The Friends of the Holy Land, a new Charity set up to support the Christians in the Holy Land, was launched last weekend, 14-15 November, in the two Archdioceses of Birmingham and Liverpool. On Saturday the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, visited Birmingham and concelebrated Mass at 1.30pm in St Chad’s Cathedral with Bishop Philip Pargeter.
On Sunday he concelebrated Mass at 3pm in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool with The Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, the Archbishop of Liverpool.
The Patriarch is encouraging all Parishes in England & Wales to establish a Friends of the Holy Land Parish Group. Pilot groups have been successfully set up in both Dioceses in the last 12 months and received much support. The Patriarch says: “I ask you to encourage and support this initiative. We need your help more than ever”.
National Chairman of the Friends of the Holy Land, Dr Michael Whelan, says: “We are delighted and privileged to welcome the Latin Patriarch to launch the Friends of the Holy Land in these first two Dioceses. Our target is to have an FHL Group in every Parish in England and Wales within the next few years. There is a real need to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by the Christian Community in the Holy Land, to provide financial support to aid their wellbeing and to encourage prayers to be offered for their intentions”.
On Monday, the Patriarch delivered an address to the Bishops' Conference of England & Wales at their meeting in Leeds: download his address here.
About the Friends of the Holy Land
The Friends of the Holy Land (FHL) was established in England and Wales in 2009. It is a registered charity and assists the Christian Community in the Holy Land, working in close cooperation with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The objectives are to raise awareness of the difficulties experienced by the Christian Community in the Holy Land, to encourage and to provide for prayers to be offered for their intentions and to create financial support to aid their well-being.
Financial support is provided to Parishes and Schools and families within the Christian Community to enable them to live a fruitful and rewarding life in their homeland.
This is carried out through funding for Parish activities, assistance to Schools, financing small self-help projects in the community and providing humanitarian aid to the needy.
This is all achieved with the backing and blessing of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The FHL is a non-political organisation.
Contacts
Dr Michael Whelan KSG, KGCHS
Trustee and National Chairman FHL
Tel: 01926 857580
Mobile: 07802 871610
Alexander DesForges
Director of News and Information
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
Tel: 020 7901 4800
Peter Rand MBE
Executive Committee Member
Tel: 01926 852163
Mobile: 07879 422866
Address
Friends of the Holy Land
2 Station Road
Kenilworth
Warwickshire
CV8 1JJ
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