The Bible Study group of Filipino migrant workers living in Jerusalem embarked on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Haifa, at the end of May with the synodal journey as background topic.
The group in Elijah's cave.
The group, which meets every last Saturday of the month, was accompanied by Father George Schultze, SJ as well as by two TA members, Becky Calaor and Mellie Brodeth.
This “synodal journey” started in October 2021 when the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa launched the Synod in the Holy Land.
In February this year, the migrants gathered again with Fr. George, Mellie and Becky to take up the questionnaire distributed to enhance our involvement in the Synod.
The beginning of something
Some words from the Latin Patriarch, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, about the Synod, were read during the Mass presided by Fr. George before Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
“…this moment of the Synod our journey must not be limited to speaking only of our problems because it would make everything sterile, without perspective. It must be a path illuminated by the Word of God, which is always the bearer of life…. It would already be profitable if the Synod marked the beginning of a new way of finding ourselves as a community, where all feel part of each other’s life, united in the person of Jesus, the heart of our faith, who gives meaning to our being here in the Holy Land and who nourishes and illuminates the love that sustains our lives.”
At the end of the mass, we asked Fr. Atilio, a Carmelite to speak to us about the Carmelite mission and service here, so that we can also unite with them, from Jerusalem, and participate in their mission especially through prayer.
Faith witness in Holy Land
After listening to his talk, we also distributed questions to the migrant workers which aimed at making them aware of their faith witnessing in the Holy Land. The questions were about their faith, mission, reaching out to others, Christian values…
We also asked them what would they like to deepen in during this time of the Synod in the whole Church and what do they like to say as a foreign worker living in a country that is not your own homeland.
These are questions that we will continue to discuss in our forthcoming Bible Study sessions so that our participation with others will help deepen our communion and solidarity with one another.
TA-Bible Study Group, Holy Land.
Photos Gemma Sumaria.
Published in Synodal Journey