Send your prayers to the place where Jesus was born

We move into the days of the O Antiphons, I would like to share with you this great resource, generously provided by the Franciscan Foundation,the humanitarian arm of the Custodia di Terra Santa to have your prayers submitted online in time for the Special Prayer Service to be held at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem by the Franciscan Fathers in the Holy Land.

The Franciscans are the Catholic Custodians of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, taking care of the places such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Church of the Nativity.

For the past 800 years, the Franciscans have been the largest religious Catholic Order of Friars in the Middle East. The 'Custody of the Holy Land' is headquartered in the Old City of Jerusalem and from here, controls the Holy Sites of Christianity in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East.

The Custody's major superior is called the"Custos"(currently Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM, right) and he is in charge of all the Franciscan Friars working in the Holy Land. The Custody was given a special task by the Holy See in 1342 when it mandated the Custody to be the official guardians and protectors of the Holy Places.

Here's the message by the President of the Foundation.

To send your prayers, click here.

PS: Please do remember me.