor three days? I remember the two eventswell, I was there. And what about thedestruction of museums, archaeological sitesof the present-day devastations by thefanaticism of the so-called Islamic State? U.Eco and J. C. Carrière taught us not to hopeto be liberated of books and, I would add, ofart and ‘of not thinking’.

“Time” defines us as humans; but the“Now” connects us to the Eternal, to theMost High. However, these are twoindependent traits: the first tells us that Godhas no time, but has entered it; the secondtells us that the gaze is to be raised “Beyond”.The same dial, two hands: one achronometer, in movement, the othereternally immobile.

St. John, in the Prologue of his Gospel,explains to us how things are theologically:“In the beginning was the Word, and the Wordwas with God, and the Word was God”; as lightHe came into the world, He was “the truelight, which enlightens everyone” (John 1:1ff).The Son of God, who was “Beyond” time,becomes incarnate and enters time. BenedictXVI (in Jesus’ childhood) writes that therewas a lot of curiosity about Jesus: “Where areyou from?” asks Pilate; Pilate was tormentedbecause he could not escape the impressionthat man had left upon him. In truth, thequestion had been posed even before Pilate:by Nathanael, in Nazareth by perplexed

The images of an empty Saint Peter’s Square were a source of shockduring the pandemic, making us aware of our vulnerability.

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fellow citizens, by the Sanhedrin, by HerodAntipas, and, finally, by Peter in CaesareaPhilippi.

If thinking is a gift from God, we cannotflee from it and must ask ourselves: Whatwill our future be even after COVID-19? Weare obliged to rethink the so-called ‘modern’acquisitions: I am referring to respect forunborn life, to the elderly often ‘relegated’ tothe so-called RSAs (Healthcare Residences),

to the poor, to the immense slums thatsurround the large metropolises, to migrants,to refugees, to the plundering of rawmaterials in continents and countries witheconomic difficulties, and finally to thenature of which we are a part. All this I haveseen and encountered in fifty years ofministry in service of the Church. Everythingconcerns us in an inclusive thinking.

Fernando Cardinal Filoni

“An even worse virus: indifferent selfishness”

On April 19, Divine Mercy Sunday, the Holy Father celebrated mass close to Palazzo dellaRovere, in the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, where members of the Grand

Magisterium of the Order regularly pray and the new Grand Master presided at his firstpublic liturgy on taking office.

In this Roman sanctuary of Mercy, Pope Francis evoked a danger related to the end of thepandemic. “The risk is that we will be struck by an even worse virus, that of indifferentselfishness,” he warned, calling for a momentum of solidarity. “The present pandemic,however, reminds us that there are no differences or borders between those who suffer. Weare all frail, all equal, all precious. May we be profoundly shaken by what is happening allaround us: the time has come to eliminate inequalities, to heal the injustice that isundermining the health of the entire human family!”, he vigorously insisted as a progressiveeasing of restriction measures was considered. During the long and dramatic weeks of thehealth crisis, the Pope accompanied and supported us spiritually. An article available on ourwebsite www.oessh.va allows us to re-read the salient points of his pastoral teaching.

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various personal guests of Cardinal Filoniwho had collaborated with him in hisprevious assignment. A few days later, thenew Grand Master presided over a mass inthe church of Santo Spirito in Sassia tobegin his new mission in prayer, in thepresence of the members of the GrandMagisterium, the Lieutenants of Italy andnumerous members of the Order. TheOrder’s annual magazine, the JerusalemCross – which you can find on our officialwebsite www.oessh.va – has a special ten-page report on the reception of the GrandMaster.

Cardinal Fernando Filoni, appointedGrand Master of the Order of theHoly Sepulchre by Pope Francis on

December 8 last, was welcomed to thePalazzo della Rovere, headquarters of theGrand Magisterium, on January 16, 2020.On that day, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, hispredecessor, returned the insignia of Knightof the Collar during a ceremony attended bythe highest authorities of the Order –starting from Lieutenant General AgostinoBorromeo, from Governor GeneralLeonardo Visconti di Modrone and fromChancellor Alfredo Bastianelli – as well as

Proceedings of the Grand Magisterium

The Order welcomes our newGrand Master during winter 2020

Official welcome of CardinalFernando Filoni to Palazzodella Rovere on January 16,2020.

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The Spring meeting of the GrandMagisterium, the first to be chaired bythe new Grand Master, His Eminence

Cardinal Fernando Filoni, should have takenplace on April 21-22, with its customarypattern and agenda. As in the past, the two-day working session would have startedwith a Holy Mass in Palazzo della Rovere.The meetings would have taken place in thebuilding of the Pontifical Council forCulture, with simultaneous translation inItalian, French and English; after themeetings and during the working luncheonsthe members of the Grand Magisteriumwould have exchanged informal opinionsand evaluations.

Circumstances linked to the coronaviruspandemic have forced us to change all this.Since meetings in person were impossible,we met virtually. It was deemed advisable tokeep the traditional agenda and eachspeaker was asked to send the text of hisintervention by April 21. The following dayswere left to comments and remarks. Themeeting therefore took place at distance, inaccordance with the current provisions, buthas however revealed a number ofadvantages. First of all, the interventionsthat in the past were recorded by thesecretariat, and sometimes simply deliveredof the cuff, are now available with specificand thought-over texts, in their original

The virtual spring meetingof the Grand Magisterium

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Due to the pandemic, which also affected the Holy Land, the Spring meeting of the Grand Magisteriumwas held virtually.

