Deacon Peter

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Today started out at the church built at over St Joachim & Anne’s house, the birth place of the Blessed mother. A lovely church renowned for its acoustics, if you are a singer, and every group that came in there sang. I took a video of one group that I’ll include when I compile all this at home.

From that beautiful spot we walked over to the spot where Pontius Pilot’s palace was. The spot where Jesus was condemned, scourged, crowned with thorns and lead to his execution. Doing this the 4^th Sunday in Lent was really heart rending.

The stations ended on Calvary in the church of the Holy Sepulcher where we were twice before. The cruelty, violence and humiliation of those events were brought to my heart in a real and terrifying way. Good Friday is going to be extra tough this year.

After the stations the group went back to the hotel and I stayed at the church for a few hours, I found the cave where St Helen found the cross and watched the Armenian Church celebrate mass at the tomb. Also, the Latin Patriarch was there. His procession out of the church was led by 4 men in tuxedos and red fezzes who loudly pounded large diameter wood sticks on the ground. They were followed by a dozen or more Franciscans in their brown habits and a dozen or so priests in black cassocks and then the Patriarch, very impressive.

I was walking past the sacristy about 20 yards from the tomb when I saw a vested deacon about my age and went and said hello. He was visiting from Jordan. I rarely feel like the diaconate is much of a fraternity but he took me to meet the priests that were with him and introduced me to his bishop. They were all as fascinated to meet me as I was to meet them. They were going to celebrate mass on Calvary and the bishop asked if I’d like to join them. I said I would love to join them but since I do not speak a word of Arabic I would rather not vest. The bishop said he understood but insisted that the “sacred deacon from the United States sit on my left side” the other deacon who was vested was on the right. It was a high honor I’ll never forget.

Our group celebrated Sunday mass at a neighborhood church in Jerusalem. The only liturgical books they had were in Arabic so mass was celebrated using my iPad. The American bishops prohibited iPads for liturgical books, but then again, we aren’t in America sooooooo,…. I won’t finish that thought.

We leave Jerusalem in the morning for Cana, and Nazareth.



Peace and blessings from this Holy City

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Photos

The blessed Mother
Down stairs in the church over her girlhood home

The cave in which the Blessed Mother may have been born
Fr Foynes and I led the Memorare here

Church of fladdulation
Notice the crown of thorns in the dome

Comments

[Laura]

Sounds awesome
Hi Peter, Your story of meeting the other deacons and celebrating Mass with them made me so happy for you, what a special event. Also the thought of this year's Good Friday being all the more emotional for what Jesus suffered really brought it home to me, thinking that you all are walking in the places where it all happened. I'm really enjoying the photos and stories - thank you so much for sharing with all of us. Safe travels.

[Beth]

Cool!
That is awesome that you got to say mass with another bishop. Glad you met another cool deacon there.