Cardinal Woelki at OLWV for Feast of Divine Mercy

Cardinal Woelki celebrated a joyful mass on the Feast of Divine Mercy, the patronal feast of the Filipino community in south Tel Aviv. The Archdiocese of Cologne was an important benefactor in the setting up of the Pastoral Center and this was a wonderful occasion to thank the Risen Lord for His many gifts as well as to thank the Archdiocese of Cologne for their wonderful generosity to the Church of the Holy Land. Cardinal Woelki was accompanied by a delegation from the Archdiocese that included many of those who have worked very hard to mobilize support for the Center in South Tel Aviv and at their head Dr. Rudolf Solzbacher from the Archdiocesan Curia. Also present was Mr. Thiel and the representatives of the German Association of the Holy Land, which has accompanied the building of the Center all along the way. Among the guests of honor was the Filipino Ambassador in Israel Nathanael Imperial, who paid his first visit to the Center.

In his homily, Cardinal Woelki stressed the theme of mercy, recalling that on this same day the Holy Father would publish the bull announcing the beginning of a Year of Mercy on December 8. Mercy, he reminded the faithful who filled the church, is synonymous with love. The Cardinal assured those present that the Church of Cologne will not forget the migrants.

The mass was accompanied by music from the Divine Mercy Filipino choir but there were also songs from the Indian community in Konkani, from the Sri Lankan community in Sinhala and the Ge’ez rite community in Ge’ez.

At the end of the mass, Father David Neuhaus, Latin Patriarchal Vicar responsible for the migrants, thanked the Cardinal and presented him with a copy of the icon of Our Lady Woman of Valor. He also wished the members of Ge’ez rite community Happy Easter as they prepared to celebrate the Easter vigil that Saturday night according to the Oriental calendar. The guests were invited to a sumptuous lunch prepared by the Divine Mercy Community. The feast continued with another four masses in the afternoon, a fiesta in the evening and a final mass on Sunday morning.