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by the Grand Master, thewish for a productivemeeting in the Autumnwas expressed.Preparation for themeeting should includethe submission of writtenproposals by eachmember, in the belief thatthe Grand Magisteriumshould have a moreactive role in determiningthe Order’s futurestrategies.

I then intervened, inmy capacity of GovernorGeneral, summing up theOrder’s activities over thelast six months,

underlining both its dynamic and correctmanagement, at a time when our normativeframework is under review in the newStatute, and the awaited restructuring ofPalazzo della Rovere is under way.

The presentation given by the ApostolicAdministrator, Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballadeserves particular mention. He provided aclear analysis of the situation in the HolyLand, in terms of the current health crisisand political problems (with specificcriticism of the American Peace Plan). Healso outlined measures taken to cover thedebts of the Patriarchate.

In the same line the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of the Patriarchate, Dr. SamiEl-Yousef presented the administrative dataand those concerning the running of theschools in a detailed report. The reportrevealed how, even under the currentcircumstances and also thanks to theOrder’s support, the Patriarchate is able toguarantee the wages of 1850 employees andover 100 ecclesiastics as well as financial aidto a number of Christian families leftwithout an income because of the pandemic,and to face the difficulties of virtualschooling being offered to children online.

The Assessor, Msgr. Tommaso Caputo,

form, providing useful documentation thatcan be easily circulated. Furthermore, ourvirtual meeting has drastically reduced thecosts in travel and accommodation costs forparticipants, for simultaneous translationand rental of space, which in a time offunding shortages, and of the need to conveyevery possible resource to the Holy Land,makes a difference.

The warmth of a direct meeting was ofcourse lacking, all the more sadly in thelight of the change of our Grand Master,who would have wished, attending themeeting for the first time, to personally getto know the confrères entrusted with thestrategic direction of the activities of theOrder, to reach a deeper communication, tolisten to their evaluations, and offer themencouragement with his own reflections.

Certainly the next meeting of the GrandMagisterium, hopefully in the comingAutumn, will afford the opportunity to allowfor this aspect and – according to theintentions of the Grand Master – shouldeven be extended over three days, in orderto allow the direct and deeper discussionwhich was not possible this time.

In the various written contributions,beginning with the initial welcome address

Assistance to education in the Holy Land is a priority for the Order nowmore than ever.

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focused on the ongoing review of theStatute, a task he was entrusted with at thebeginning of his mandate and which he haspursued with notable energy. The review isbeing carried out in close contact with theCardinal Grand Master, and the process willresume once the restrictions imposed by thecoronavirus are lifted allowing for the finalseries of meetings with the Secretariat ofState.

The enhanced role in terms ofcoordination and support taken on by thefour Vice Governors was evident in theirrespective reports.

The Vice Governor General for Asia andthe Pacific, Paul Bartley, expressed inevitableregret for the forced cancellation of the visitby Cardinal O’Brien which had beenplanned for January last, dueto his replacement. He alsospoke of the vitality of theOrder in his area, namely inMalaysia, Philippines andNew Zealand.

Thomas Pogge, ViceGovernor General forNorthern America, reportedon the effort undertaken inthis area to spread themessage of the Order in thebest possible way and topromote pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Itwill be impossible to hold the area meetingplanned in Los Angeles for June. This willinstead be replaced by a video conference inan attempt to be equally effective and openas in the past meetings of theseLieutenancies.

The problems of the EuropeanLieutenancies were outlined by ViceGovernor General Jean-Pierre de GlutzRuchti who has, when needed, acted asdeputy participating in meetings andInvestitures representing the GovernorGeneral when I could not attend, carryingout important missions in countries such asIreland and Poland, bringing them thesupport and closeness of the Grand

Magisterium.The report by Enric Mas, the newly

appointed Vice Governor General for LatinAmerica, was particularly interesting: hismissions in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and inother countries of Central America, hiscontacts with other very activeLieutenancies, such as Colombia, and hisplans to expand in the Latin Americancontinent – in close coordination with theVatican Secretariat of State – form one of themost important and innovative aspects ofrecent months.

The budget of the Order, submitted by theTreasurer, Dr. Saverio Petrillo, illustrated acorrect and well-balanced management andan increasing allocation of funds to the HolyLand. The budget shows a surplus of

6,853.60 Euros, achievedthanks to the contributionsfrom the Lieutenancies,amounting to 14,743,685.77Euros, with an increase of1,461,190.67 Euros from theprevious budget. We havetherefore been able to send14,106,087.34 Euros to theHoly Land, 1,805,125.76Euros more than in 2018.

Dr. Petrillo, in his capacityas chairman of the

Economic-Financial Commission, brieflyreported on the management of the Order’sresources and on the criteria of theirinvestment.

Ambassador Alfredo Bastianelli, asChancellor, has provided the statisticalfigures of the Order, confirming roughly amembership around 30.000 units. He singledout the efforts of some Lieutenencies inencouraging the participation of youngpeople in the Order’s activities, a subjectwhich is particularly dear to the GrandMaster.

In his second report, as chairman of theCommission for the Review of the protocolrules, Ambassador Bastianelli described thechanges introduced, on the initiative of

The GrandMagisterium

commends theefforts of some

Lieutenancies toencourage the

participation ofyoung people in theOrder’s activities.

