Every year on Good Friday, a collection is taken up in Catholic Churches to support the work of the Franciscans working in the Holy Land. Christians there rely heavily on the help that comes to them from this worldwide collection. This year, since measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus prohibit gatherings in our churches, the traditional Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land has been postponed to September 13th.
The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America is part of a world-wide network of Commissariats of the Holy Land which function as bridges between the Holy Land and Christians all over the world. The Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C., coordinates this vital support for the work of the Franciscans who work in the Holy Land.
The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have the unique responsibility to care for the Holy Places as well for the “Living Stones,” the Christians living there. It is vital that we support Christians living in the Holy Land, in order to maintain a Christian presence in the very land made holy by the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus.