Bishop Deeley praises the work of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre during a Mass at the Cathedral.
Maine members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland on Saturday, September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The Equestrian Order is a worldwide charitable organization dedicated to supporting Christians in the Holy Land, most especially Christian schools. Dozens of priests, deacons, and laypeople from Maine belong to the order’s Northeastern Lieutenancy.
With Bishop James Ruggieri currently in Rome, Italy, Bishop Emeritus Robert Deeley celebrated the Mass at the cathedral, noting the important work that the order does.
“The members of this order of the Church are particularly devoted to care of those special places in Jerusalem and the Middle East that have been made holy by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,” Bishop Deeley said. “What that means in reality is that we work to care for the people who live in these places, who care for those places, and who need support. In a sense, we work to assure that there is a Christian population in these holy places, but we care for everyone who lives there.”
Bishop Deeley mentioned in particular a school in the West Bank, part of the Palestinian Territories, which the order supports.
“I had the privilege of visiting the school a few years ago with other members of the order. It was like visiting a school here in Maine. The children, Muslims and Christians, were anxious to show us their work and to see what we had brought for them. They were watched over by their caring teachers. Parents and parishioners, along with the pastor, were there to welcome us,” he said.
Along with financial resources, the group from Maine brought with them school supplies and cards from schoolchildren here.
Bishop Deeley noted that the situation in the area is particularly dire at this time because of the Israel-Hamas armed conflict. He asked for prayers for people in the region.
“Cardinal [Pierbattista] Pizzaballa, patriarch of Jerusalem and grand prior of the Equestrian Order, has been addressing this issue from the beginning of the conflict almost a year ago. And he advocates prayer: prayer for understanding, prayer for reflection, prayer that brings those involved in this war to see each other as God sees them, with love. The cardinal has told us that any ministry of peace has to have the truth of the Gospel at its heart. Listening to the word of God reminds us that we are all created in the image of God out of his love, and we are called to love one another. Striving in prayer and action to bring faith to life is the challenge for everyone involved in this horrible and incredibly sad situation.”
The roots of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem date back centuries. The order falls under the protection of the Holy See, and for the past 75 years, a cardinal has served as its grand prior. The order has tens of thousands of members throughout the world.