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Cardinal Filoni, in the liturgy of theInvestiture ceremonies, changes thatconform to a greater spiritual sensibility,which is also deeply felt by the Holy Father.

The team work of the Grand Magisteriumwas underscored by the reports of the othercommissions set up by the Grand Master tosupport the task of the Governor General.

The work of the Juridical Commission isparticularly relevant as outlined by itschairman, Flavio Rondinini J.D, and focusedmainly on comparing the statutes of thevarious Lieutenancies as well as sensitiveissues such as disciplinary measures and taxbenefits.

The vital contribution of the SpiritualCommission, chaired by the Master ofCeremonies, Msgr. Fortunato Frezza, wasgreatly appreciated. The report dwelt oncomplying with the reflections introducedby the Grand Master on the training ofcandidates, the rationalization of liturgicalceremonies, the enhancement of thespiritual commitment also through anincreased attendance to parish activities,participations in pilgrimages, as well as onthe role of ecclesiastics acting as chaplains.

The report from the InternationalCommission for Palazzo della Rovere,chaired by Vice Governor General Jean-Pierre de Glutz Ruchti, was of a moretechnical nature. The Vice Governor has thedelicate task of counseling the Grand Masteron all of the activities involving therepossession, clearance, restoration,ensuring compliance with health and safetystandards, consolidating and renovating the

premises of the palace to be used as hotel,and in the choice of the future tenant.

The report by the president of the HolyLand Commission, Professor BartholomewMcGettrick, was also very detailed in viewof the missions carried out to follow theprojects of the Patriarchate, the managementof the schools and seminaries, the outcomeof pastoral activities and the effectiveness ofhumanitarian aid.

Finally the Lieutenant General, Prof.Agostino Borromeo, submitted two reports:the first in his capacity as chairman of theCommission for the Third InternationalPilgrimage of the Order to Lourdes, plannedfor June 2021, where the preparations thathe is overseeing are described in detail; thesecond in his capacity as Chairman of theCommission for the Consulta 2018, updatingthe Grand Magisterium on the work to draftthe final document, which is also awaitingthe approval of the new Statute.

The reports to the Grand Magisteriumended with the contributions of the personsin charge of two offices working in closecoordination on the information about theOrder and on the promotion of its image andfundraising: the Communications Serviceand the Office for External Relations.

Dr. François Vayne, in charge of theformer, reported on the variouscommunication initiatives in progress, suchas the “Grand Master’s Corner” on thewebsite, the videos, the plan for adocumentary on the presence of the Orderin the Holy Land, the interviews withtelevision and in the press.

The president of the Grand Magisterium’s Holy Land Commission highlighted the missions carried out infavour of the projects of the Latin Patriarchate, especially in the area of youth formation.

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Dr. Marcella Scotto di Vettimo,responsible for external relations, describedthe different activities carried out in 2019 atPalazzo della Rovere, aimed at boosting theOrder’s visibility and encouragingfundraising for its charitable activities.

In short we can safely assume that theCoronavirus emergency has not interruptedthe activities of the Grand Magisterium. Onthe contrary, it has stimulated itscommitment: the results of the virtual

meeting, translated in different languages,will provide the Lieutenancies with subjectsfor reflections and encouragement for thefuture and with useful references andincentives for Knights, Dames andEcclesiastics belonging to the Orderworldwide, to the benefit of their charitableactivities in the Holy Land and the supportfor the Christians who live there.

Leonardo Visconti di ModroneGovernor General

Remembering Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torredel Tempio di Sanguinetto,

80th Grand Master of the Order of MaltaAfter expressing the condolences of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre to the

authorities of the Order of Malta, following the death of their Grand Master onApril 29, Cardinal Fernando Filoni recalls a recent meeting with “Fra’ Giacomo”

and entrusts his soul to the prayers of the Knights and Dames of our Order.

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with the lateGrand Master and exchange some considerations

with him especially on delicate situations in the MiddleEast and our collaboration in charity projects, findinghim both affable and attentive.

Faced with the death of such a distinguishedpersonality, the words uttered by a ‘man of God’, Job,come to mind. In the face of the mystery of life anddeath, he said with sentiments of deep faith: “The Lordgave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of theLord be praised” (Job 1:21).

We cannot fail to mention Fra ‘Giacomo’s culturalpreparation and his marked propensity for good,qualities that he was able to put at the service of thehigh institution to which he was elected, as Prince andGrand Master, just two years ago, and, at the same time,the service rendered to civil and ecclesiastical entitiesalways with deep dedication.

Personally, I remember him with great respect for hishumanity and spirituality and recommend him to theprayer of the Members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Cardinal Fernando FiloniGrand Master

The Grand Master of the Orderof Malta had honoured thespiritual evening organizedduring the Consulta of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre, in2018, with his presence,attending the sacred oratory inhomage to Blessed BartoloLongo, composed for theoccasion.

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One of Cardinal FernandoFiloni’s first initiatives

was to seek a broad dialoguewith the members of the Orderthrough a new section on ourofficial website, the “GrandMaster’s corner”. “Upon myarrival at the Order as GrandMaster, I wanted to reflect on how I can bepresent not only at central offices andoccasionally at Investitures, but also relatemore closely to you,” he wrote, presentingthis novelty on the site. “I would like tocreate initiatives through our existing meansof communications to enter into dialogue bylistening to your questions and offering foodfor thought,” he added, specifying that heawaits questions about our Order and itslife, about the Church, Christian life andcommitment in the Holy Land. It is thuspossible for everyone to send a short letter

to the Grand Master, to the addressfcf@oessh.va or by post to the address ofthe Grand Magisterium (OESSH-00120Vatican). “To communicate is to getinvolved, to dialogue is to get to know eachother, to talk is to grow in mutual respect,”concludes the cardinal. Various responses ofthe cardinal have already been publishedonline, one regarding the Investitureceremony, the other on interest in politics inthe Holy Land and, one last, published inMay, on the place of young people in theOrder.

