“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 -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 ’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 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. After meeting with the Holy Father, the president met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States. King Meets local Jerusalemite Christian Clerics His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan met on Sunday 17 December 2017 at the Baptism Site on the River Jordan with Christian clerics, dignitaries and leaders from the Kingdom and Jerusalem on the occasion of the Christmas and New Year.

King Abdullah congratulated the Christian community in Jordan and Palestine and in the Arab world on the feasts and stressed Muslim-Christian fraternity in the Kingdom which sets a model for harmony and coexistence. During the meeting, held over a lunch banquet His Majesty hosted in honor of the attendance, King Abdullah voiced support for the Christians in the Holy Land in their efforts to safeguard their holy sanctities and property. He also expressed of Jerusalem’s churches and Islamic Awqaf (endowments) for their adherence to the al-Uhda al-Umariyya (Pact of Umar) which laid down the foundations of coexistence and peace.

King Abdullah also affirmed that the right of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem is eternal, saying: “We will continue our historical duty, which dates back to our great grandfather, Sharif Hussein bin Ali, to protect and care for holy sites in Jerusalem.” In turn, the representatives of the Islamic Awqaf

EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 5 and Jerusalem Churches expressed their appreciation for His Majesty’s efforts to defend Jerusalem and to strengthen the steadfastness of its people, in his capacity as custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites. They reiterated their rejection of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. They emphasized that the decision is illegal, undermines peace and runs contrary to Christian teachings.

They also paid tribute to His Majesty’s speech at the recent OIC Summit, and his affirmation that the right of Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem is eternal. They appealed to His Majesty to address the United Nations, UNESCO and other international bodies on behalf of all churches. The speakers included His Grace Archbishop Bishop Pierre-Batista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Speech of Archbishop Pierre-Batista Pizzaballa

Your Majesty, We celebrate in these days the Christmas Feast, a feast of peace and love for all humanity. And a feast that is far removed from all fear, as the angels said to the shepherds, as recorded in the Gospel: “Do not be afraid: behold, I proclaim to you a great joy that will be for all the people: today in the city of David a Saviour has been born for you who is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Lk 1:10-12). “The Eternal Word became man and made his dwelling among us, (Jn 1:14), and entered into our history. He did not come as a judge or with punishment. He came a little child, humble, meek, with a simple announcement of joy: “Behold, I proclaim to you a great joy”,

This proclamation, addressed to us, especially this year. Indeed, we are all hungry for joy. Be we also see that true joy is so difficult in the complex and exhausting circumstances we experience in this historic moment. Your Majesty, There are many religious and social reasons to celebrate and express joy, moments that we do not want to be without. But, alas, we also have reasons for raising our anxiety in your presence when we look at the social and political communities in which we live. Bethlehem and Jerusalem are two cities nearby and historically linked to each other and which are the heart of our faith life and the life of our believers’ communities.

When we celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem we cannot but see Jerusalem and its difficulties. As is well known, important declarations have been made, by which they want to change the fragile and important balance that exists in the Holy City, between the religious communities, in the Holy Places, and in the life of the city itself. We express our regret at these declarations that do not help the peace process, but rather deepen even further the already deep mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, publicly expressed his deep concern by making a heartfelt appeal to ensure that: “everyone is committed to respect the status quo of the city, in accordance with the relevant United Nations Resolutions. Jerusalem is a unique city, sacred for Jews, Christians and Muslims, who in her venerate the Holy Places of their respective religions, and has a special vocation to peace. ”Keeping in mind a situation of evident conflict, we hold that every one-sided solution cannot be considered a solution. Unilateral decisions will not bring peace, but rather will distance it.

EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 6 Jerusalem is a treasure of all humanity. Any exclusive claim – be it political or religious – is contrary to the city’s own logic.

Your Majesty, we all know how you care for the Holy City. You, together with the Hashemite family, are the Custodian of the Holy Places of the city and of the communities that live and express themselves in those places. Many times in the past, as also on this occasion, your voice has risen in defence of the Status Quo of the city, of its communities. We all appreciate your attention to the Christian communities and your concrete support for the life of the institutions that represent them.

At the same time, we thank you for your testimony, which is one of the few sources of consolation in this tormented Middle East, we hope that you can have a voice at all international seats like the UN and UNESCO, and in the Chancelleries of the various countries, so that everyone’s attention on the thrice-Holy City, the heritage of all humanity, can protect it from unilateral decisions that humiliate and offend.

In these days, we all raise our voice, together, to strongly reiterate that, condemning every form of violence, both physical and political, we reassert our determination to cry out and to work so that the future of Jerusalem consists in sharing and not in excluding, in accepting and not in rejecting, so that all believers can have full citizenship in the Holy City. Thanks Your Majesty for your courage. I assure you of my personal support and that of our Christian community. May the Lord bless you!

+ Pierbattista

Celebrations of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth celebrated the feast of their founder, Blessed Maria Franciszka Siedliska and the 25th jubilee of Sr. Faustyna Kamzol on Saturday 17 Novmber 2017.

A solemn Mass was presided by Bishop Boulos Marcuzzo, and concelebrated by Fr. Hanna Kildani, in the presence of HB Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah and a number of friends in Nazareth.

In his homily, Bishop Boulos, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, talked about the life of the Blessed Franciszka Siedliska who was born in in 1842, and who founded the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in Rome in 1875. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 1989.

Moreover, he spoke about the journey of Sr. Faustyna Kamzol, who celebrates her 25th anniversary of consecration this year. Sr. Faustyna started her service in Poland and then in , in Loreto Aprutino in Italy, and currently serving in Nazareth.

The mass was followed by a fraternal meal shared by the Sisters and their friends.

EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 7 2018 PROGRAM

Monday 5 February: 6:00 pm Mass and Rosary followed by refreshments St Peter’s, 585 Toorak Road, Toorak

Tuesday 20 February: Information Night for prospective candidates St Peter’s, 585 Toorak Road, Toorak.

Monday 9 April: 6:00pm Mass, Rosary and Annual General Meeting St Peter’s, 585 Toorak Road, Toorak ______

Wishing everyone the blessings of Christmas and may the Lord keep you and your families safe over the holiday season.

Fraternally in Christ,

Will Kininmonth KCHS Lieutenant Australia-Victoria 2503/80 Lorimer Street Docklands, VIC 3008 0418 376 236 [email protected]

EOHSJ Australia-Victoria December 2017 Newsletter pg. 8