Collection meets needs in Holy Land

On Good Friday, Catholics remember Jesus' passion and resurrection. They will also be asked to think about the places He lived, preached and walked.

A collection taken up during services on Good Friday will be sent to the Holy Land to maintain Christian ministries to people living in the area, and to preserve shrines, churches and holy sites in Israel.

"The annual Good Friday collection aims to promote among the Christian faithful a love of the land of the Lord," Bishop Howard J. Hubbard says in a letter to be read in parishes this weekend. "For the Church to survive there, it must rely on a loving and nurturing solidarity on the part of each Christian, a solidarity which bears witness to faith in Him. From the daily news, we all know of the challenges in the Middle East. Christians in the Holy Land urgently need your help."

Good Friday funds:

* promote such ministries as schools, cultural institutions, hospitals, clinics and centers for social assistance that serve Christians, Jews and Muslims alike;

* educate young men preparing to serve in missions in the area, as well as neighboring countries like Syria, Jordan and Egypt; and

* support efforts to feed refugee children, house pilgrims and underwrite homes for handicapped people.

In his letter, Bishop Hubbard tells Catholics they can "help fellow Catholics in the cradle of Christianity through your generosity. I thank you for your continued support in this effort to assist our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land."

(4/13/06) [[In-content Ad]]