Colin and Fleur Dorrell at Church of the Holy Sepulchre today
The torrential rain and thunder continued last night and this morning – but this did not stop our intrepid group of pilgrims from continuing on our program – armed with umbrellas and some fluorescent pink plastic ponchos.
Our morning in Jerusalem began with Mass at the Church of St Anne on the site of the house where the parents of Our Lady lived. A cave under the church is said to be the place where she was born. Fr Charles was the main celebrant. Deacon Patrick gave a very thoughtful homily ( see: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/46951 )
From here we walked the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa – sheltering in shops doorways together with pilgrims from many other countries. This is a route that has been followed by pilgrims for many centuries. In the past it would have taken many months to reach here from somewhere like London – so a couple of hours in the rain wasn’t so hard. Our destination – the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – contains two of the most sacred Christian sites – the place where Jesus was crucified and the empty tomb where he was buried and resurrected. Founded by the Emperor Constantine, the church was consecrated in 335, demolished and rebuilt several times. Read more here: https://custodia.org/en/sanctuaries/basilica-holy-sepulchre
This evening we were visited by Fr Mamdouh Abusada, director of the School of Joy, the first school in Bethlehem for children with learning difficulties. Before the school was established there were no facilities for these children . They sometimes ended up neglected or abandoned. At the School the children get support and training and most importantly – lots of love – to enable them to discover their full potential and live their lives fully. Read more about the School here: www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/school-of-joy
Tomorrow we are setting off for the Judean Wilderness. After Mass in Jericho – the oldest inhabited city in the world and a visit to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, we’re going to the Dead Sea – where some of us plan to float and get covered in rejuvenating mud…
Tags: Holy Land, Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Holy Land Homily – Day 3
WCC expresses serious concern about restrictions imposed on celebration of Holy Fire ceremony
Pope Francis: The Risen Lord motivates us to go forward in hope and joy
Pope Francis Urbi et Orbi Easter Message 2023
We offer publicity space for Catholic groups/organisations. See our advertising page if you would like more information.
ICN aims to provide speedy and accurate news coverage of all subjects of interest to Catholics and the wider Christian community. As our audience increases – so do our costs. We need your help to continue this work.
You can support our journalism by advertising with us or donating to ICN.
Tell us what emails you’d like:
About
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Website Terms of Use
Contact
Donate
Advertise
Newsletter 
Website Updates 
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
LinkedIn
Pinterest
© Independent Catholic News 2000-2023