“And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation.”
Luke 1, 76-77
The third meeting of young friars, the so-called “under fives” because they are still in the first five years since their solemn profession, was held from 15th to 17th November at Ain Karim.
With the aim of sharing their experiences, thoughts, concerns and projects, these young men met at the convent of St. John the Baptist “in the Mountain” where they followed the agenda proposed by Father Marcelo Ariel Cichinelli, moderator for Permanent Formation.
On the first day, the friars arrived from the different places of the Custody where they perform their service: the Holy Sepulchre, St. Saviour, Bethlehem, and Beit Hanina in Judea, Nazareth in Galilee or, from further afield, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon or from Cyprus, across the sea.
The second day, after prayers, the conference started with a lecture by Father Marcello Badalamenti, an expert in Moral Theology and well known for his numerous publications on this branch of theology applied to the writings of St. Francis and consecrated life.
Father Marcello, who entitled his lecture "The consecrated vocation, the gift of service to the Church”, illustrated the mystery of the vocation understood as giving oneself over to others through restitution; this term is understood as the donation of all that has been given to us through Grace. He was thus able to cover the subject, dwelling in detail on the vocations of John the Baptist and Zachariah, his father, men in the service of God and the community of believers, adding further comments on the "Non bollata” Rule of St. Francis and on the “Admonitions”.
The conference was followed, after a short break, by a Round Table, where three of the invited brothers each explained a way of serving the Church through the mission they carry out in different fields. The first of them, Father Rami Azakriyeh, described the mission and the challenges he faces as Director of the House of the Child in Bethlehem, which takes in homeless children and youngsters or children who do not live in the necessary conditions for human and intellectual growth. He gave a detailed explanation of his immense task, describing this service for socially disadvantaged individuals, the difficulty of certain situations and the love that can be communicated through the service.
After Father Rami, it was Father Adrian Maznicki’s turn to speak. Since his ordination, on June 29, he has been a member of the permanent community of the Holy Sepulchre. Father Adrian concisely explained the different aspects of life and work in the Sepulchre: ecumenism, the "Status Quo", life in a community with “out of the ordinary” hours due to the particularity of certain liturgical celebrations, the desire to learn different languages in order to be able to give himself to the Universal Church, both in the service of the local Arab community and for those who come before the Lord to offer Him his confession. This last part was perhaps what had the greatest effect on the listeners: the gift of reconciling with God the Father all those who ask for it, a gift that is freely received and freely given. This is a delicate, simple, but nevertheless very important aspect, of the service that the Church asks us to perform in the holiest place of Christianity.
After Fathers Rami and Adrian, it was the turn of Father Aquilino Castillo Álvarez, in charge of the Vocational House of Harissa, in Lebanon, and a member of the Council of the St. Paul Region.
Father Aquilino began by explaining what exactly the St. Paul region is: as part of the Custody ever since its foundation, it brings together under this name the territories of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. He gave a brief explanation how a province, like the Custody of the Holy Land, covering several countries, unfortunately at times lacking in political agreement, has organized a territory with an administration of its own, the Council of the St. Paul Region which, together with the ruling body of the Custody in Jerusalem, ensures that the mission established by the friars eight centuries ago in the territories from the River Orontes in Syria to Mount Nebo in Jordan is maintained.
In this part of the Custody, a house has been built to accommodate all those young men from the Middle East who want an experience of Franciscan life. Father Aquilino gave a detailed explanation of the programme established in conjunction with the friars of the Custody who are responsible for Formation and the identity of the house. This is a service which tries to make the person called to consecrate himself to the Lord mature so that he can know whether the call is to the clerical or lay life, at the same time learning about Franciscan life from the inside, in daily work, in the study of St. Francis’ writings, in the Lectio Divina, in the personal encounter with God through daily co-existence and prayer in this house, made international by the members who make it up.
