Bishop Emeritus Paul S. Loverde will be the honored guest at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America Annual Mass and Benefit Dinner in Washington Nov. 1.
“I am truly humbled and really surprised,” said Bishop Loverde, who serves on the Monastery’s Honorary Board. “I’ve known the Franciscan Friars for a long time. When I came here back in 1979 to study at Catholic University for my canon law degree, I would go up there to visit and pray and sometimes go to confession. I always found it a beautiful place.”
The story of the Holy Land Franciscan Friars goes back 800 years, when the Catholic Church assigned the guardianship of the Holy Land to the friars of the Order of St. Francis. The monastery in Washington is home to friars whose purpose is to support the people and holy sites of the Holy Land.
“Bishop Loverde was key in programming and promoting the Good Friday Collection for years, and continues as Bishop Emeritus to attend every board meeting, providing us with advice,” said Father David Grenier, vicar of the monastery. “He’s always been a faithful friend, being present for us every time we needed and at every major event we held throughout the years.”
As Christians throughout the Holy Land suffer from war and oppression, Bishop Loverde said the need for help is urgent. “With all the danger and destruction — not only in the Holy Land, but also in Syria and Lebanon — my heart just goes out to them,” he said. “There’s such a need, so it’s very important to support the people in the land where Jesus himself traveled and lived.”
Catholics are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to the monastery to explore the beauty of its gardens and to discover peace in the monastery church where replicas of Holy Land shrines can be seen. The monastery website touts it as “one of the top five places most tourists miss when sightseeing in Washington.”
“It’s a very prayerful place and many go to confession there,” said Bishop Loverde. “It brings the Holy Land closer to them, especially for those who can never make a trip to the Holy Land.”
“It is an oasis of peace in the middle of Washington,” said Father Grenier. “The shrine offers a quiet space to escape the noise of the city, be in touch with the beauty of God’s creation and spend some quality time with the Lord in prayer.”
“I just hope that the awareness of the monastery and its mission will draw people to not only go there and pray, but also to support it financially,” said Bishop Loverde.
Find out more
To order tickets for the benefit dinner, go to myfranciscan.org/benefit.