A new sectionon the Order’sinternational

website

To be noted

The Holy See hasannounced the

postponement of theBudapest InternationalEucharistic Congress –initially scheduled fornext September and inwhich many membersof the Order wished toparticipate – inSeptember 2021.Waiting for that date, letus remember in prayerthe team that wastasked with preparingthis ecclesial event.

A pilgrimage to Lourdesfrom June 17 to 21, 2021

During the Autumn 2019 meeting of the GrandMagisterium, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien announced an

international pilgrimage of the Order to Lourdes in June2021. The new Grand Master has wished to support thisproject, which is being organized by Lieutenant GeneralAgostino Borromeo together with a committee.Registrations will open next summer through a dedicatedwebsite that will be communicated to members once thepandemic has been consigned to memory. In themeantime, it is important to note the dates of this greatpilgrimage on your agenda: from June 17 to 21, 2021. Allmembers of the Order, their families and friends areinvited to participate!

The question of welcoming young people into the Order isaddressed by the Grand Master in an article published in May2020 on the official website of the Grand Magisterium (our photo:young pilgrims from the Lieutenancy of France in the Holy Land).

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Due to the health crisis, strict securitymeasures were taken by the Israeligovernment which led to the closure

of the holy sites in the Holy Land, inparticular the basilica of the Holy Sepulchrewhich had remained open at the beginningof the pandemic. This event has causedprofound distress among the people of God,especially since the doors of the HolySepulchre had not been closed since 1349,at the time of the black plague. On PalmSunday, making a symbolic gesture of hopedespite the sadness of the moment,Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa,Apostolic Administrator of the LatinPatriarchate, decided to bless the Holy Citywith a relic of the Cross, from Dominus

The Administrator of the LatinPatriarchate and the Custos faced

with closure of the holy sitesFlevit, a church located on the Mount ofOlives that recalls the tears shed by Jesuswhile looking at Jerusalem. Msgr.Pizzaballa, Pro Grand Prior of the Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre, was accompanied bythe Custos of the Holy Land, FatherFrancesco Patton, a Franciscan and variousreligious leaders with whom they prayedthat this blessing “ideally embrace thewhole world”. During Holy Week, wheneven access to the Upper Room for thecelebration of Holy Thursday wasforbidden, Msgr. Pizzaballa had beautifuland profound words on the consequences ofthis epidemic in our lives. “It would be anunderstatement to read this moment oflimitations, this common battle only as an

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The Order and the Holy Land

Blessing and prayer over the Holy City, during the Coronavirus pandemic.

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attempt to save our lives. This is a battlethat we will lose sooner or later,“ he said.“We are rather called to commit ourselvesto create a new world, which has itsinvincible beginning in the Risen One andits model in free and gratuitous love,” heconcluded, underlining how “tomorrow willdepend on the novelty of the relationshipsthat we begin to build now.” In his homilyfor Easter, Msgr. Pizzaballa highlighted thefact that, having been forced by theepidemic to close the holy sites, prayer hasbecome more intense and regular in

families. Sometimes, he made it clear,we forget that the Church is the livingcommunity of the faithful gathered inthe name of Jesus: this crisis hasreminded us strongly of this.

On behalf of the Latin Patriarchate,Archbishop Pizzaballa participated in amoment of interreligious prayer withrepresentatives of the Jewish, Muslimand Druze communities on the terraceof the King David hotel in Jerusalem atthe end of April. An unprecedentedevent according to the organizers,during which the leaders of the greatreligions present in the Holy City thus

turned to the God of Abraham, each in hisliturgical language: “You who nourished usand provided us with abundance in famine,that you have freed us from the plague andfrom serious and long-lasting diseases; helpus.” For Msgr. Pizzaballa, the GreekOrthodox Patriarch Teophilos III, the twochief rabbis of Israel, Yitzhak Yosef andDavid Lau, the imams Gamal El-Ubra andAgel Al-Atrash and the Druze spiritualleader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif it was anoccasion to send the world a message ofunity and hope in the face of the pandemic.

Archbishop Pizzaballa - Apostolic Administrator of theLatin Patriarchate - states that “tomorrow will dependon the novelty of the relationships we are starting tobuild now.” The relationship with others depends verymuch on what we establish with God.

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practically everyone. The Bethlehem regionwith its high reliance on the tourism relatedbusinesses is the hardest hit. In other areasthe crisis took longer to be felt, especiallyareas from the northern part of the WestBank where day laborers working in Israelcontinued to be allowed to worktemporarily thereafter, only to be sent backto the Palestinian Territories due to theJewish holidays. Thus, all the day laborersin Israel have by now been stripped of theirincome without any protection. It isdifficult to have accurate statistics about theunemployment rates now, but it couldeasily reach 50-70% for the time being,”writes Sami El-Yousef on April 8. Luckilyenough, only very few cases were registeredin Gaza.

