In Jerusalem, Pentecost is a harmonious blend of languages, music, colors and traditions. African drums and chants accompanied the entrance of the priests for the solemn Mass, presided over by the Patriarch, His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in the Dormition Abbey, whose renovation work has now been completed. "The work of the Spirit," he declared in his homily, "is an event of communion, which creates fraternity, composes differences and makes unity possible." S. B. PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA, ofm Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem "In this divided, fragmented city, our vocation as the Church of Jerusalem, as these different Churches – which are also a beautiful sign of diversity, willed by God – is to learn to be united, cordial, in harmony". The celebration included the abbatial blessing of the new Benedictine abbot, Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel. The Patriarch presented the Abbot with the insignia of his ministry: the episcopal ring, the miter and the crozier, thus accepting his election and formally welcoming him to the diocese. Fr. NIKODEMUS SCHNABEL, osb Abbot of Dormition Abbey, Jerusalem We are at the place of Pentecost, and I made my solemn vows during Pentecost. For me, today is like offering a second "yes" to the call to be a monk at the Dormition Abbey. It's a place, a vibrant place, where, in the spirit of Pentecost, we proclaim "God is with you, do not be afraid". This is the vocation I'm trying to follow. From Babel to Jerusalem; from the confusion of tongues to a unity that does not erase differences. These words also resonated during the vigil at St Savior, presided over by Br. Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, as well as during the Sunday morning celebration. "The diversity of languages, gifts, sensibilities and roles is no longer something that fragments humanity as in the time of Babel, but on the contrary something that, thanks to the action of the Spirit, makes humanity and the Church alive and organic, a relationship of love in the image of the Trinity". Br. FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land Pentecost is beautiful because it shows that the Church is multi-ethnic and open to every man and woman. And the protagonist who makes this unity of peoples possible is precisely the Holy Spirit. This was also experienced during the previous day's ecumenical prayer, in the Dominican Fathers' Basilica of St. Stephen. Representatives of the various Christian Churches joined in prayer around the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to invoke the gift of the Spirit. Unable yet to share the Eucharistic bread, they made the beautiful gesture of anointing the faithful with perfumed oil, echoing the fragrance of the Spirit. Sunday afternoon. Franciscans arrive in procession at the Cenacle. The Pentecost celebrations end with the celebration of Second Vespers in the Room of the Last Supper and Pentecost. The confusion coming from outside, with the intention of disturbing, further strengthens our prayer to the Spirit to bring peace, not only to our hearts and relationships, but also to the world: Br. FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land There are 59 wars going on – it's a terrible situation! We need a particularly strong action of the Spirit to act on the hearts of people, in the hearts of those in power. We need to learn to be for each other instead of against each other. Read More