Holy Land Collection 2021, Good Friday April 2nd
15 March, 2021
The annual Pontifical Good Friday Collection helps the ministry of the Franciscan friars who have shared the difficult lives of Christians in the often conflict-torn countries of the Middle East for over 800 years.
The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have the unique responsibility of caring for the Holy Places as well as caring for the Christians living in the Holy Land – the ‘ancient stones’ of our Christian heritage and the ‘living stones’ of our present and future Christians. The friars minister across several nations in conjunction with the Latin Patriarchate and other jurisdictions, including the Greco-Melkite, Coptic, Maronite, Syrian, Chaldean and Armenian churches. It is vital that we all care for the Christians living in the Holy Land in order to maintain a Christian presence in a land that is filled with a majority Islamic and Jewish population.
2020 proved to be a year like no other. As in so many parts of the world, the COVID-19 Pandemic has created enormous challenges for the people of the Holy Land, particularly in terms of health and a catastrophic loss of income due to travel restrictions preventing pilgrims and the closure of all shrines. Pilgrimages to the Holy Land are a vital resource. The offerings that Pilgrims leave allow the Franciscan Friars and local Church to carry out their mission: from the care of the Holy Places that give work to the local community to the running of several parishes, schools and the many social works that care for orphans, refugees, the homeless, and more.
With your help last year’s Pontifical Good Friday Collection:
• Supported 23 parishes and three academic institutions
• Provided a home for 30 children from homes facing domestic violence
• Offered 400 scholarships for high school and university education
• Helped keep schools open for over 10,000 pre-K through grade 12 students
• Supported 120 men preparing to be priests or brothers
• Restored and maintained 1000+ houses/apartments for Christian families
• Offered assistance at senior care facilities in Bethlehem and Nazareth
• Created 1,200 jobs in the Holy Land for Christians
• Preserved 65 shrines connected with the life of Jesus and the prophets
• Provided a home for 30 children from homes facing domestic violence
• Offered 400 scholarships for high school and university education
• Helped keep schools open for over 10,000 pre-K through grade 12 students
• Supported 120 men preparing to be priests or brothers
• Restored and maintained 1000+ houses/apartments for Christian families
• Offered assistance at senior care facilities in Bethlehem and Nazareth
• Created 1,200 jobs in the Holy Land for Christians
• Preserved 65 shrines connected with the life of Jesus and the prophets
The Pontifical Good Friday Collection offers all Catholics an opportunity to express their solidarity with Christians in the Holy Land. A donation to the Holy Father’s annual appeal is a direct way to make a difference in the lives of those caught up in war, violence and instability in this region.
Every year the Diocese of Rockhampton shows their care and generosity; this year, in light of COVID-19, all the faithful are again invited to exhibit their generosity to assist the Franciscan friars in this vital work in the Middle East.