In Jordan all schools were closed onMarch 9. Around mid-March, thegovernment declared a national emergencyand imposed a lockdown on March 17.Before the pandemic, “unemployment inJordan reached 19% with the youthsuffering the most with rates reaching 49%for youth under 19 and 39% for youthbetween 20-24. These rates would have atleast doubled in recent weeks,” affirms the

Immediately before Easter, theChief Executive Officer of the Latin

Patriarchate of Jerusalem, SamiEl-Yousef, shared an update aboutthe situation that is faced by local

communities in Palestine, Israeland Jordan. Palestine and Jordan

had a relatively low number ofcases but they have imposed highrestrictions since the beginning ofthe pandemic. Israel joined later

but is registering a higher numberin cases and deaths because of

Covid-19.

The first Coronavirus cases in the areawere discovered in a hotel inBethlehem in early March. The

Palestinian Authority declared a nationalemergency on 5 March 2020 for 30 daysclosing all schools, universities and places ofworship. The national emergency was laterrenewed on 4 April 2020 for an additionalthirty days despite the relatively low rate ofspread. “Given that life came to a standstill,all businesses closed which affected

An update about the effectsof COVID-19 from

the Latin Patriarchate

The Basilica ofthe Holy

Sepulchre –which

remained openat the

beginning ofthe pandemic

– was alsofinally closed,

by order of theauthorities,before Holy

Week.

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schools through the end of the school yearwhich will enable the schools to paysalaries in full without any major financialdifficulties,” reports the CEO of the LatinPatriarchate.

A sad note concerns the MigrantCommunity in Israel that is sufferingheavily since “many members areundocumented and working as day laborers.They were the first to be let go from workand they are not entitled to any of the safetynet of the government support as they arenot entitled to such benefits, nor do theyhave adequate health insurance,” Sami El-Yousef comments.

As we have seen happening in manyregions of the world, community tocommunity and neighbor to neighborsupport has been a vital means to surviveand Archbishop Pizzaballa stronglyencouraged it. “This worked perfectly forthe past period as we have not seen suchlocal generosity in a long time. Wealthierparishes are supporting the ones with lessmeans,” gladly shares Sami El-Yousef.“However – he concludes – as expected andas this situation is becoming prolonged andis expected to last for a very long time andalso even when the emergency is over andwe gradually return to a more normalpattern, unemployment will continue to bevery high for the foreseeable future andfamilies will need assistance.”

CEO of the Latin Patriarchate. In education, both in Palestine and

Jordan the schools were able to teach onlineusing the new platform adopted at thebeginning of the year EduNation whichlends itself to distance learning. In Jordan,since the lockdown started a bit later,teachers were able to attend trainingworkshops about how to teach online, anopportunity that their Palestinian colleaguesdid not have. However – Sami El-Yousefexplains – there are big challenges related toonline education due to the lack of adequatetechnology and lack or weak internet accessin many homes, as well as the fact thatlarge families share one computer andmany families do not have the educationallevel to assist their children.

In Israel schools were closed on March16. There, “the Ministry of Educationcommitted to pay the full subsidies to the

Covid-19 Humanitarian Support Appeal

In agreement with the Latin Patriarchate, and following the suggestion of severalLieutenants, the Grand Magisterium of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre has decided to

launch a special “Covid-19 Humanitarian Support Fund” specifically dedicated to theconsequences of the pandemic. The virus is having a severe impact on the Holy Land,especially in Palestine and Jordan.

At the present time, it is urgent for the Christian families living there to be supported fortheir basic needs, especially for those people who lost their employment, due to the collapseof pilgrimages and tourism and the impossibility to daily commute to Israel for work.Financial aid support is equally necessary in order to provide the cash flow to keepoperational the 38 LPJ schools in Palestine and Jordan with their over 15,000 students andover 1,300 teachers and staff employed. (This communiqué from the Grand Master isavailable online at: www.oessh.va)

The streets of Jerusalem are deserted ... but theHoly City remains in the hearts of all Christiansin the world who hope to be able to return onpilgrimage soon.

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“When we Christians in the HolyLand heard about the spreadof Coronavirus in China, we

could never have imagined that it wouldarrive here,” begins Father Issa Hijazeen,who has been the parish priest of the Latinchurch of Beit Sahour (Field of theShepherds) “Our Lady of Fatima” for lessthan a year.

“The story began on March 5, 2020 in BeitJala, a village very close to ours, where fourhotel workers tested positive for the virus.The news shocked us, especially in BeitSahour, because two students from ourparish school belong to the family of theinfected people,” says the parish priest. Fearspread among students and teachers but,thanks to the rapid measures taken, thecrisis was contained and the school closedwithout further cases or episodes.

Similar to other regions of the world, themeasures taken to stem the infections havebeen progressive. Father Issa recounts: “On5 March a state of emergency was declaredfor the whole region of Bethlehem, and twoweeks later for all of Palestine. The CatholicChurch responded to the emergency, andtook the necessary measures: ArchbishopPierbattista Pizzaballa announced theinstructions for the celebration of the DivineLiturgy, first for the Bethlehem region, andthen for the whole diocese of the LatinPatriarchate, asking that the Divine Liturgybe broadcast on TV and on social media. Inaddition, he also asked to encourage peopleto read Holy Scripture gathered with theirfamily and to pray the Rosary. TheArchbishop has left each parish the freedomto find their own ways to implement theinstructions. The priests, in all the parishes,interacted quickly and positively with the

Archbishop’s instructions.”The same was done in “Our Lady of

Fatima” parish in Beit Sahour. Father Issa gotin touch with the parishioners sending theminvitations to pray together at specific timesfor all of those ill with the virus worldwide,in particular by responding to Pope Francis’requests, in strong solidarity with theUniversal Church. With a small group offaithful, a novena to Palestinian saint MarieAlfonsine, the founder of the Congregationof the Sisters of the Rosary was organized.In addition, every Saturday Father Issashared a spiritual reflection on the SundayGospel for parishioners. For young people

Beit Sahour and parish lifeduring quarantine

The story of Father Issa Hijazeen, parish priest of the Beit Sahour church.

