Ein Karem - Visitation, Ratisbonne Sion Convent

Courtyard of the Church of the Visitation, with the Magnificat in many languages.

Church of the Visitation, Jerusalem

The Church of the Visitation on Ein Karem.  Photo  Nir Nussbaum.

Said to be built over the home of John the Baptist's parents, the Church of the Visitation stands high up on the hillside of Ein Kerem in Jerusalem. From here there is a wonderful view of the valley and the surrounding wooded hills.          http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-church-of-visitation.htm        

----- Forwarded Message -----From: Jo McG. . . .
To: Donald . . . . .
Sent: Saturday, 13 April 2013, 21:25
Subject: Fw: Ein Karem
 

Dear .. . . ., Tues. 26March....Our morning was occupied with three more interesting lectures on the Gospel of JOHN. In the afternoon, we caught our bus to  EIN  KAREM, a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. We went first to the SION CONVENT on the summit of a hill overlooking surprisingly green valleys and bare mts. I thought how difficult it must have been for Mary to travel all the way from Nazareth to visit her cousin Elizabeth - no tarmac roads as today! The Srs.of Sion welcomed us and then explained the various buildings and their apostolate There are three communities here all living the same charism - the apostolic cty.,the small contemplative cty. and the Brothers of Sion.They have a large guesthouse as their ministry is mainly one of Welcome. We then had some free time to pray in the contemplative Chapel or wander in the well-kept,spacious garden - an oasis of peace,ideal for prayer. From there,we walked down the steep hill into the village centre, a hub of activity,and walked up an even steeper hill to the CHURCH OF THE VISITATION. On a long,fairly high wall in front of it are many "Magnificats"in the various languages.We then entered the Lower Church, fairly small with some colourful paintings - Zechariah in the Temple, Mary meeting Elizabeth,etc. The larger Upper Church was much more impressive, beautifully decorated with several murals. I was very happy to be in this holy place and, in union with Mary, we all joyfully sang the "Magnificat". At 8pm, we had a very meaningful and prayerful Reconciliation Service in the ideal place, the LITHOSTROTOS. DEO GRATIAS for another memorable day! Yours . . .  Jo.  + + +

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Donald . . .
To: Jo McG . . .
Sent: Monday, 15 April 2013, 21:01
Subject: Fw: Ein Karem and pictures

My dear Josephine,

Many thanks for the Ein Karem on the 'Journal'.

It is lovely, and sets all the memories of the places, Visitation, Sion Convent, St. John Baptist, John in the Desert.

Google map opens up every nook and cranny. The technology is astonishing.

Hopefully I will insert some of the pictures to your Email but for the moment I am  diverted by simply viewing the abundance, not least the hospitality we do enjoyed with the Sisters Ein Karem convent.
Yours  . . .

Donald.

https://plus.google.com/103439693104000894172/about?hl=en  

 

Marian Year 1954

    

 

Les Soeurs de Notre-Dame de Sion   

Ratisbonne tomb,
Ein Karem

The monastery of Les Soeurs de Notre-Dame de Sion (Sisters of Our Lady of Zion)   founded by two brothers from France, Theodore and Marie Alphonse Ratisbonne, who were born Jewish and converted to Christianity.^[15] They established an orphanage here. Alphonse himself lived in the monastery and is buried in its garden. 

Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Alphonse_Ratisbonne

In 1858 Ratisbonne established the Convent of Ecce Homo in the Old City of Jerusalem for the Sisters of Sion. In 1860, he built the Convent of St. John on a ...

Mary's Spring  

Traditional site of Mary's Spring

According to Christian tradition, this village fresh-water spring is the location where Mary and Elizabeth met. The spring waters are considered holy by some Catholic and Orthodox Christian pilgrims who visit the site and fill bottles with its waters. The spring was repaired and renovated by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Arab inhabitants also built a mosque on the site, of which the maqam (shrine) still remains.

To be continued .....  

Google Ein Karem

Holy Land Journal. Sr. Jo.

Dear Josephine,

Thank you, your Journal is collected here in 5 Email.

Following your Holy Places, is a great sharing in your experiences.

It it is a joy to view up-to-date pictures, and the News, Obama was visiting the next day.

You will now be looking back o the FMMs in Nablus Road.

Yours ... 

Donald . 

 

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Jo McG...Sent: Thursday, 11 April 2013, 16:41
Subject: Journal

Mon. 25thMarch   8.30-12.15    Mary continued her very interesting and lively lectures on JOHN'S GOSPEL                    and explained that she desires to complete his Passion and Resurrection                    Narratives before the Easter Triduum,hence so many lectures in such a short                    time.   2.30             VISIT  to  ST.ANNE'S                         This is French property and the French authorities entrusted its care to the                    WHITE FATHERS. It stands,most probably,on the site of the Pool of                    BETHESDA spoken of in the story of the paralytic man in John 5:1-18.                    The vast pool,13m.deep,was dug in 200 BC to collect the local rainwater                    and form a reservoir for the nearby Temple.Bowls and medicinal baths cut                    into the rock have been discovered in the area indicating that it was a                    healing site.The excavations reveal the remains of a Bysantine Church                    built in the 5th century. The Crusaders used some of the stones from its ruins Believed place of the Birthplace of Mary under the Church of St Anne                      to build the simple but lovely church of ST.ANNE.There is a crypt which                    shows the house considered to be that of Joachim and Anne. We were                    privileged to be shown through their Museum which is still being developed                    and is not generally open to the public.

