Franciscans have been present in the Holy Land for more than 800 years and have been given the mission of guarding the Holy Places, by papal mandate with Clement VI's bull Gratias Agimus. Pope Francis also renewed this task in a letter sent for the 800th anniversary of the Franciscan presence in the Holy Land. For centuries, Franciscans have welcomed pilgrims from all over the world. One way to help Christians in the Holy Land is the Good Friday Collection, which stems from the popes' desire to preserve strong ties between all Christians around the world and the Holy Places. Br. Tony Choucry is the bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land, responsible for managing the income and expenses of the entire Province, which includes the territories of Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Cyprus and Rhodes. Br TONY CHOUCRY Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land "We live the Christian tradition that was handed down to us by the Apostles and the early Christians. The Acts of the Apostles says that the Christians lived as one community, in which they put all their possessions together. Now this ancient community has become large, larger: Presently we are the Apostles and the early Christians of that time, and we have to help each other to put together what is possible, to help each other and keep the presence here." The Good Friday Collection helps keep the Shrines and the "living stones," Christians living in the Holy Land. Br TONY CHOUCRY Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land "What the Custody of the Holy Land does is create opportunities for work, for service for pilgrims who come to visit the Holy Land, to maintain the Holy Places, but also to support the Christians of this land, because this land is a suffering land. The economic consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic have not spared the Custody of the Holy Land. Br TONY CHOUCRY Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land "The pandemic has totally affected our economic situation. The flow of pilgrims has become smaller, the income has decreased, but the Custody has not changed its presence close to the people: it has always remained faithful to its works of charity, to its work. Another emergency that closely involves the Custody is the grave situation in Syria following the violent earthquake on Feb. 6, which left thousands dead and many homeless. Br TONY CHOUCRY Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land "I went just two days later and saw that disaster ... the friars really gave a beautiful testimony. They assisted immediately and provided with what they had for the needs of the displaced people. For example, in Aleppo we had two thousand people coming all at once, and it was cold at that time, and our spaces are not so equipped to accommodate families. The friars started dividing the classrooms of the school with wood, to create more rooms to accommodate the families who no longer had a home." Br TONY CHOUCRY Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land And other presences, for example in Latakia, also in Aleppo. People have come to escape, to find warmth, to find a community where they feel safe. We also have the villages in the Orontes, near Idlib, where a whole village was destroyed. Br TONY CHOUCRY Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land "This is our mission in a nutshell. I invite all of you to be generous with the Custody of the Holy Land, generous with God, because Good Friday reminds us of the whole history of salvation, this great passion that the Lord suffered to do us good. If we participate by giving some of what we have to the poor, it means that we participate in this salvific economy and the Lord's salvific project and to take away some suffering from those in need." HELP US SUPPORT the mission of the Custody of the Holy Land. On Good Friday, donate to the Holy Land!