PASTORAL OF THE LOCAL CATHOLIC CHURCH TOWARDS MIGRANTS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS IN ISRAEL
In April 2018, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, transformed the CPAM into a “Vicariate for Migrants and Asylum Seekers” (VMAS) under the responsibility of a Patriarchal Vicar who works in communion and in agreement with the Patriarch. He also erected the “Holy Family” personal parish destined to care for the migrants and asylum seekers in all pastoral, sacramental and formative aspects, having all the faculties that universal law grants to parishes.
The Vicariate for Migrants is served by Pastoral Workers belonging to the local Catholic Church who, following the example of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and moved by the Holy Spirit, are committed to accompany the pastoral work among migrants. To realize this vision, the members of the VMAS strive to answer the call of Pope Francis, addressed to the local Churches, to welcome, protect, promote and integrate our brothers and sisters who are migrants, asylum seekers into the life of the Church and of the society at large.
The VMAS tries to circulate information among those concerned with the migrants in the Holy Land, raising consciousness about the concerns of the migrants, informing the Catholic bishops, circulating updates and input, coordinating with the NGOs within civil society that work for the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, representing the concerns of the migrants to the media, coordinating with the local Embassies of the migrants’ countries and dioceses of origin, etc. It also tries to raise funds from donors for projects.
From 1990 to 2013, four Chaplaincies were established in Israel: the Filipino, the Indian, the Sri Lankan and the Ge’ez rite chaplaincies, all of them being presently under the responsibility of the VMAS. In addition, there are individual chaplains or specific priests for the Rumanian, Polish, Latin American, English speaking African, French speaking African, Korean and other communities. We also are in touch with the priests who accompany the Lebanese-Maronite and the Ukrainian-Byzantine communities.
In addition to pastoral care provided by the chaplaincies (liturgical, sacramental, social, etc.), the VMAS gives special attention to the second generation, sons and daughters of migrants, through different activities, such as Infant care, Catechism, After school programs and Youth programs. In view of this ministry, a few Pastoral Centers were established: The Pastoral Center Our Lady Woman of Valor (Tel Aviv), the Saint Joseph Center (Tel Aviv), and the Saint Rachel Center (Jerusalem) that was run by the Saint James Vicariate.
From September 2021 VMAS and St. James Vicariate have separate Vicars. Fr. Nicodemus Schnabel became responsible for the pastoral care of the migrants and asylum seekers in Israel.
MASS SCHEDULE FOR MIGRANT COMMUNITIES
Filipino Chaplaincy in the Holy Land
Jerusalem
San Lorenzo Ruiz Filipino Community
Ratisbonne –Salesians
26 Shmuel Hanagid Street
Sunday mass in English/Tagalog on Sundays: 9.15
OLPH Novena mass in English on Wednesdays: 21.15
Children’s Mass in English on Saturdays: 16.00 (during school year)
Mass in English on Saturdays: 21.15
Good Shepherd Catholic Filipino Community
Rosary Sisters Convent
14 Agron Street
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 10.00
Notre Dame
Across from New Gate
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 18.30
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 9.00
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 18.30
Tel Aviv-Jaffa
St. Anthony of Padua Church
53 Yefet Street, Jaffa
Weekday mass in English on Wednesdays: 20.00
Sunday mass in Tagalog on Saturdays: 17.00
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 19.30
Sunday mass in English on Sundays:10.30
Our Lady Woman of Valor
33 Shivat Zion Street, Tel Aviv
Weekday mass: 20.00 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday in English / Wednesday in Tagalog)
Adoration on Friday: 18.00
Sunday mass in English or Hebrew on Saturdays: 15.00
Sunday mass in Tagalog on Saturdays: 16.30
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 18.00
Sunday mass in Tagalog on Saturdays: 19.30
Sunday mass in Tagalog on Sundays: 9.30
Haifa
St. Joseph Church
80 Sderot Hamegenim
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 19.00
Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery
Mount Carmel
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 9.00
Afula
36 Menachem Ussishkin Street
Corner Aliya Street - +393895623744
Sunday mass once a month on Friday: 17.00
Ashkelon
15 Hahistadrut street
Sunday mass on 2nd and 4th Friday of the month: 20.00
Eilat
First Club Eilat Hotel (Ground Floor, left wing)
Hatmarim 39, Eilat - 08-6315739
Sunday mass in Spanish on Saturdays: 12.00
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 18.30
Kfar Saba
Beit Gil Paz
2 Tel Hai street
Sunday mass on 2nd Tuesday of the month: 21.30
Kiryat Shmona
Kibbutz Sdei Nehemiah
