We just would like to share with you today’s experience during the visit of our Patriarch to Birzeit By Fr. Raed Abusahlia Dear Friends, We just would like to share with you today’s experience during the visit of our Patriarch to Birzeit where we have a very good parish with a very huge church dedicated to our Lady Immaculate Conception, which was built in a program of twin ship with the famous Mexican Sanctuary of our Lady of Guadaloup. Late parish priest Fr. Anton Bouzo who spent 50 years in this Parish built this church. He spent almost 25 years in order to finish building this huge church. It is said that the people used to ask him when the church would be finished? And he used to answer: I am 60 years old and I am still 150 Centimeter tall (because he was very short), and this church is 20 years old and it is more that 20 meters high (because it has a very high tower). It seems that he had a sense of humor! The occasion of this visit was the annual feast of the church and the normal pastoral visit of the Parish. The mass was very beautiful and very well prepared with special songs. The Patriarch gave a very special homily in which he invited the parishioner to unite their efforts in these difficult days and begin the time of the advent with special prayers and fasting as he wrote in his late advent message which was read at the beginning of the mass by the parish priest Fr. Iyad Twal. After the mass, the Patriarch met the parishioner in the hall and exchanged with them a very interesting dialogue about the actual situation and the role of the church in it. I was very astonished that most of them asked very deep and essential questions. It seems that these people are very patriotic and engaged in the political arena, which is very good, because as Christians we are not isolated but and integral part of our people, and we share with them the same sufferings and the same hopes and aspirations. I assure you that also the response of the Patriarch was also very strong. I forgot to tell you how difficult it is to move from a place to another even in a diplomatic car. Imagine that it took us more than 75 minute to arrive from Jerusalem to Birzeit, which is not more than 25 Kilometers away, because we had to make bypass roads, as far as most of the normal roads are blocked with checkpoints in this complete closure of all the cities and villages makes out each of it a big prison and a separated island. This is really unbelievable! I have also to tell you that the parish priest decided to give the church another new name beside the old one, and after consultation with the Patriarch they announced it REGINA PACIS, the Church of our Lady Queen of Peace. I think that you will understand soon this deep desire of all of us to reach justice and peace. (See the poster they distributed in this occasion in the attached picture). Our prayer is: Our Queen of Peace grants us the peace of God, give you land justice and peace! Have a good Advent Time and pray for us and with us Fr. Raed Abusahlia