Processions

Our Marian altar in the 
courtyard

The past 2 weeks were filled with feasts and processions. There was Corpus Christi on Thursday and many churches and chapels had processions of the Blessed Sacrament. On Friday it was the end of May, and traditionally we have a street procession of the statue of Mary around the Christian Quarter. Because of Covid, the procession was either cancelled or had few people attending the past years. But this year it was much more crowded. There were still no pilgrims but locals made up the crowd.

The main Marian altar in our courtyard was set up and it brought back the splendour of past years. This year the Patriarch came personally to lead the procession. He carried an icon of the BVM while further ahead 6 school girls carried the statue of the BVM. Sick and elderly christians peeked out of their windows or waited at their doors for the procession to pass, to kiss the icon and sing a hymn with the crowds. It was very joyous ... a moment of faith in the sombre reality of war. Everyone prayed for the intercession of the BVM to end the war and bring comfort to our suffering people.

Statue of the BVM