Custodia Terræ Sanctæ

Custodia Terræ Sanctæ We are a group of Christian men who have been called by God from every corner of the world for a special mission: to watch over His house!
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We belong to a religious Order in the Catholic Church, the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscans. Drawn by love of the poor and crucified Christ, our founder, Saint Francis of Assisi, went to the Middle East at the beginning of the 13th century, in order to “touch” the places which, up to our day, offer an irreplaceable testimony to God’s revelation and to God’s love for the human person. During

his pilgrimage, and despite the Crusades, Saint Francis encountered and dialogued with the sultan Melek al-Kamel, who was governing the Holy Land at the time. It was a peaceful encounter, which marked the beginning of the Franciscans’ presence in the Holy Land and also influenced the way in which we have been present in the course of the centuries until today. Over the course of time, this province of the Franciscan Order took the name “Custody of the Holy Land”. Saint Francis and the Franciscans always had at heart the love of the Incarnation of Jesus, and that is why they have loved the Holy Land since the beginning. For there is no Incarnation without a place. For us, loving this land means to love Jesus. And we cannot think of Jesus without loving His land. Because of the Franciscans’ special attachment to the Gospel of Jesus and to his Incarnation, our Catholic Church entrusted to us the mission of preserving the places of our salvation. There are concrete ways of watching over the holy places: animating the holy places for the pilgrims and the local Churches by means of the liturgy, welcoming the pilgrims who come from every part of the world in order to pray and to become recollected, and preserving the structures of these places. Local Christian communities live alongside the holy places. The local communities are made up of parishes of different Catholic rites and traditions (Western and Eastern). We Franciscans have the responsibility for various parishes whose heart and whose seat are in the holy places. Loving the stones that preserve the memory of Jesus also pushes us to love the living stones, the Christian communities who, throughout the centuries, live here. The Custody has many formative and social activities, which aim at supporting the Christian presence in the Holy Land: running schools, constructing housing, helping people who suffer from various forms of poverty. A spiritual guide and guesthouses are available for the Christian pilgrims who come from every part of the world, as well as the guarantee and the grace of being able to celebrate the mysteries of salvation in the holy places. To conclude: We are a fraternity of the Order of Friars Minor living in the Holy Land, who preserve, study and render the places where the Christian faith originated welcoming and proclaim the marvels of the love of the Most High Almighty and Good Lord who for our sake took on our humanity for the salvation of all people.

07/06/2026

Salesians of Don Bosco - Diaconate Ordination Gethesemane

Diaconate Ordination of the Salesian of Don Bosco presided over by H.B. Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins.
Basilica of the Agony, in Gethsemane, Jerusalem. Mass will be in English.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi at the Holy Sepulcher👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/the-solemnity-o...
05/06/2026

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi at the Holy Sepulcher

👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/the-solemnity-of-corpus-christi-at-the-holy-sepulcher/

Thursday June 4, in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, heart of Christianity, the solemnity of Corpus Christi was celebrated again this year according to the ancient customs of the Status Quo sixty days after Easter, on a Thursday, in an atmosphere of recollection and deep prayer.
On Thursday morning, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa presided over the solemn Holy Mass, concelebrated by about fifty priests and religious, including the Apostolic Nuncio, the auxiliary Bishops of the Diocese and the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of the Dormition. The Eucharist, heart of the feast of Corpus Christi, was experienced with particular intensity, even in a context marked by a reduced participation. The Patriarch in his homily recalled the great miracle of every Eucharist, during which we relive the gift of Christ for us as on that day on Calvary, a complete gift of all of himself for love of his Church.

Photos by lpj.org.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi at the Holy SepulcherThe celebrations were presided over by His Beatitude the Latin Patr...
05/06/2026

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi at the Holy Sepulcher

The celebrations were presided over by His Beatitude the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. In the afternoon of Wednesday June the 3rd, the Patriarch made his solemn entry into the Basilica, accompanied by the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land, according to the traditional ceremonial. A gesture that recalls a living and continuous presence of the Church in the place of the Resurrection.
In front of the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre, the first solemn vespers were celebrated, followed by the daily procession inside the Basilica. The afternoon celebrations concluded with the recitation of compline, the last prayer of the liturgy of the hours of the Catholic tradition, prayed in front of the tomb of Christ.
During the night, the friars of the Custody celebrated the Office of Readings, presided over by the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, prolonging the prayer in the continuity of the liturgical tradition that characterizes the great solemnities at the Holy Sepulchre.

“What Inheritance?” is the title of the event - a dialogue in music - that featured the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Fra...
02/06/2026

“What Inheritance?” is the title of the event - a dialogue in music - that featured the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, as the main protagonist on Sunday evening at the Capuchin monastery in Jerusalem. The Custos answered questions from journalist Nello Del Gatto, while cellist Lucia D’Anna accompanied the evening by playing several pieces, including one from the Maronite tradition to underscore, as echoed in the Custos's words, the difficult moment the community is facing in Lebanon.

Answering the questions, Fr. Ielpo spoke about the legacy of the Seraphic Father 800 years after his passing, in light of the difficult times the Holy Land is currently going through, with an eye on the challenges facing the Custody and Christians here. The danger, the Custos said, is to trivialize the figure of Saint Francis by reducing him to an icon of environmentalism, pacifism, love for animals, and the like, forgetting that the true message, which embodies the very essence of the Custody, is encounter and presence, remembering that silence combined with good deeds is sometimes the most important communicative weapon.

