Newsletter – December 2017
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“Saint Paul invites us to prepare the coming of the Lord by assuming three attitudes ….. constant joy, persevering prayer and constant thanksgiving.” Pope Francis at Angelus address (17 December 2017) NEWSLETTER – DECEMBER 2017 May everyone have a truly happy and safe Christmas with families and loved ones as we celebrate this anniversary of the coming of our saviour, Jesus Christ. EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 1 A Happy Christmas Gettogether The final Mass and Rosary for 2017 was held on 4 December at Our Lady of Lourdes, Armadale and was followed by refreshments at the Presbytery. About 35 Knights and Dames accepted Fr Brendan Hayes invitation for Christmas drinks and nibbles. The occasion was a fine way to round out the year before we prepared to celebrated Christmas with family and friends in our local parishes. US President Trump’s Jerusalem Decision The Holy Land’s most senior Roman Catholic bishop has spoken out against President Trump’s decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, warned that the move could increase tensions in the region. He said: ‘I think that this will create a big problem, an explosion in all of the Arab countries especially the Muslim countries. Jerusalem should be at the end of these negotiations, not the beginning. And any unilateral decision will create more frustration, and anger and I’m afraid will bring to more violence. I don’t think it is wise to do it in this way.’ Archbishop Pizzaballa was also signatory to a letter to US President Trump from the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem – representing the region’s Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians – which cautioned against relocating the US Embassy. The letter stated: ‘We are certain that such steps will yield increased hatred, conflict, violence and suffering in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, moving us farther from the goal of unity and deeper toward destructive division.’ The US leased a site in Jerusalem for a new embassy in 1989 following the passing of a 1980 law by Israel’s Knesset declaring Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel – a law which provoked controversy, being declared ‘null and void’ by a resolution of the UN Security Council. The US Congress passed legislation in 1995 to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to the City of Jerusalem, but every president from Bill Clinton onwards has used a presidential waiver to prevent the Jerusalem Embassy Act from taking effect. On 6 December, President Trump announced that he would not be exercising the waiver which his predecessors have. Archbishop Pizzaballa also stressed that Jerusalem is an important site for all of the world’s monotheistic religions. He said: ‘Jerusalem is the holy city for all. It is the heart of the life of the Faith. If you do not understand that in the Middle East – for Arab countries and Israel too, they are religious, that the religious element is part of their identity – you don’t understand the Middle East. EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 2 And in this religious identity Jerusalem is central. As long as the religious community doesn’t have an inclusive approach it will be almost impossible to compromise on Jerusalem.’ RIP William (Bill) Patrick Ward KHS Our brother Knight Bill Ward died on 24 November 2017 after a long battle with cancer. Invested in 1997, Bill was an active member of our lieutenancy until his illness made attendance at functions impossible. A large congregation attended Bill’s Requiem Mass at St Peter’s, East Bentleigh on 1 December. The number reflected Bill’s involvement in a wide range of activities, especially his local Parish. At the request of the family the Order’s Pall was used to cover the casket during the Mass and the 12 Knights and Dames able to attend formed a guard of honour as the casket was taken from the church. We remember Bill, his wife Helen, and their family in our prayers. 2017 Contributions The Australia-Victoria Lieutenancy was able to increase its annual contribution to the Grand Magisterium for support to the Latin Patriarchate. Thanks to the generous contributions of our Knights and Dames $55,000.00 was remitted to Rome in early December. It is of concern that a few members are yet to make their annual contribution. It is not too late! Our mission of Faith and Charity is to support the Latin Patriarchate in its many activities to sustain the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Annual contributions are the practical manifestation of our charity. 2018 Visit by Grand Master The Grand Master, His Eminence Edwin Cardinal O’Brien will visit Melbourne from Friday 21 September through Monday 24 September 2018. The Grand Master will carry out investitures during his visit. The Vigil preceding investitures will be held at the Carmelite Monastery on the morning of Saturday 22 September. Investitures will be carried out during 11:00am Solemn Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday 23 September. There will be a dinner in honour of the Grand Master on the evening of Saturday 22 September and details will be provided in due course. All members are encouraged to note these events in their diaries and to make every effort to participate. Please make every effort to bring the mission of our Order to the attention of potential candidates in your local Parish community and amongst your catholic friends. It will be an honour for candidates to be invested by the Grand Master during his visit. The Executive will hold an Information Night for those interested in joining our Order on Tuesday 20 February 2018. I am available to provide further information and necessary documentation to assist any interested in joining our Order. EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 3 2019 Pilgrimage to the Holy Land With Chaplain Fr Simon Grainger KCHS and our tour company, I am developing a program for a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the first two weeks of May 2019. The itinerary will include Mt Nebo and Madaba in Jordan, the baptismal site on the Jordan River, Galilee (including staying in Nazareth) where Our Lord carried out much of his ministry, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and sites related to the crusaders. Every effort is being made to provide opportunities to meet with faithful Christians maintaining the Holy sites and who sustain the Mother Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Nobody returns from a pilgrimage without being profoundly affected in their faith and having a deeper commitment to the mission of our Order. You might like to start thinking about and reserving the time in your diary. The Pilgrimage is not exclusive to members of the Order; fellow parishioners, family members and catholic friends who have an interest in the mission of the Order are welcome. Age of Christ’s Tomb Dated Scientific testing at the place believed to be Jesus' tomb dates material there to the fourth century AD, supporting traditional views of the site’s age. The study offers no further evidence whether or not Jesus was actually buried at the site in Jerusalem, but was consistent with the historical belief that the Romans built a monument there some 300 years after his death. It is the first time such testing has been A conservator cleans the edicule of the Church of carried out at the Jerusalem site, located at what is the Holy Sepulchre now the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in, and encased in, an elaborate shrine or edicule. The tests on mortar at the site were done in connection with recent restoration work, which saw the cave where Jesus is believed to have been buried opened for the first time in centuries. Antonia Moropoulou, chief scientific coordinator of the restoration works, said the testing was consistent with historical beliefs that the Romans built a monument at the presumed tomb during the era of Constantine the Great, circa 326. "This is a very important finding because it confirms that it was, as historically evidenced, Constantine the Great responsible for cladding bedrock of the tomb of Christ with the marble slabs in the edicule," said Ms Moropoulou, a specialist in preservation from the National Technical University of Athens. The dating of the mortar shows historical continuity at the site, stretching through the Byzantine era, the Crusades, the Renaissance period and beyond, she said. Tradition holds that Constantine had the monument to Jesus built on what was thought to be the site of his burial as he began the Roman empire's transition to Christianity in the fourth century AD. Other monuments were built over it in later years. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre houses the shrine today, along with the nearby site of Jesus's crucifixion – the holiest sites in Christianity. In March, the newly restored shrine surrounding the tomb was unveiled following months of delicate work. A 19th-century edicule surrounds the tomb with an onion-shaped dome above. EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 4 Pope & Jordan’s King Highlight Importance of Christians in Middle East Pope Francis received His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan in audience on 19 December 2017. The discussions with the king, whose country the Pontiff visited in May 2014 during his visit to the Holy Land, were cordial. The communique issued by the Holy See press office noted, “The cordial conversations focused above all on the theme of the promotion of peace and stability in the Mideast, with particular reference to the question of Jerusalem and the role of the Hashemite Sovereign as Custodian of the Holy Places.” “In this context,” it said, “the commitment was renewed to encourage negotiations among the interested parties, as well as promoting interreligious dialogue.” The importance of helping Christians remain in the Middle East was brought up, as was the positive contributions that they bring to the societies of the region.