“The Franciscan presence in Jerusalem is essential, because their first mission is to look after the Holy Places and the local Christian community.”
Diana Kattan was born and brought up in Jerusalem. For nineteen years she has been the secretary of the Custody of the Holy Land and the Custos’s personal assistant. It is a role she occupies with enthusiasm and dedication and which brings her into direct contact with the life and the activities of the Franciscan friars.
“I usually manage and coordinate the Custos’s diary,” says Diana, “I organize his daily appointments, make his travel arrangements and coordinate the events he attends.”
It is a dynamic and intense job, which allows her to meet many people every day, “It is a great challenge, but it gives me great satisfaction. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to meet people who come here for a visit and, above all, to be able to observe from close at hand the life of the Custody and the mission of the friars.”
A bond that has lasted forever
Diana’s relationship with the Custody of the Holy Land started long before her job. Ever since she was a little girl, the parish of St Saviour had been a second home for her. “If I think of my bond with the friars and the Custody, there is no episode in particular to relate,” she says, “but what attaches me to this community is the daily life here. It was here that I received my Christian education, thanks to the Franciscan friars who passed the faith to me, and I will always be grateful for this.”
Over the years, her bond with the Custody has been strengthened in various areas. She belonged to the choir of the Magnificat Institute, she has been active in the Legio Mariae prayer group and she explored in depth the history of the Franciscan Via Crucis in Jerusalem. This deep bond with the Custody has accompanied her in every phase of her life.
A family linked to the Custody
Diana also met the man who today is her husband at the Custody and with whom she has built up a family. They have two children to whom they have transmitted the same love for the Franciscans. The children study music at the Magnificat and sing in the Andrea Bocelli choir. They also take part in the parish activities, such as the “Sunday School,” a time of catechism and play designed for the youngest members of the parish of St Saviour.
The Franciscan presence: a pillar for the Christian community
For Diana, the Franciscan friars are a reference point not only at personal level, but for the whole Christian community of Jerusalem.” “Their main mission is to look after the Holy Places, but for us, the local Christians, their presence is fundamental. As we are a minority, we identify greatly with the local Church and the friars are an important guide. Thanks to them, our faith remains alive, through their commitment in the parishes, in the schools and in all their pastoral work.”
Diana’s story tells of a faith lived in every area of life, work and the family and up to the commitment in the parish. It is a path of love and dedication to the Christian faith that finds occasions for growth in the Franciscan context.
By Lucia Borgato | custodia.org
Source Link: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/stories-of-living-stones-diana-kattan-daily-service-for-the-custody/
