You are the salt of the Earth, You are the Light of the World! With the simplicity of fraternal and parish life, these two priests live in the Convent at the Parish of Saint Catherine in Limassol. A church nestled among houses and shops, facing the blue Mediterranean Sea, a place of prayer and relief for Cypriots and the numerous migrants from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Spain and Poland. Br. Lawrence is originally from Ghana and today is the current superior of the convent and parish priest of St. Catherine's Church. Thanks to a meeting with a bishop, he got to know the Custody of the Holy Land and has belonged to the order for almost 25 years. He has carried out missions in other communities of the Custody and is now here, experiencing how pastoral life requires a lot of patience. Br. LAWRENCE COBLAVIE, ofm Superior Convent of St. Catherine - Limassol What we can do here is be patient with people, because they often want everything right away, and sometimes this is not a good thing, which is why patience helps us listen to others. We are praying for peace in the world, especially in the Holy Land: if they have peace, then we have it too, because we are one. I always say that peace must start from our heart and then move towards others. Br. Peter, on the other hand, is English and discovered his vocation within the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. As a priest, he understands the real identity of the Gospel preached, that is, a true person: Jesus Christ who actually changes people's lives. Br. PETER ASHTON, ofm Deputy Parish Priest - Santa Caterina - Limassol I've only been here a couple of years. I arrived in Cyprus before the lockdown, at the end of 2019 and spent most of my time reading, studying or preparing sermons on the Holy Scripture, meeting "virtually" through the Internet, as far as possible, some groups and giving comfort people through sharing the Word of God. A pastoral challenge that Friar Peter feels is urgent is the presence of those who attend church, but then look for easy solutions to problems in esoteric sects. We must follow and accompany those who want a true experience of God to help cultivate an authentic and rooted faith in Christ. Br. PETER ASHTON, ofm Deputy Parish Priest - Santa Caterina - Limassol I see that step by step, people are seeking this experience with the person of Jesus, as happens in Brazil and in many parts of the world. Paul and Barnabas passed by and were amazed at those who believed in their preaching. And this brought them great joy. When you have a personal experience and understand that there is nothing comparable to Jesus, it changes our lives. The next day, we accompanied Friar Lawrence to the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for morning mass. We met Sr. Giuseppina, who worked for 40 years as director of the Santa Maria School. Time lived with dedication and a lot of work, among the joys and complexities of a society that has changed drastically in recent years. Sr. GIUSEPPINA VRAHIMI, fmsc Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus We must be attentive to the needs of each time, to what society asks for. This is what I have tried to pursue, always in search of the truth, over these forty years. We don't know the future, it is in God's hands. But what should we do? We must do everything we can to live today in the presence of the Lord. I have felt in my life and feel now the presence of the Lord in my mission. Because if it hadn't been the Lord who gave me the strength I wouldn't have insisted. I thank the Lord for the years he has given me. I thank my superiors who have faith in me. Today what I do is pray to the Lord that this school continues, that my joy is to see it flourish. Their congregation was born in Gemona di Friuli in 1861, founded by Duchess Laura Le Rude and Father Gregorio Fioravanti, a friar minor. This twinning of the past gave rise to many educational missions in America, where the first school was founded. Sr. ANTONIA PIRIPITSI, fmsc The second mission was to Istanbul, Turkey in 1872, a province called the Province of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. From Turkey we then moved to the Greek islands and finally, in 1923, the friars of the Custody asked for the presence of the nuns here in Limassol for the education of poor Catholic girls. So four nuns were sent to found the school in Cyprus, which from the beginning was attended by both Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims. Today it has around 900 students. Sr. ANTONIA PIRIPITSI, fmsc Superior - Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Every day we start the day with prayer. We have children from nursery school to high school and we have tried to maintain the teaching of three languages in primary school: Greek, English, French. While in secondary school Italian is also studied, in addition to scientific subjects. The collaboration and fraternal friendship between the friars and nuns continues to this day, due to the different activities and needs of both communities, a sign of a history that is built on sharing and trust in God. Sr. ANTONIA PIRIPITSI, fmsc Superior - Convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Let us always try to walk together, all of us following in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi. The time has come to say "goodbye" to the mission of the Custody of the Holy Land in Cyprus and we are grateful for having met a community that continues to give flavour and illuminate the lives of many people with its testimony. Credits Larnaca Santa Maria delle Grazie Nicosia Santa Croce - Terra Santa School Limassol Santa Caterina - Saint Mary School Producers Cristiane Monteiro Fra Zacheusz Dulniok, ofm Video editing Cristiane Monteiro Video post-editing Joseph Safar Post-Production Donatella Bouillon - Vanessa Andrade - Silvia Giuliano - Cristina Sanchez - Fr. Anto Leo Mariadass Chief editor Lurdinha Nunes General Management Christian Media Center Sponcer Custodia di Terra Santa Read More