Diocesan News15 Dec 09

Clogher Diocese prepares for third Holy Land Pilgrimage

Now that 2010 is fast approaching, Clogher Diocese is eagerly making ready for its third successive pilgrimage to the Holy Land in three years. Members of the diocese joined together as pilgrims in visiting the Holy Land in Advent 2008 and in Lent 2009. A new group looks forward to being there in the Season of Easter 2010. The interest expressed in each of the pilgrimages, and enthusiasm of those who have participated has been encouraging, in fact each pilgrimage has been over-subscribed.

The pilgrimages to date have enabled participants to reconnect personal faith and Biblical landscape. They have not only encompassed major sites in Galilee and Jerusalem along with significant biblical sites but have enabled pilgrims to encounter the day-to-day life of three World Faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam, for all of whose members Jerusalem is a special and holy place.

A central part of going to the Holy Land has been worshipping with fellow-Christians. This has included spending time with the parishioners of St John’s Church, Haifa and of St George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem with which Clogher Diocese has a special link through Bishop Suheil Dawani, Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Bishop Suheil spoke at the annual open air Clogher Diocesan Interdenominational Service at Pentecost 2008 when he spent a number of days visiting Clogher Diocese.

The Holy Land Medical Relief Fund, an initiative which has been pioneered by a number of pilgrims from 2008 and 2009, has come out of the pilgrimages. It is a practical way of supporting the people of the Holy Land through providing equipment and medical supplies for St Luke’s Hospital Nablus. St Luke’s, a Christian foundation, is open to patients of any Faith and plays a pivotal role in the social regeneration of that city.

Pilgrimages are led by Bishop Jackson, the Reverend Glenn West and the Reverend David Skuce.

For further details please contact the pilgrimage team by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 02867721250.