My dear friends, As the Christmas season approaches I send warm greetings to you, all who share your home with you and other family members living elsewhere in Ireland or overseas.
This is the fifth year that our 56 parishes have undertaken to distribute a Christmas gift, message and prayers. Again I thank all those who have helped in bringing our Christmas greeting to 45,000 homes across the diocese and further afield.
Our Christmas ‘REACH OUT’ campaign for 2008 has a special link with the Holy Land. As you will see, we have sourced some simple olive wood Christmas decorations directly from Bethlehem. These gifts demonstrate our solidarity with Christians in the Holy Land. We also join in a prayer for peace.
I thank Patriarch Twal for his welcome and encouragement for our initiative as well as Trócaire and Caritas Jerusalem for their assistance. We can be proud of how our diocese helps fund all that Trócaire does in the Holy Land and elsewhere.
We hope this initiative, which draws together the Jerusalem Cross and the St.Brigid’s Cross and connects the ancient land of the olive tree with our own faith tradition of Cill Dara, the church of the oak, will continue to bear fruit as we learn how we can support each other.
Together, we believe that our Saviour, born in a humble manger, shines a light greater than the darkness of this world. This Christmas, I pray that the child of Bethlehem, the Prince of Peace, will again enlighten our lives and show us the path to follow for peace and unity.
+ Jim Moriarty
Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin
Pray with Us
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to send you Christmas greetings from the Holy Land. The church in the Holy Land, known also as the ‘mother church’, is your Church, your roots.
This wonderful initiative from the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin is a great encouragement to us. We are deeply thankful for your prayers as we continue the work of peace and justice. Be assured that we will remember your intentions and needs as we gather in Bethlehem and across the Holy Land to celebrate our Saviour’s birth.
Your Christmas project, involving the gifts from Bethlehem and Taybeh, has made a real difference for many families.
The continued spiritual and practical support from dioceses like Kildare and Leighlin and agencies like Trócaire is vital to help stem the tide of Christians leaving the land of Christ.
Earlier this year, we received a visit from the leaders of Ireland’s Christian Churches, including Cardinal Seán Brady. Events in recent years in Northern Ireland show that the tide can turn. We value these visits and the message of hope and support coming from Ireland. When you come to the Holy Land, you show us that we are not alone, we are not forgotten.
In conclusion, I invite you to pray with us the prayer of Pope John Paul in Bethlehem: “O Child of Bethlehem…heal all our wounds, strengthen our steps, open our hearts and minds to ‘the loving kindness of the heart of our God who visits us like the dawn from on high’ (Luke 1:78). Amen”
+ Fouad Twal
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
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Sotto Voce
(Source: KL)