Benedictine Sisters of Tabgha – 054-532 9673
Mass in English, third Saturday of the month: 20:00
Herzliya
13 Ben Gurion street
Sunday mass in English on Fridays: 19.30
Nazareth
Mensa Christi Chapel - +393895623744
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 17.00
Netanya
2 Smilanski Street -
Sunday mass in English twice a month on Saturday: 19.00
(Dependent on availability of hall and priest)
Rehovot
St. Therese of the Child Jesus Filipino Community
10 Ya’aqov Street (corner Herzl)
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 19.00
Tiberias
Saint Peter Church
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 8.30
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Indian Chaplaincy Holy Land
Jerusalem
St. Saviour’s Church, New Gate, Old City
Mass in Konkani – Every Saturday at 9.00
Terra Sancta College
2 Keren Hayesod
Mass in Malayalam – Every Sunday at 14.30
Tel Aviv - Jaffa
St. Anthony Church
51 Yefet, Jaffa
Mass in Konkani – Every Saturday at 09.00
St. Peter’s Church
Mifrats Shlomo 1, Old Jaffa
Mass in Malayalam - Every 2nd & 4th Friday at 18.30
Our Lady Woman of Valor (OLWV)
Shivat Tsion 33, Tel Aviv
Novena & Mass in Konkani – Every Tuesday at 19.30
Novena & Mass in Malayalam – Every Tuesday at 21.00
Haifa
St. Joseph’s Latin Church
80 Hamegenim street
Mass in Konkani - Every 2nd Saturday at 18.00
Stella Maris Church
Mass in Malayalam - Every Sunday at 14.30
Acre
St. Saviour’s Anglican Church
39 Lochamey Hagetaot street
Mass in Malayalam - Every 4th Saturday at 14.30
Ashkelon
Aliyat Hanoar 6
Mass in Malayalam - Every 3rd Friday at 19.30
Beersheva
St. Abraham Parish,
51 Hashalom street
Mass in Malayalam – Every 1st & 3rd Friday at 18.00
Herzliya
St. Mary’s Chapel, 2 Hadar
Mass in Konkani – Every Friday at 19.30
Mass in Malayalam - Every 3rd Saturday at 16.00
Nof Yam
Divine Mercy Chapel
6 Yigal Yadin street
Mass in Konkani – Every Saturday at 18.30
Kiriyat Shmona
Amiad Kibbutz
Mass in Malayalam - Every 4th Monday at 02.30 pm
Nazareth
Chapel of the Sisters of Nazareth, opposite the Basilica
Mass in Malayalam - Every 4th Sunday at 14.30
Netanya
Samuel Hanatziv 28
Mass in Malayalam - Every 3rd Friday at 16.00
Ramla
St. Nicodemo Catholic Church
1 Bialik street
Mass in Malayalam - Every 1st Saturday at 16.30
Rehovot
St. Therese of the Child Jesus
10 Ya’aqov Street (corner Herzl)
Mass in Malayalam – Every 1st Saturday at 10.30
Tiberias
St. Peter’s Church, 1 Hayarden str.
Mass in Malayalam - Every 4th Sunday at 17.00
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Geez Rite Community in the Holy Land
Tel Aviv
Our Lady Woman of Valor
Shivat Tsiyon 33, Tel Aviv
Sunday mass in Geez on Saturdays: 8.30
Jerusalem
Ratisbonne –Salesians
26 Shmuel Hanagid Street
Sunday mass in Geez on Saturdays: 8.30
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English speaking and French speaking
African Community in the Holy Land
Tel Aviv-Jaffa
St. Peter Church
Sunday mass in French on 1st and 3rd Saturdays: 10.00
St. Anthony of Padua Church
53 Yefet Street, Jaffa
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 11.00
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Latin American Community in the Holy Land
Tel Aviv-Jaffa
St. Peter Church
Old Jaffa
Sunday mass in Spanish on Saturdays: 18.30
Ramleh
St. Nicodemus, St. Joseph of Arimathaea
1 Bialik Street
Sunday mass in Spanish on 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturday of the month: 9.30
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Polish Community in the Holy Land
Tel Aviv-Jaffa
St. Peter Church
Old Jaffa
Sunday mass in Polish on Sundays: 18.00
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Rumanian Community in the Holy Land
Chaplain: Father Cristian Vacaru – 054-970 6471
Jerusalem
St. Charles Borromeo Monastery Chapel
12 Lloyd George Street, German Colony
Sunday mass in Romanian on Saturdays: 10.00 (sometimes at 18.00)
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Korean Community in the Holy Land
Ein Karem
Saint John in the Desert
Sunday mass in Korean, twice a month, on Saturday: 11.00
Other masses welcoming migrants
Jerusalem
Notre Dame
Across from New Gate
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 18.30
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 9.00
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 18.30
Jaffa
Saint Anthony Church
Yefet Street, Jaffa
Weekday mass in English from Monday to Friday: 7.00
Weekday mass in English on Wednesdays: 20.00
Weekday mass in English on Saturdays: 11.00
Sunday mass in English on Saturdays: 19.30
Sunday mass in Arabic on Saturdays: 18.30
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 10.30
Sunday mass in Arabic on Sunday: 9.00, 18.30
Saint Peter Church
Old City
Weekday mass in English from Monday to Friday: 7.00
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 9.00
Tiberias
Saint Peter Church
Sunday mass in Hebrew on Saturdays: 18.30
Sunday mass in English on Sundays: 8.30
Weekday mass in English from Tuesday to Thursday: 19.00
Weekday mass in English on Fridays: 18.30