Near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, and where Mary witnessed the sacrifice of her son, Palestinian Christians gathered on Friday, May 31, to ask Our Lady of Palestine to intercede for peace.
As a statue of the Virgin Mary was carried through the ancient streets, many believers raised their prayers to the Virgin Mary, asking her for help in ending the eight-month war in Gaza.
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Before the procession, a solemn Mass was celebrated presided by Fr. Amjad Sabbara, parish priest of the Latin Church in Jerusalem, and attended by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
In his sermon, Father Sabbara highlighted the spirituality of the Virgin Mary and her unwavering faith and hope: “she who said yes to the angel, believed in the will of the Father and clung to hope in the face of the harsh vision of the cross.” .
“Today, we experience the same scene of crucifixion and we must, like Mary, hold on to the hope that we will move forward toward resurrection and salvation,” he continued. “Christ came here and died here to make us heroes in our life stories, not stories of the past or future. Through the Virgin Mary and her life journey in this holy land, we can become heroes and saints living in the same place where she lived.”
Speaking to ACI Mena – Arabic agency of the ACI Group – Cardinal Pizzaballa commented: “You cannot talk about the family without the mother, nor can you talk about the Church without Mary. Mary is our mother; a mother who feels the pain of her children. Today, Mary feels the suffering of her people, she looks at them with compassion and prays fervently for us to our heavenly Father.”
The procession began from the Church of San Salvador and was attended by hundreds of Christians along with several bishops, Franciscan monks, priests and nuns. He then stopped at three places: the School of the Brothers, the Church of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem and finally the Custody of the Holy Land, the headquarters of the Franciscan monks.
The procession passed through the New Gate and the Jaffa Gate, two of the most famous gates in Jerusalem, and through the heart of the Christian Quarter, where hundreds of residents greeted the statue of the Virgin Mary by sprinkling flowers and receiving blessings.
A traditional aspect of this event is the participation of high school students from St. Joseph’s School for Girls in Jerusalem, carrying the statue of the Virgin Mary, dressed in Marian robes, with the help of the Arab Catholic Scouts.
Among the girls carrying the statue was 16-year-old Selene Nicodemus, who expressed her gratitude for this opportunity, noting: “It is not easy to carry the statue of the Virgin and march with it for this long distance. Today, I remembered the difficult journey that the Virgin Mary lived, and I repeated to myself: ‘The Virgin always carries my worries and problems, and today I carry her memory and walk with her through the old alleys of Jerusalem.’ It is a beautiful feeling, and I thank the Virgin for this opportunity.”
Another participant was Marie Claire, a volunteer from Canada, who expressed her amazement at the procession, saying: “What affected me most was hearing the Palestinians sing a hymn titled ‘O Daughter of this Land and Mother of All People’: ‘Evil has overwhelmed and prevailed, grant us peace.’ This hymn touched my heart deeply, especially because Mary is the refuge of the oppressed and the comforter of the afflicted. Today, the Palestinian people urgently need comfort and justice, and here in Jerusalem, they choose the Virgin Mary as their compass in their search for their rights.”
The procession concluded with prayers for peace in Gaza as believers implored the intercession of Our Lady of Palestine, ending their prayers from the heart of Jerusalem with hymns and praises.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Rafi Ghattas
Rafi Ghattas is a journalist and field correspondent writing from Jerusalem. He is also an active member of the local Church, participating as a coordinator of Christian youth in Palestine and the Middle East.