The Custos of the Holy Land, Brother Francesco Patton, made a new solemn entry on Saturday, June 11, this time in the town of Jaffa, administratively incorporated in Tel Aviv in 1950. The ceremony, which was held together with the commemoration of the local patron St. Anthony, began with a procession that started at St. Peter’s Church. Being a port city, the Franciscans settled here in the seventeenth century to house pilgrims who sailed into Jerusalem from around the world. Located in the Mediterranean coast, Jaffa is one of the oldest cities in the world, with more than four million years of history. The biblical texts narrate that the prophet Jonah tried to flee to Tarshish from this port. During the storm, he was then thrown overboard and was swallowed by a big fish that rejected him back onto the beach, three days later. The home of Simon the Tanner was also in Jaffa; Peter was staying in that place when he had a vision of a cloth that fell from the sky, containing unclean animals, and received the order to eat them. After this episode, Peter went to Caesarea Philippi, where he baptized Cornelius, the first pagan converted to Christianity. Fr. APOLINARI SZWED, ofm Franciscan treasurer - St. Peter’s Church "After this vision, Peter understands that, not only the Jews, but all people are pure: this was very significant, because the Church is open to all, to all nations. Even today, here in Jaffa, there are many communities. Every weekend in our church we have seven masses in seven different languages and we are able to witness the catholicity and universality of the Church.” The procession arrived to the city parish in St. Anthony’s Church, where, in the outer court, the Eucharist was celebrated. This was the first solemn mass presided by Father Patton in the Holy Land. In his homily, the Custos recalled Anthony’s story and stressed how God guided him through the unexpected events of life. "We must learn that we do not have any control over our lives...We should await God’s surprises, without offering any resistance to them.” The children and the whole community showed welcoming gestures of tenderness. Fr. FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "[Today is a significant day because] This is my first meeting with our local Christian communities and also because it is great to be able to see these Christian communities in their variety. There are native Christians, but there are also people who come from other countries, who are here for business reasons. I think it is important for these new people to breathe the atmosphere of the Holy Land, which is very special and intense, very intense." One of the customs of the local Christians is to bring their children to be blessed. ASHRAF ABOUD Shefe-‘Amr - Galilee "We promised to dress our children as St. Anthony, asking his intercession and asking him to protect them." The St. Anthony’s Festival is one of the strongest religious traditions of the city that best expresses the beauty and diversity of the local Church. Fr. ZAHER ABBOUD, ofm Parish - St. Anthony of Padua "One of the characteristics of our parish here in Jaffa, is that it is a parish of immigrants. It is very colorful ... it is a multi-ethnic parish that tonight wants to venerate our patron, St. Anthony." At the conclusion of the Mass, the Custos greeted the faithful and distributed the traditional bread of St. Anthony among the faithful.