History, roots, memory: those of the Custody of the Holy Land go back more than 800 years. When Saint Francis of Assisi sent his friars to establish the "overseas province". Shortly afterwards, they would receive a clear mandate: to guard - in the name of the Catholic Church - the Holy Places, witnesses to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Inside the custodial archives we find very precious documents: from the 1342 bull, which Pope Clement VI instituted the Custody of the Holy Land with, to other documents. 800 years of Franciscan presence in the Holy Land. Memory, history and roots that are fundamental for Brother Francesco Patton Here is the Custody of the Holy Land in figures. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "300 missionaries, 80 shrines, 25 parishes, 18 schools, 5 homes for the sick and orphans, 6 homes for pilgrims, 3 academic institutes, 2 publishing houses, 1,074 jobs, 630 housing units for needy families, over 500 annual scholarships for university students, 1,470 houses rebuilt in Syria." Education and the growth of the new generations are some of the fields to which the Custody of the Holy Land devotes most attention. A daily activity that takes shape in the schools it runs in 5 countries, attended by 11000 students and 1100 teachers. Br IBRAHIM FALTAS, ofm Director of Terra Sancta Schools "There is a beautiful coexistence and ecumenical dialogue in our schools. We live this coexistence practically every day." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "Among the schools there is one, the 'Magnificat' music school, which has the distinction of bringing together Jews, Christians and Muslims." Br ALBERTO PARI, ofm Director of the 'Magnificat' music school "It is a great project of the Custody of the Holy Land, and it is a school open to all: the majority of the students are Christian, but there are also Muslims and Jews. We have a great hope of raising a generation of musicians without borders." The Custody of the Holy Land offers dwellings in Jerusalem - distributed inside and outside the Old City - as well as 72 houses in Bethlehem, providing accommodation for a total of about 2,050 people. GRAZIELLA QAMAR Inhabitant of the Old City of Jerusalem "This house is my whole life. This house is a special place for me, and I could never leave it. My son Musa has repeatedly tried to convince me to move out of the country, but I have always responded with an absolute refusal." To date, more than 700 requests for housing have been received, of which at least 250 are urgent. In Syria, since 2017, the Custody has been helping the local population to rebuild or renovate their homes affected by the long war that began in 2011. This is done in small towns through the parish priests, and in Aleppo in particular, in collaboration with the Association Pro Terra Sancta. But the first and fundamental mission for the Franciscans remains the same: to guard the Holy Places. There are 80 sanctuaries in the current borders of Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Syria. From Mount Nebo, the place from which Moses contemplated the Promised Land... to the sanctuaries of the life, passion and death of Jesus. Jerusalem is considered the heart of the Holy Land. On the Mount of Olives, the Shrines of the Passion: Jesus' weeping and wailing over Jerusalem are commemorated in the church of Dominus Flevit, which offers one of the most impressive views of the Holy City. A few metres further down, next to the olive garden, is the Basilica of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed on the night of Maundy Thursday, before being arrested. Inside the Walls of Jerusalem, pilgrims walk the fourteenth stations of the Way of the Cross. A practice begun by the Franciscans in 1600 and repeated every Friday until today. But Jerusalem has a heart for Christians: the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, where the Calvary and the Tomb of Christ are located. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "So every year we ask for help, support, including financial support, from all Christians around the world. And we give thanks for what Christians around the world give us as an expression of their closeness, their solidarity and their love." Read More