This tradition was born seven years ago on the initiative of the Vatican’s military chaplain, who felt it was important for these young people to make this visit and pray at the places of salvation of the Mother Church in Jerusalem.
Photo: Divulgation/CustodiaTerrae Sanctae.
Newsroom (24/03/2023 13:30, Gaudium Press) A group of twelve members of the Swiss Guard made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, a tradition that was born seven years ago on the initiative of the Vatican’s military chaplain. At the time, the priest felt it was important for these young men, at the service of the Church and the Pope, to make this visit and pray at the places of salvation of the Mother Church in Jerusalem.
Photo: Divulgation/CustodiaTerrae Sanctae.
Visit to the most important sites in the Holy Land
During their stay in the Holy Land, the Swiss Guards visited the sites considered to be the most important in the region, of which the most important are: Jerusalem, Galilee, the Judah desert, Jericho, the Jordan Baptism site and Bethlehem, where they also had the opportunity to visit the Baby Caritas Hospital, a children’s hospital founded by a Swiss donor.
Fr. Alberto Joan Pari, secretary of the Custody of the Holy Land, who led the group throughout the week said that this was a very important and moving experience for everyone, including him. “During this pilgrimage with these young people, I tried to imagine what the daily life of the Apostles with Jesus might have been like. I felt in the place of the ‘master’, because together, every day, we broke bread – both of the Eucharist and of the Word – in each shrine we visited,” he said.
Photo: Divulgation/CustodiaTerrae Sanctae.
Deep preparation before the pilgrimage
Before the trip, the members of the Pope’s guard were thoroughly prepared with meditations, prayers, Bible readings and lectures, so that the pilgrimage could be experienced in a deeper, more responsible and conscious way. “Jerusalem and the Holy Land are at the root of our Faith: being here means returning to the place where everything was born and, above all, being able to finally ‘see’ the Bible that we read and know so well. Now we know that touching these places is a special grace,” commented Mike Boget, Swiss guardian for four years.
What most impressed Florent Jacquod, who has served at the Vatican for two and a half years, was to see “the situation of Christians in the Holy Land: the places are beautiful and must be preserved for the memory, of course, but they are the ‘living stones’ of this land. Christians are the ‘living’ memory of our Faith, and just as the Shrines were built to preserve and protect the memory of the places, we too must support and protect those who live here.” At the end of the pilgrimage, the Swiss Guards received the Pilgrim’s Medal and the corresponding parchment at the Custodial Curia.(EPC)
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