After the presentations and the open discussion that followed, the brothers went to the sanctuary, the Church that hosts the birthplace of the Precursor, where they celebrated the Eucharist presided by Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land. In his homily, he underlined how John the Baptist is a model for those who are called to evangelize, especially in the sense of a young man who incarnates the message of the mission received and dedicates himself to it with courage, consecrating his own life.
In the afternoon, the time was divided into two: in the first part, Father Simon Herro, Head of the Terra Sancta School of Jerusalem, prepared the friars for the future, clarifying the details of this work, which is so closely linked to the poorest. It is not surprising that the Custody’s school is the most accessible for needy families in the city. It was not only this aspect that was mentioned by Father Simon, but also the fact that these pupils are those who obtain the best results in the final state exam. This is due to the human and spiritual care given to the young people of the Old City who are in our school, as well as the activities of catechism and many other parish-related activities.
Father Simon recalled that at least 30% of the pupils of the school are Muslims, who find a climate of dialogue and tolerance there.
This was an explanation-invitation because, as we know, the school is open to everyone who wants to give a helping hand.
The second part of the afternoon was spent working in different groups on Chapter V of the General Constitutions. Once again, it was an opportunity to reflect on the service offered for the good of the Church.
Thursday, November 17, was a day dedicated to sharing, an intense morning as each friar presented his work on Chapter V, with the results and reflections, as well as his concerns for the future.
The morning came to an end with the Eucharistic celebration at the Sanctuary of the Visitation, where Father Haitham Yalda, coadjutor parish priest of Bethlehem and an “under five”, encouraged the friars in a very fine homily to break down the walls of our cells and go out to testify that closeness to the needy is closeness to Christ. This homily summarized the whole meeting, the gratuitousness of service as a gift of God received freely and given freely to his Church.
Two and a half days to meet and come together again for interesting presentations and group work, where mention must also be made of the atmosphere of joy, fraternal welcome and profound brotherhood, getting together after dinner over tea or a soft drink, the pleasure of a conversation in a group… a re-union of brothers.
Father Aquilino Castillo Álvarez, ofm
An “under five”
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation.”
Luke 1, 76-77
The third meeting of young friars, the so-called “under fives” because they are still in the first five years since their solemn profession, was held from 15th to 17th November at Ain Karim.
With the aim of sharing their experiences, thoughts, concerns and projects, these young men met at the convent of St. John the Baptist “in the Mountain” where they followed the agenda proposed by Father Marcelo Ariel Cichinelli, moderator for Permanent Formation.
On the first day, the friars arrived from the different places of the Custody where they perform their service: the Holy Sepulchre, St. Saviour, Bethlehem, and Beit Hanina in Judea, Nazareth in Galilee or, from further afield, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon or from Cyprus, across the sea.
The second day, after prayers, the conference started with a lecture by Father Marcello Badalamenti, an expert in Moral Theology and well known for his numerous publications on this branch of theology applied to the writings of St. Francis and consecrated life.
Father Marcello, who entitled his lecture "The consecrated vocation, the gift of service to the Church”, illustrated the mystery of the vocation understood as giving oneself over to others through restitution; this term is understood as the donation of all that has been given to us through Grace. He was thus able to cover the subject, dwelling in detail on the vocations of John the Baptist and Zachariah, his father, men in the service of God and the community of believers, adding further comments on the "Non bollata” Rule of St. Francis and on the “Admonitions”.
The conference was followed, after a short break, by a Round Table, where three of the invited brothers each explained a way of serving the Church through the mission they carry out in different fields. The first of them, Father Rami Azakriyeh, described the mission and the challenges he faces as Director of the House of the Child in Bethlehem, which takes in homeless children and youngsters or children who do not live in the necessary conditions for human and intellectual growth. He gave a detailed explanation of his immense task, describing this service for socially disadvantaged individuals, the difficulty of certain situations and the love that can be communicated through the service.
