St. Andrew To Formalize Covenant With Parish In Bethlehem

Published: September 4, 2003

ROSWELL—Amidst the strife and violence of the latest intifada in the Holy Land, St. Andrew Church will officially form a parochial covenant with St. Catherine Church of Bethlehem during the noon Mass at the Roswell parish on Sunday, Sept. 7.

The covenant, the first such arrangement between St. Catherine and any church in the United States, will create a sister-parish relationship between the two parishes and provide for spiritual and financial support for the besieged Christian population in Bethlehem.

Among the many distinguished celebrants and dignitaries present will be the Very Reverend Giovanni Battistelli, OFM, Custos of the Holy Land, who presides over the Friars Minor living in the Middle East and receives pilgrims at the holy shrines throughout that region and other parts of the world including Rome and Washington, D.C.

Other celebrants will include Father Amjad Sabarra, OFM, pastor of St. Catherine, Msgr. R. Donald Kiernan, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Father Francis Richardson, pastor of St. Andrew, Father Adam Ozimek, parochial vicar of St. Andrew, as well as other Franciscan priests and Religious associated with the care of holy sites worldwide.

The Mass will include a signing ceremony and blessing of the Bambino Shrine containing a hand-carved image of the Christ child which once rested upon the spot of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. A reception will follow.

The Catholic Parish of St. Catherine was founded in the 11th century and stands beside the Orthodox Church of the Nativity on Manger Square in Bethlehem. The current church was built in 1882 by the Franciscans (who arrived at the site in 1347) on the ruins of the Crusader chapel and monastery belonging to the Augustinians. More recently, St. Catherine Church has been the site of annual Christmas Eve Masses broadcast live via satellite around the world by many major international news organizations. Pope John Paul II visited the church during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March of 2000. In April 2002, scores of Palestinian fighters sought refuge inside the church as well as the adjoining Church of the Nativity and Orthodox monastery and held off the Israeli army for several weeks until a peaceful resolution was found.

During all Masses on Sept. 7, Father Sabarra will speak about the situation in Bethlehem and the expected benefits of the covenant. At the reception following the noon Mass, Father Peter Vasko, OFM, stationed in Jerusalem for nearly 20 years, will give a first-hand account of the current political and economic situation in the Holy Land, the effect on the Christian community, and possible steps to a peaceful resolution.

St. Andrew is located at 675 Riverside Road. For more information, call Jeanne Faas at (770) 641-9720.