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Father Issa Hijazeen, parish priest of BeitSahour, together with two children from hisparish.

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and children, an activitywas proposed every daythrough the Facebookpage.

“Although ourcommunity has tried tofollow the Holy Mass ‘byelectronic means’, I haveto say the truth: it is notenough”, says the pastorafter a few weeks of thisquarantine. “Many havecalled me to express theirdistress at not being ableto participate in the Massand especially in the Bodyand Blood of the Lord”.

During Holy Week, Msgr. Pizzaballa askedto transmit the celebrations from the Co-Cathedral of the Patriarchate everywhere,thus promoting a strong sense ofcommunion between Christians in thevarious areas and parishes. Father Issarecounts how he accompanied the faithful inthose days: “In our parish in Beit Sahour, inagreement with the civil authority, I wasable to bring Communion to the faithful intheir homes during Holy Week. I called eachfamily over the phone to find out if theywished to receive Communion inconjunction with the celebrations broadcastat the Co-Cathedral. Most of the families

(around 250) were able to receiveCommunion during those four days”.

At the end of April, the tension began toease and now – following the indications ofthe Apostolic Administrator – it is possibleto celebrate mass outdoors, bringcommunion home to those who cannot goout, administer the sacrament ofReconciliation keeping due distances andwith due precautions.

The creativity of priests and communitiesremains a fundamental resource and FatherIssa shares what has been done in hisparish: “I have adopted a method to preventmany people from coming together; thosewho want to attend Mass call me first byphone and are assigned a specific day andtime.”

Furthermore, in Beit Sahour, extendedChristian families often live close together asone family, around the same square. Theparish priest is therefore organizing to carryout “pastoral and spiritual actions with eachgroup of families. I am preparing tocelebrate Mass for each group out in thesquare and pray the Rosary together duringthe month of May”.

Father Issa concludes with a request thatwe certainly all can grant: “In the meantime,pray for us; we too will continue to pray foryou from the Holy Land”.

Elena Dini

The church of Beit Sahour, in Palestine, standsin the place where the shepherds heard theangels singing at the birth of Christ.

The parish community of Beit Sahour during a mass, before the ban onofficiating celebrations due to the pandemic.

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During the lockdown days in Palestinedue to Covid-19, we reached out toFather Jamal Khader, director of the

Latin Patriarchate Schools in Palestine andparish priest of the Holy Family church inRamallah, to hear from him about thechallenges schools have to face in thismoment.

Father Jamal Khader, in your capacityas director of the Latin Patriarchateschools in Palestine could you explainto us why the financial situation ofthese schools is particularly difficultin these times of health crisis?Schools remain the heart of the mission

on the Latin Patriarchate. We are proud thatour schools began more than 160 years ago.This year, we began new plans to developthe educational process, and we wereplanning our first Educational conferencewith all the administrative and academicstaff at the end of March; a big event!

But since the first days of March, we wereforced to close our schools to prevent the

spread of the Coronavirus. From the firstmoment the lockdown was declared, webegan working on alternative plans tocontinue the education of our pupils. As wehave a good school program, we were able,with the help of the principals of theschools, to contact our pupils, and organizean online program. The parents are gratefuland appreciative of our work with theirchildren.

At the same time, we were counting onthe last three months to collect the schoolfees; but we fell short and couldn’t go aheadwith our plans. The main reason is thatmany parents lost their jobs and source ofincome. We are committed to paying thesalaries of our staff; therefore, we will face afinancial deficit at least for the next fewmonths. We may begin to pay 50% to ourteachers, but the other 50% remains a debt.The economic situation in the country isserious, but we care about the safety and thewell-being of our students, including theiracademic and psychological well-being.

How do you see the discreet supportof the Order to the Latin PatriarchateSchools and, more broadly, to thewhole diocese of Jerusalem? Whatmessage would you like to address tothe Knights and Dames of the worldon behalf of Palestinian Christians?In normal times, we rely on the help of

our friends in the Order of the HolySepulchre, as the fees of the students do notcover all our schools’ expenses. At thebeginning of the academic year, we hadplanned to reduce the deficit of the schools,but the closure of the schools caused by theCoronavirus made it impossible to collectthe fees.

How the health crisisis creating a problemto school finances

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Father Jamal Khader coordinated the “online”activity of the schools in Palestine during thepandemic with dynamism and creativity: theeducational path of the young people certainlycould not stop.

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In this situation, we will rely moreon the help provided by the Order ofthe Holy Sepulchre. We know that indifficult times, we can count on ourfriends, and the Knights and Dames ofthe Order of the Holy Sepulchre havenever failed us in the past whenever wewent through difficult times.

