The investiture of Fr. Manuel Bader as a knight of the Holy Sepulcher has marked a day like no other day, as it sets off public jubilation among the Christian community in Amman and in Jordan at large.

On Thursday, August 8, 2024, Bishop William Shomali, Latin Patriarchal Vicar General, celebrated a ceremonial Mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla’ Al-Ali for the investiture of Fr. Manuel Bader as a knight of the Holy Sepulcher.

With the Holy Mass concelebrated by Acting Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Fr. Jihad Shweihat, Bishop Maroun Lahham, Spiritual Guide of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jordan Fr. Ashraf Nimri, and parish priest Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader, a huge crowd of the faithful community was present in addition to Regional Director of the Rosary Sisters Madeleine Dababneh, a group of priests, deacons and nuns, as well as number of knights and ladies of the Holy Sepulcher.

In his homily, Bishop William Shomali, pointed out that “the title of Knight of the Holy Sepulcher bears the name of ‘the Tomb of Salvation’, which is given to those who live the virtue of love or charity, and carry out projects towards the Holy Land, that serve the faithful there spiritually, educationally and humanely.” He added that “from this perspective, Fr. Manuel Bader will carry the Holy Land Cross as an official emblem throughout his life, and will be decorated with a white shoulder robe printed with the Holy Land Cross.”

Bishop Shomali addressed Fr. Manuel Bader saying, “Your Eminence Fr. Manuel, by the authority granted to me, I establish and declare you as a knight of the Holy Sepulcher of our Lord Jesus, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

The announcement regarding the investiture of Fr. Manual as a knight of the Holy Sepulcher was met by a nonpareil wave of applause and jubilation at the church, which was consequently cloaked with an atmosphere of pride and firm dedication to support the Catholic Church’s endeavor to serve all causes of humanity.

In his address of appreciation, the new knight of the Holy Sepulcher said, “I am wholeheartedly grateful to God who inspired and accompanied me throughout my life, and chose me to serve His Church, for the priest, according to St. Paul, is chosen by God from among the people and for the people.”

Fr. Manuel Bader… a sincere and dedicated servant of the Holy Catholic Church

Fr. Manuel Bader has dedicated his life to spreading the noble message of Lord Jesus through his relevant assiduous efforts. He still continues his mission which is dedicated to persistently serving the faithful, as well as the cause of peace and harmony.

Among Fr. Manuel Bader’s most outstanding achievements is that on October 22, 2022, he launched the Arabic-language book, “Homilies of the Liturgical Year A, B, and C.” At the time, the Cultural Committee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla’ Al-Ali, northwest of Amman, held an event marking the launching of the book in the presence of parish priests, nuns, and a large number of people.

The book consists of two parts, as it provides explanations and meditations for the weekly Holy Gospel passages presented by the Latin Church every Sunday throughout the liturgical years “A, B, and C” whereby two books were issued for every year. The book is in response to the spiritual need of priests and believers who contemplate the Holy Bible on Sundays as the books enable priests, nuns, and Christians to meditate the Sunday Gospel readings throughout the entire years. He also contributed to printing eight religious books, six of which include homilies for liturgical years. These books were presented to priests and religious institutions for free at a time when they have been regularly broadcast by the Arabic section of Radio Maria in Rome since 2016.

Another important achievement by Fr. Manuel Bader is the inauguration of a new church in Al-Wahadneh township, Ajloun Governorate, northern Jordan, which is referred to as “the Township of the Living St. Elijah”, on Friday February 24, 2023. What is outstanding and significant in this inauguration is that this church was financially designed and renovated by Fr. Emanuel Bader. Building this church was the brainchild of Fr. Manuel Bader who had returned from Germany after serving for 46 years in the Archdiocese of Paderborn. After being away for so many years, he wanted to offer something to his hometown and the town of his childhood, namely Al-Wahadneh. He mostly wanted to present to the Christian community in Jordan something tangible that would consolidate faith in Lord Jesus Christ, as well as help entrench peace and love among the residents of the area.

Fr. Manuel Bader states that after he returned to his beloved township, namely Al-Wahadneh, he looked for undertaking a suitable project that he would finance in toto. He says that he proposed financing several projects as some of which were rejected while others did not seem feasible until the time when he entered the dilapidated condolences hall in Al-Wahadneh township which would collapse at any time. He thought of transforming it into a church. He was personally convinced that this was a feasible project to turn the site into a church. So, at a time when this hall was about to crumble, it later turned into a beautiful church that significantly provide cogent evidence that faith in the Lord is still enrooted in this region where Prophet Elijah stayed preaching faith in the great Lord Who was incarnated and was given the noblest name ever, namely Jesus Christ.

Fr. Manuel Bader says, “This project provides cogent evidence that my love for the Church has been unshakable, as well as my faith in my Creator Who accompanied me in all paths of my life. I fully covered the expenses of building this church for the glory of the Lord Who stood by me during my 46 years of life in the diaspora.”

Further to his achievements in the field of charity, Fr. Manuel Bader has forwarded large amounts of donations from Germany to St. Vincent de Paul Society (which is dedicated to children) since its establishment in 1967. He also donated more than 30,000 euros to the Seminary of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (SLPJ) in Beit Jala and persuaded German philanthropists to adopt two SLPJ students. He also presented intermittent significant amounts of money to Mother Teresa Nursing Home of Peace in Tla’ Al-‘Ali, western Amman, and contributed to building a cemetery church in Al-Wahdaneh, northern Amman.

With reference to religious tourism to Jordan, he organized and personally took part in 14 tourist trips to the Holly Land, which also included Jordan, so as to introduce tourists to the holy sites.

During his stay in Germany, Fr. Manuel Bader arranged to have five children from poor families be adopted in Germany. He also delivered during his 46-year stay in Germany over 150 lectures on the Latin Patriarchate and the life of Christians in countries mostly populated by Muslims in addition to interfaith harmony.

Fr. Manuel Bader, who has all the time dedicated his unshakable love for the Church, will continue as a knight of the Holy Sepulcher to provide invaluable and noble services by caring for the specific needs of the faithful, caring for the Holy Shrines in Jerusalem, most especially that of the Holy Sepulcher, the tomb of Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the promotion, protection, and support for the Christians in the Holy Land.

Many thanks go to Fr. Emanuel Bader for the noble responsibilities he is shouldering as a knight of the Holy Sepulcher with hopes extended that this model of sincerity, dedication and unshakable love for serving the Holy Church will be emulated everywhere so that goodness would defeat evil and love would prevail among all peoples.

By Munir Bayouk | en.abouna.org