His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa Celebrates the Centenary of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant: A Testament to Faith and History

Sixteen kilometers from Jerusalem, the hill of Kiryat Yearim, where the Ark of the Covenant resided for 20 years, today bears witness to God's sovereignty and faithfulness. The Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant for the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition marked its centenary on Saturday, August 31, 2024. It celebrated the reopening of its doors following two years of renovations.

The centenary celebration and dedication of the new altar were led by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, along with Msgr. Bolous-Marcuzzo, Bishop Emeritus, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, and a delegation of bishops, alongside numerous priests. The event was also attended by Mr. Nicolas Kassianides, the French Consul General in Jerusalem, his wife, and representatives from Malta.

Hundreds of faithful from across the Diocese of Jerusalem attended the celebration, which began with the Cardinal’s blessing of the 100-year-old newly renovated door, made to resemble both the presence of God in the Burning Bush and the Resurrection of Jesus from the Tomb.  Followed by the Sprinkling Rite, to consecrate the new building of the Church. 

In his homily, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa emphasizes the renewal of faith and trust in God, symbolized by the reopening of a Church and the dedication of a new altar, urging believers to embrace patience, obedience, and hope in God's plan, even amid current struggles and uncertainties: “Mary teaches us to enter the time of gestation, a time of patience, silence and waiting. The things of man are done in an instant, the things of God take time and come slowly: a long gestation is necessary for the new thing to be born”…

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This report was originally publsihed on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Please click here to read the full text.