The Holy Land once again calls onour dear friends not to forget us in themidst of the difficult times. We need tocontinue to support our staff and theChristian families in their basic needs.This is our duty and our mission.

You are deeply committed tointerreligious dialogue as a sourceof peace. In what ways isdialogue practiced in your schoolsand, particularly, in your church inRamallah where you are the parishpriest?Our schools represent a model of

interreligious dialogue. Although we haveacademic programs, we practice peacefulcoexistence and collaboration in our schoolsamong the students and the employees. Theinfluence of this fruitful collaborationbetween Christians and Muslims is reflectedon the relationships outside of the schools.

In Ramallah, as an example, Christiansand Muslims live peacefully working side byside. The work done by our churchinstitutions, mainly the schools, isappreciated by everyone. While writingthese words, I was interrupted by a phonecall from the ex-minister of Justice in theState of Palestine to wish me a blessedEaster. He chose our school in Ramallah tosend his children, and he is proud of it.

As a Christian school, we live accordingto our Christian values that we do not hide

in the schools. The Christian values ofseeing in everyone a creature on theimage of God, loved by God, justice,peace, reconciliation, accepting thediversity… are part of our daily life andeducation. Besides the high quality ofeducation, we form young people inthese values, and we realize with timehow much this formation stays withthem for life.

In a time when religious extremismis loud and harmful, we need tocontinue our mission to plant the seedsof peace and harmony. Our mission,with the support of our friends of theOrder all over the world, is moreneeded in difficult times.

Interview by François Vayne

The director of the Palestinian schools thanks the Orderfor the help in this difficult period and appeals for suchassistance to continue as long as necessary. “We mustcontinue to support our staff and Christian families intheir primary needs. This is our obligation and ourmission,” he explains.

Muslim-Christian dialogue, experienced in an exemplaryway in Palestine thanks to education, is key to futurepeace in this region.

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This Spring, which has proven to be atime of great crisis provoked by thecoronavirus, the Grand Magisterium

has continued to pay the expectedcontributions to the Latin Patriarchate ofJerusalem, trying to respond to emergencies.

The Governor General Leonardo Viscontidi Modrone guided the Lieutenants whowanted to intervene on a humanitarianlevel, insisting on the priorities establishedby the LatinPatriarchate whichknows the local needsbest.

In particular, thePatriarchate requiresassistance with theschool accounts asmany families nolonger have the meansto contributeeconomically to theirchildren’s studies. Thepandemic is spreadinghand in hand with aserious economic crisis.

Within theLieutenancies,members havemobilized themselvesin solidarity initiatives,as underlined by theVice Governor forEurope, Jean-Pierre deGlutz. “The attitude ofthe young people hasbeen remarkable. Theyhelp people over 65,offering to do their

shopping” he noted. Even in the Asian andPacific region, Vice Governor Paul Bartleytells of the closeness via an email or phonecall to older members or those with healthproblems.

On a spiritual level, Cardinal FernandoFiloni, Grand Master, supported themembers with his meditations andreflections published on the Order’sinternational website and widely reported in

the press. The Assessorof the Order, Msgr.Tommaso Caputo,animated the recitationof the Rosary live onItalian Catholictelevision during theEaster Octave.

Various moments ofprayer were organizedamong the members,in particular throughplatforms that allowgroup meetings. Thestaff of the GrandMagisterium, forexample, gathered forseveral weeks everyday to recite theAngelus and then, afterEaster, the ReginaCaeli, led by Msgr.Fortunato Frezza,Master of Ceremoniesof the Order. SomeLieutenancies haveorganized moments ofprayer on theirFacebook page, such as

The Life of the Lieutenancies

The life of the Order duringthe global health crisis

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The New Orleans Times-Picayunenewspaper – well known nationally in theUnited States – mentioned the “flyingblessing” given by the Grand Prior of theSoutheastern US Lieutenancy during thetoughest period of the pandemic.

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Central Apennine Italy and others. TheFacebook page of the Lieutenancy for Brazil- Rio de Janeiro indicates that more than6000 people have been reached by thevirtual Way of the Cross initiative, organizedvia social media on Good Friday with thetexts proposed by the Grand Magisteriumand the addition of a fifteenth station for theResurrection.

The members of the Lieutenancy forLuxembourg met to pray together every dayat 3 pm, the hour of Christ’s death on thecross. In France, a daily mass was celebratedby the Lieutenancy with the specific prayerintention of our brothers and sisters of theHoly Land and the members participatedintensely on Good Friday in the specialdisplay of the Holy Crown broadcast by theNotre-Dame de Paris cathedral by the

secular BFM TV channel.An original initiative that we learned

about was that of Msgr. Gregory Aymond,Archbishop of New Orleans and GrandPrior of the Lieutenancy for USASoutheastern: driving a small plane datingback to the Second World War, on GoodFriday he flew over his diocese, blessing itwith the water of the Jordan River and thusmaking a gesture of hope for peopleconfined to their homes because of another“war”, the one against coronavirus.

What emerges from the words of all thosewith whom we have spoken, is that thistime of confinement is strengthening thebonds of communion within the Order andwith the Latin Patriarchate in a historicmomentum of fraternity and solidarity.

F. V.

At the moment of maximum spreadof the epidemic, Cardinal

Fernando Filoni, Grand Master of theOrder, proposed a reflection on thecrisis, a text that was carried widely inthe press.You can re-read thismeditation, in the light of Easter, onour official website: www.oessh.va

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“Covid-19:Where’s God?”

