In a fraternal atmosphere, the Custody has met on Thursday November 27th to bless the new premises of the laundry. The friars have been arriving in groups and after spending a few minutes in the main room they began to visit the old rooms. The friars talked to each other about the new facilities and they spoke with the employees of the laundry.
The visit was leaded by Fr. Carlos Molina, who is the responsible for the laundry: “We have been able to organize the rooms depending on the route of the laundry from the moment it arrives. First we have the room where the laundry is sorted and then it is washed and dried in a second room. Finally, the washed clothes are ironed and folded in a final room before being placed in bags and on the shelves of every friar. In the old premises everything was mixed and there was no logic.” The tailor is in a separate room next to the laundry (for more information about the intricacies of laundry, see the article "When the clothes make the monk").
"From March to November 2014, between 20 and 25 workers have worked in the construction," explains Ettore Soranzo, head of the Technical Office of the Custody. Everything has been done internally, from the plants to the final distribution. The final touches were made throughout November. "Ramia, who leads the team and logistics, shares her enthusiasm with us while sitting in her office."Everything is new here! We have new washers and new plates, the old have been repaired. Also the flooring is easier to clean! ". Pietro Ongaro, an Italian from the company Imesa, spent two months in Jerusalem in order to repair the machines. He should come back in February to check that everything works perfectly.
Father Custos Pierbattista, took the floor stressing in his speech the importance of washing and cleanliness in the Bible. “Despite the scarcity of water-or perhaps because of this- as related in the Bible, the act of washing and being washed was a fundamental gesture in the important moments of life: by welcoming guests to special celebrations, by preparing meals and of course, before praying to God. Nobody shows up dirty in front of the neighbor, and especially, no one comes dirty and unwashed before God.” It is an outward gesture that reflects the inner life of everyone and to wash the own clothes can be an invitation to purify the heart. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalm 51, 7). Addressing especially to the Franciscan friars, father Custos added later: "Today to be clean is a matter of education for all. For a religious, to take care of himself is an added value and a means to demonstrate his inner journey: clean but not exaggeratedly. Sober, but not disorganised. Simple and without luxury." Afterwards, father Custos thanked to laundry staff, that taking care of clothes, allows friars to save time and helps them to appear clean before others and before God. The noise of the washers served as a background to the speech, which concluded with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer in Arabic, followed by the blessing of locals and bystanders.
Fr. Carlos has finally thanked everyone, highlighting the presence of two former employees of the laundry now retired -Afaf and George- who take advantage of every opportunity to come back, after 45 and 50 years of work. Again, we see that, in the Custody, fraternity, brotherhood and honesty go hand in hand.
Hélène Morlet
The visit was leaded by Fr. Carlos Molina, who is the responsible for the laundry: “We have been able to organize the rooms depending on the route of the laundry from the moment it arrives. First we have the room where the laundry is sorted and then it is washed and dried in a second room. Finally, the washed clothes are ironed and folded in a final room before being placed in bags and on the shelves of every friar. In the old premises everything was mixed and there was no logic.” The tailor is in a separate room next to the laundry (for more information about the intricacies of laundry, see the article "When the clothes make the monk").
"From March to November 2014, between 20 and 25 workers have worked in the construction," explains Ettore Soranzo, head of the Technical Office of the Custody. Everything has been done internally, from the plants to the final distribution. The final touches were made throughout November. "Ramia, who leads the team and logistics, shares her enthusiasm with us while sitting in her office."Everything is new here! We have new washers and new plates, the old have been repaired. Also the flooring is easier to clean! ". Pietro Ongaro, an Italian from the company Imesa, spent two months in Jerusalem in order to repair the machines. He should come back in February to check that everything works perfectly.
Father Custos Pierbattista, took the floor stressing in his speech the importance of washing and cleanliness in the Bible. “Despite the scarcity of water-or perhaps because of this- as related in the Bible, the act of washing and being washed was a fundamental gesture in the important moments of life: by welcoming guests to special celebrations, by preparing meals and of course, before praying to God. Nobody shows up dirty in front of the neighbor, and especially, no one comes dirty and unwashed before God.” It is an outward gesture that reflects the inner life of everyone and to wash the own clothes can be an invitation to purify the heart. “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalm 51, 7). Addressing especially to the Franciscan friars, father Custos added later: "Today to be clean is a matter of education for all. For a religious, to take care of himself is an added value and a means to demonstrate his inner journey: clean but not exaggeratedly. Sober, but not disorganised. Simple and without luxury." Afterwards, father Custos thanked to laundry staff, that taking care of clothes, allows friars to save time and helps them to appear clean before others and before God. The noise of the washers served as a background to the speech, which concluded with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer in Arabic, followed by the blessing of locals and bystanders.
Fr. Carlos has finally thanked everyone, highlighting the presence of two former employees of the laundry now retired -Afaf and George- who take advantage of every opportunity to come back, after 45 and 50 years of work. Again, we see that, in the Custody, fraternity, brotherhood and honesty go hand in hand.
Hélène Morlet