On February 14, 2021, the Custody celebrates the 600th anniversary of the institution of the Commissariats of the Holy Land. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "There is a very beautiful psalm that says that "in God's eyes a thousand years are like yesterday that has passed." We have not yet reached the thousand years but we hope to exceed it." Br MARCELO CICHINELLI, ofm Resp. Office for the Coordination of Commissioners of the Holy Land "600 years of commissary history tells us about 600 years of efforts by the Church around the world to support the Holy Places." Bridges between the Holy Land and Christians around the world, the 67 Friars Minor present today in 57 countries around the world are considered "ambassadors" of the Custody of the Holy Land. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "Let us say that our presence is 800 years old, then basically after about a century this Franciscan mission in the Holy Land became, by the will of Pope Clement VI, the Custody of the Holy Land, that is, we were entrusted with the Custody of the Holy Places. After about another century, in 1421, on February 14, another Pope, Martin V, gave the Custody the possibility of having these "ambassadors" around the world who are the Commissioners of the Holy Land." In 1421 Pope Martin V issued his bull "His quae pro ecclesiasticarum", which became the birth certificate of the Commissariats of the Holy Land. A history very well documented in the archives of the Custody. Br NARCYZ KLIMAS, ofm Prof History of the Church and the Custody of the Holy Land "This is the official bull of the foundation of the commissioners of the Holy Land from all over the world. It is very well preserved, and it even contains in the stamp of the bull itself the name of the Pope, which can be read very well, while in the text we find a very clear indication of the procurators and commissioners, who are thus established in this bull and then confirmed by successive Popes." Br MARCELO CICHINELLI, ofm Resp. Office for the Coordination of Commissioners of the Holy Land "The Basilica where we are today bears witness to the internationality of the commissioners of the Holy Land: it is in fact called the Basilica of Nations, because many nations are represented here. The commissioners are more or less the fruit of this universality of the Church, which is represented throughout the world." .... "Over the years and with the constant approval of the different Popes," continued Br. Marcelo, "the commissioners became "the arms of the mission in the Middle East." Their work, over time, developed, institutionalized, regularized, and spread to the countries where Franciscans were located." In 2012, the third edition of the International Congress of Commissaries of the Holy Land was held. The assembly, which had not met for six years, gathered in Jerusalem at the Curia of St. Savior's Convent. It was attended by 80 commissioners from 40 countries around the world. The IV International Congress of Commissioners, entitled "The Pastoral Care of Pilgrimage: Reception, Memory, Evangelization," was held from November 26 to December 2, 2018. The official image chosen for the Congress represented the meeting of St. Francis with the Sultan of Egypt Malik Al Kamel, whose eighth centenary was in 2019. Br MARCELO CICHINELLI, ofm Resp. Office for the Coordination of Commissioners of the Holy Land "The main work of the commissioners is to make known, to spread the knowledge, to promote the knowledge of the Holy Places in their dioceses, in their territories, in their countries. Then, they must promote aid. The commissioners were born to promote aid, and the request to promote aid for the support of the Holy Places and the social works of the Custody of the Holy Land, which are so many, especially in the area of education, social promotion, and so on., is still relevant." Among the purposes of the Commissioners is to promote both vocations to the Holy Land and pilgrimages to the Holy Places. A tradition that has continued down through the centuries. Br MARCELO CICHINELLI, ofm Resp. Office for the Coordination of Commissioners of the Holy Land "Today, they continue to operate with this creativity, but the ways have changed: by doing the Pro Holy Land Days. So the activities have changed, but the intensity and love for the holy places have been maintained throughout these centuries." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "Then there are the economic purposes. Every year there is a collection, called "Colletta pro Terra Sancta", which for many years was held on Good Friday. Unfortunately, last year it was not possible to do it on this day because of the pandemic. This collection is the concrete way through which the solidarity of Christians from all over the world reaches the Holy Land, and it is the actualization of the first collection in favor of the Church of Jerusalem that was made at the time of St. Paul." A necessity in this very difficult period, although not the only one in history because the Holy Land has suffered so many times from wars or pandemics. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "In these difficult times the friars have always remained here: they have remained at the service of the population and have lived a particular ministry which is that of prayer, because our first mandate is to pray in the Shrines, therefore to intercede both for the local population and for people all over the world." Br MARCELO CICHINELLI, ofm Resp. Office for the Coordination of Commissioners of the Holy Land "Since the establishment of the Commissioners, numerous testimonies show how the friars have worked hard to get help here so many times. So one of their characteristics is creativity. There have been wars, changes, new discoveries, but the Commissioners have always been there." The Custody uses modern means of communication to bring the Holy Land to the whole world: from the Holy Land magazine, which this year celebrates the centenary of its first publication, to the various websites and the Christian Media Center. It is Br. Francesco Patton who invites everyone to participate in the Day of Prayer for the Holy Land to be held next February 15, with Holy Mass live from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "It's meant to be a celebration of thanksgiving. Done here at the Holy Sepulchre, so we will celebrate the Resurrection, Jesus' victory over death, we will celebrate hope." Monday, February 15 Day of Prayer for the Holy Land 6.30 am (local time) Holy Mass from the Holy Sepulchre Available on the CMC website www.cmc-terrasanta.org