A new website for the Orderfor North America

The North American Lieutenancies have recently launched a joint website -www.eohsjnorthamerica.org - which we invite you to visit.

The individual sites of the North American Lieutenancies already online will continueto be active but, at the same time, this new dynamic and updated tool, will be able toserve more as a connection point for the approximately 15,000 members of the region bypromoting communication among them and presenting themselves to the outside worldthrough a common source of information for those potentially interested in joining theOrder. Congratulations on your work!

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“My name is Imelda AgnèsDurand. I have been a Dame ofthe Order of the Holy

Sepulchre since December 2018. I amFrench, and my country of origin is BurkinaFaso. Coming from a Catholic family amongthe first Catholics in Burkina Faso, I wasimmersed from a young age in a regular andfervent practice of the Catholic faith.

The first baptism in my village took placein 1914 and my grandfather was baptized in1915 during the celebration of Pentecost.Being among the first baptized meant thisgeneration felt it was carrying the torch ofreligion before others and, for this reason,the duty to encourage the Catholic activitiesof all the children to set a good example.Therefore, my parents were all volunteercatechists: my mother was a member of thePassion Group, which organized prayers forbedridden patients, and my father animatedthe masses on Sundays.

I have been married for more than 25years, and we have a son and daughter. Wecarry on a family life following theprinciples of Christian values. My husbandis also a Knight of the Order of the HolySepulchre.

I see my belonging to the Order as aviaticum of hope and testimony offundamental Christian values that our age sobadly needs. Therefore, for me being part ofthe Order represents not only a continuationof self-giving and involvement in projects forthe most vulnerable in which we see theLord, but also an opportunity to be an active

protagonist in contributing to supporting theChristians in the Holy Land.

During the 50th anniversary of thePopulorum Progressio, in which I participatedon April 3 and 4, 2017, Pope Francisstrongly recommended that Catholics beactive protagonists in society so that the truehuman values that allow hope are saved.This exciting mission seems to me tocorrespond to the one entrusted to the Orderand I became a Dame precisely to respondto this call.

As a concrete action in the context of thiscommitment assigned to each of us, Iensured the catechism during the 2016-2017school year to the students of the Frenchhigh school Chateaubriand in Rome.Subsequently, since 2016 I have been amember of the group of volunteers from theSan Marcellino and Pietro parish. In thatcontext, and once a month, I assist the poorof the Caritas of Colle Oppio. This

A Dame of the Order in societyand in the Church

Agnès Durand testifies to hercommitment to United Nations

women’s projects within aninternational humanitarian

association.

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In her associative effort, Agnès Durand helpedthe Saint James Vicariate of the LatinPatriarchate of Jerusalem: it was a matter ofproviding the necessary medical care to thechildren of single migrant mothers in Israel, aswell as of meeting the costs of a nutritionprogram for children of migrants and asylumseekers in the age group between 3 months and13 years.

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opportunity has been extremely enrichingfrom every point of view: it made me awareof our good fortune and our duty to helpthose whose circumstances in life have putin precarious conditions.

In addition, my numerous stays indifferent countries of the world have givenme the opportunity to learn a lot in contactwith the people I have met in the school oflife and to develop a particular interest inmutual help. I also had the opportunity toacquire skills in leadership, organization andmanagement, matured and enriched indifferent fields, which opened up a widerhorizon for me.

These are some of the tools that I strive tomake available in my work as a ProjectManager for the “United Nations Women’sGuild” (UNWG). The UNWG is aninternational non-profit association thatbrings together people connectedprofessionally or by family ties with UnitedNations agencies. It is an association thatfosters intercultural tolerance and friendshipby organizing social, cultural andeducational programs for its members. Themembers of the association, in fact, comefrom all continents and actively engage asvolunteers to raise funds to finance projectsin all fields such as health, access todrinking water, education, infrastructure,and various micro projects designed to helpwomen, children, and vulnerablecommunities in various countries around theworld.

The funds used to finance the projectscome from various sources: from donations,from the UNWG shop in the FAO buildingthat sells various recycled materials donatedby our members and from the UnitedNations, from the annual Bazaar which isthe largest fundraising event, during whichUNWG members sell international food,books, crafts, decoration items and works ofart. As a member of the UNWG since 2014,I was Vice President for two years and forthe past three years I have been responsiblefor project management. In this context, we

had the opportunity with the UNWG tosupport two small projects in favor of theSaint James Vicariate of the LatinPatriarchate of Jerusalem, which Iencountered through the activities of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre. The firstproject targets 25 children of migrantmothers in Israel to provide them with thenecessary medical care (vaccines, dental andpediatric care) while the second contributesto the expenses of the nutrition program ofthe St. Rachel Center in Jerusalem wherethe children of migrants and asylum seekersfrom 3 months to 13 years of age arewelcomed and fed during the day.

The UNWG is an association withoutpolitical and religious affiliations that offersme the opportunity to commit myself tobeing an active protagonist in society and tohelp restore hope to those who need oursmall actions. Aware of all that the Lord hasgiven me, I try to do good around me out ofgratitude. The Lord also allowed me to bewelcomed as a Dame of the Order to growin faith with the help of fellow members.

In conclusion, I would like to rememberthat small actions done with love are greatin the eyes of those who receive them.”

Agnès Durand

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Membership of the Order is a support for AgnèsDurand in the concrete testimony she givesthrough serving others.