Chapel in Haifa

We have already entered again “ordinary time” as far as the liturgical calendar is concerned. This time, the Christmas season was very short and all the feasts connected to Christmas are already over. The time has come to give thanks to God for all that He gave us in 2016.

As concerns us, the members of the Haifa kehilla, we want to remember especially all the new and beautiful liturgical paraphernalia which we received for our little chapel.

First, already one year ago, the Little Sisters from Jerusalem gave us a big menorah (candelabrum) as a present. On its seven branches are written the letters that compose the expression “The Lord is my shepherd”. I really liked the menorah however at the beginning I was not sure where to put it in the chapel. There is a saying “Necessity is the mother of invention”. When we received the new tabernacle and we had to move some chairs around, we found the place for the menorah. We set it down in front of the painting of Mary, “Our Mother from the Ghetto”. I think that this is the most suitable place for it. If the Lord is indeed my shepherd, the shepherd of all of us, then how much more so was He the shepherd of those who perished in the ghetto, also of the Jewish Catholics, who united themselves with the Lord in his passion and death. We always light the menorah on the important feast days and the days when we commemorate the victims of the Shoah.

Another item that we received during the past year was the tabernacle. Father Bernard, my spiritual director, gave us a present of the tabernacle, which is small and simple but also very artistic. We set it up in the chapel during Holy Week, just before Easter. There are those who love to come to pray in the chapel in the presence of the Body of Christ. Our friend Benny, from Jerusalem, prepared the beautiful red lamp, made from glass, in which is the eternal flame under the tabernacle.

Just before Easter, we bought the utensils we use for mass: the paten, the chalice and the jug for the lavabo, the washing of hands. All these utensils are made from ceramic and are the sand and beige color, most suitable for the lighting in the chapel. We use these utensils only for the important feasts.

Finally, we received an icon of Jesus. It is a copy of the well known icon that is to be found in the Saint Catherine monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai. Once again, we did not immediately find a suitable place for the icon in our chapel until we bought the new lectern and within it we were able to place the icon. The lectern is made of olive wood, like the cross and the candle stand which we use at Easter time.

Thanks to all this new paraphernalia our chapel is more beautiful and helps us gaze upon the beauty of the Lord who dwells in our hearts.