After Father Rami, it was Father Adrian Maznicki’s turn to speak. Since his ordination, on June 29, he has been a member of the permanent community of the Holy Sepulchre. Father Adrian concisely explained the different aspects of life and work in the Sepulchre: ecumenism, the "Status Quo", life in a community with “out of the ordinary” hours due to the particularity of certain liturgical celebrations, the desire to learn different languages in order to be able to give himself to the Universal Church, both in the service of the local Arab community and for those who come before the Lord to offer Him his confession. This last part was perhaps what had the greatest effect on the listeners: the gift of reconciling with God the Father all those who ask for it, a gift that is freely received and freely given. This is a delicate, simple, but nevertheless very important aspect, of the service that the Church asks us to perform in the holiest place of Christianity.
After Fathers Rami and Adrian, it was the turn of Father Aquilino Castillo Álvarez, in charge of the Vocational House of Harissa, in Lebanon, and a member of the Council of the St. Paul Region.
Father Aquilino began by explaining what exactly the St. Paul region is: as part of the Custody ever since its foundation, it brings together under this name the territories of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. He gave a brief explanation how a province, like the Custody of the Holy Land, covering several countries, unfortunately at times lacking in political agreement, has organized a territory with an administration of its own, the Council of the St. Paul Region which, together with the ruling body of the Custody in Jerusalem, ensures that the mission established by the friars eight centuries ago in the territories from the River Orontes in Syria to Mount Nebo in Jordan is maintained.
In this part of the Custody, a house has been built to accommodate all those young men from the Middle East who want an experience of Franciscan life. Father Aquilino gave a detailed explanation of the programme established in conjunction with the friars of the Custody who are responsible for Formation and the identity of the house. This is a service which tries to make the person called to consecrate himself to the Lord mature so that he can know whether the call is to the clerical or lay life, at the same time learning about Franciscan life from the inside, in daily work, in the study of St. Francis’ writings, in the Lectio Divina, in the personal encounter with God through daily co-existence and prayer in this house, made international by the members who make it up.
After the presentations and the open discussion that followed, the brothers went to the sanctuary, the Church that hosts the birthplace of the Precursor, where they celebrated the Eucharist presided by Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land. In his homily, he underlined how John the Baptist is a model for those who are called to evangelize, especially in the sense of a young man who incarnates the message of the mission received and dedicates himself to it with courage, consecrating his own life.
In the afternoon, the time was divided into two: in the first part, Father Simon Herro, Head of the Terra Sancta School of Jerusalem, prepared the friars for the future, clarifying the details of this work, which is so closely linked to the poorest. It is not surprising that the Custody’s school is the most accessible for needy families in the city. It was not only this aspect that was mentioned by Father Simon, but also the fact that these pupils are those who obtain the best results in the final state exam. This is due to the human and spiritual care given to the young people of the Old City who are in our school, as well as the activities of catechism and many other parish-related activities.
Father Simon recalled that at least 30% of the pupils of the school are Muslims, who find a climate of dialogue and tolerance there.
This was an explanation-invitation because, as we know, the school is open to everyone who wants to give a helping hand.
The second part of the afternoon was spent working in different groups on Chapter V of the General Constitutions. Once again, it was an opportunity to reflect on the service offered for the good of the Church.
Thursday, November 17, was a day dedicated to sharing, an intense morning as each friar presented his work on Chapter V, with the results and reflections, as well as his concerns for the future.
The morning came to an end with the Eucharistic celebration at the Sanctuary of the Visitation, where Father Haitham Yalda, coadjutor parish priest of Bethlehem and an “under five”, encouraged the friars in a very fine homily to break down the walls of our cells and go out to testify that closeness to the needy is closeness to Christ. This homily summarized the whole meeting, the gratuitousness of service as a gift of God received freely and given freely to his Church.
Two and a half days to meet and come together again for interesting presentations and group work, where mention must also be made of the atmosphere of joy, fraternal welcome and profound brotherhood, getting together after dinner over tea or a soft drink, the pleasure of a conversation in a group… a re-union of brothers.
Father Aquilino Castillo Álvarez, ofm
An “under five”