Nearly a year into his term as Custos, Fr. Ielpo wanted to reflect on how central the institution is as a point of reference in the life of the Holy Land. As the guardian Father Enrico Maiorano recalled, the meeting is the second of its kind hosted by the Capuchin friars' monastery in Jerusalem, following the one with the Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Institution of the ministries of Lectorate and Acolytate on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity👉Read the Article: htt...
01/06/2026

Institution of the ministries of Lectorate and Acolytate on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/institution-of-the-ministries-of-lectorate-and-acolytate-on-the-solemnity-of-the-most-holy-trinity/

Sunday, May 31, in the church of San Salvatore in Jerusalem, the heart of the Custody of the Holy Land, the Eucharistic celebration took place with the rite of institution of the ministries of Lectorate and Acolytate for a group of student friars of the International Franciscan Seminary.
The celebration, coinciding with the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, was presided over by the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, in the presence of numerous brother priests, who gathered to spiritually accompany the candidates. Among them were also the formators of the two houses of formation in Jerusalem and Ain Karem, together with some Discreets of the Holy Land. In the atmosphere of prayer and fraternity that characterized the liturgy, several friars from various parts of the world were instituted into the ministries, a concrete sign of the universality of the Church and the richness of the Franciscan fraternity. The significant number of candidates and the variety of their countries of origin represent a sign of hope for the future of the Custody and for the mission of the universal Church.

The conclusion of the Marian month under the sign of hope👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/jerusalem-c...
31/05/2026

The conclusion of the Marian month under the sign of hope

👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/jerusalem-celebrates-the-feast-of-the-visitation-and-concludes-the-marian-month-under-the-sign-of-hope/

On Saturday, May 30, in an atmosphere of recollection and faith, marked by the truce in the conflicts but still devoid of the presence of international pilgrims, the Franciscan community and local faithful experienced an intense day, combining the memory of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary with the traditional conclusion of the Marian month.
In the afternoon, the community gathered again at the convent of San Salvatore for the solemn conclusion of the Marian month.
The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the presence of the Custos of the Holy Land, the Apostolic Nuncio, and numerous religious men, women and local faithful. For some years, due to the large number of participants, the large courtyard of the convent has been transformed into a real open-air church. The main altar and the space of the presbytery are the result of the patient work of the masters of ceremonies and the workers of the convent who, with dedication and devotion to the Virgin Mary, contribute every year to creating an atmosphere of profound prayer and solemnity.
At the end of the celebration, the traditional procession took place through the streets of the Christian quarter of Jerusalem, with stops for the blessing with the icon of the Virgin. A particularly heartfelt moment, in which prayer became a shared journey through the streets of the city.

Jerusalem celebrates the feast of the Visitation and concludes the Marian month under the sign of hope👉Read the Article:...
31/05/2026

Jerusalem celebrates the feast of the Visitation and concludes the Marian month under the sign of hope

👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/jerusalem-celebrates-the-feast-of-the-visitation-and-concludes-the-marian-month-under-the-sign-of-hope/

On Saturday, May 30, in an atmosphere of recollection and faith, marked by the truce in the conflicts but still devoid of the presence of international pilgrims, the Franciscan community and local faithful experienced an intense day, combining the memory of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary with the traditional conclusion of the Marian month.
In the morning, the Fr. of the convent of San Salvatore, together with the religious of the neighboring convents, went on pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Visitation in Ain Karem. The celebration, which usually occurs on May 31, was anticipated this year to the 30th, since the usual date coincided with the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

Jerusalem Celebrates Pentecost Amid Prayer and the Anticipation of the Spirit👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org...
24/05/2026

Jerusalem Celebrates Pentecost Amid Prayer and the Anticipation of the Spirit

👉Read the Article: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/jerusalem-celebrates-pentecost-amid-prayer-and-waiting-on-the-spirit/
On Sunday, May 24, in an atmosphere of contemplation and prayer - marked by the absence of pilgrims but also by a fragile truce in the regional context - the Custody of the Holy Land celebrated the Solemnity of Pentecost in the places that preserve the living memory of the Church's birth.

In his homily, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, recalled the contrast between Babel and Pentecost: “Babel returns every time we center everything on ourselves, our power, our self-interest... Pentecost, on the other hand, is the opposite of Babel... the Spirit creates communion without erasing diversity.”

In a context marked by divisions and misunderstandings, the Custos forcefully emphasized the relevance of this message precisely for the Holy Land: “We are not called to fuel new 'Babels'… we are called to invoke and bear witness to the gift of the Spirit, which alone can create a new humanity.”

Like every year, on the Friday before Pentecost, the Custos of the Holy Land celebrates at Tabgha, on the shores of the ...
24/05/2026

Like every year, on the Friday before Pentecost, the Custos of the Holy Land celebrates at Tabgha, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, commemorating the episode of the confession of the Apostle Peter, who answers three times to the call of Jesus asking him if he loves Him: Jn 21:15-19.

23/05/2026

🔴 JERUSALEM | Pentecost Vigil Mass Saint Saviour

Solemn Vigil Mass of Pentecost presided over by Br. Francesco Ielpo, ofm, Custos of the Holy Land at Saint Saviour Church in Jerusalem.

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Saint Francis Street 1 Saint Saviour's Monastery
Jerusalem
P.O.B.186

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+97226266561

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