                                                          

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Jo McG... 

Palestinian Christians celebrate Palm Sunday under occupation,
East Jerusalem, 24.3.2013

1364158254‑pilgrims‑celebrate‑palm‑sunday‑in‑jerusalem_1903928.jpg

de

 Christian pilgrims hold palm fronds during the traditional Palm Sunday procession 

Subject: Journal from Jo 

PALM SUNDAY PROCESSION http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trlKvq3A-qA   After lunch,I left alone and walked the ten minutes to the Kedron Valley. As I looked up at the steep side of the Mount of Olives,I thought,"I don't think I can make it so I can sit quietly at the Garden of Gethsemane and wait for the procession to come down!" It was very,very hot!!  Just then,several young OFM's came striding by and I decided to follow them as far as I could. Lo and behold I made it to the top and down the last km. into BETHPHAGE which was traditionally the beginning of the Palm Sunday journey of JESUS. The crowds were unbelievable - parish groups, pilgrim groups, troops of scouts and guides, so many religious,priests and prelates in their various garbs.....and they seemed to have come from every corner of the globe! I shall never forget the sight of this colourful universal gathering wending its way down the Mt. of Olives (with their bands, banners,and flags) waving their PALM and  OLIVE BRANCHES while joyfully singing their praises to JESUS CHRIST, OUR KING.

                                                                                                                  

Subject: Fw: Ecce Homo

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Jo McG...
To: N......
Sent: Wednesday, 10 April 2013, 19:36
Subject: Ecce Homo

Dear Noreen and all, I am now with our Srs. in Nablus Road as our program finished yesterday. So it is time to rewind back to  PALM  SUNDAY. At 9am, we left for the ISRAEL MUSEUM   which is in two sections, one illustrating the whole prehistory and history of the Holy Land up to the Bysantine Age and the second, showing Jewish life through the ages.  Attached to the museum is THE SHRINE OF THE BOOK, displaying the documents discovered in and around QUMRAN which we will visit later.     In the centre of the shrine stands a vast roller with a complete scroll of the book of ISAIAH ,made up of 17 pieces of skin sewn together and with beautiful, legible writing. They date back to the first century BC and are the most important of the Qumran finds.   From there, we walked over some lovely pathways and found ourselves looking down on a wonderful model ( 1 to 50 ) of JERUSALEM in the time of Jesus. Our guide explained everything and pointed out what and why changes had taken place over the years.The roads,buildings,walls, etc. were so clear that it was easy to visualize Jesus there - walking through the narrow cobbled streets, going up to the Temple, walking up the Mount of Olives, praying in Gethsemane,.....  I couldn't resist staying there for some time while the others went off to see other recommended exhibits. It was a very special time and a very appropriate lead into the afternoon.

 ---- Forwarded Message -----

From: Jo McG............
To: N....
Sent: Monday, 1 April 2013, 16:39
Subject: Ecce Homo Lectures

Friday, 22nd of March....Dr. Walter Vogels was back with us for three lectures on                                        ISAIAH in preparation for further lectures on the Servant                                        Songs.    - Center for Biblical Formation – Notre-Dame de Sion - http://biblicalformation.org/eng - CV’s Posted By EG-Admin On November 5, 2011 @ 8:34 pm In | Comments Disabled CV FOR PROF. WALTER VOGELS,M. A: Prof Walter Vogels is an internationally renowned biblical scholar, who has had many years of experience as Professor of Biblical Studies at St. Paul’s University Ottawa. He has been a visiting lecturer and guest speaker at universities and academic institutes around the world. His publications are numerous, in English, French and in Dutch. He is editorial consultant and advisor for various academic journals and periodicals. He acts as a consultant in several committees of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Canada. Professor Vogels is a member of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa. A popular teacher who is at ease with his students and at home with his subject, the Bible, about which he is deeply committed and passionate. CV FOR PROF. MARY COLOE, PBVM Dr. Mary Coloe is an Associate Professor in New Testament at the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne Campus. Her specialist research area is the Gospel of John and she is the author of two books and numerous essays and journal articles on this Gospel. She regularly teaches a summer course at Boston College and in 2011 is teaching one semester at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA. As part of her work at ACU she regularly conducts Biblical Study Tours of Israel for ACU students. From 1999 to 2008 he has taught Exegesis of the Hebrew Bible at the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology in Shkodër (Albania), and from 2001 to 2009 New Testament History at the Jerusalem branch of the Pontifical Biblical Institute. Since 2009 he teaches Exegesis of the New Testament at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Article printed from Center for Biblical Formation – Notre-Dame de Sion: http://biblicalformation.org/eng URL to article: http://biblicalformation.org/eng/?page_id=853 Click here to print. Copyright © 2011 biblicalformation.org. All rights reserved.                                        In the afternoon, we went to join our Jewish brothers and                                                sisters at the KOL HANESHAMA SYNAGOGUE for their                                        Evening Prayer. I found it less formal than I expected but                                       very prayful, mostly sung or chanted. They were very                                        welcoming and we all enjoyed the experience.   Sat. 23rd of March.........A marathon day!!                                       8.30 -12.15  SERVANT SONGS -3 Lectures                                       These were a great preparation for HOLY WEEK.                                         2.00 -5.30   Our first three lectures on JOHN's GOSPEL                                        given by DR. MARY COLOE  pbvm, an Associate Professor                                       in New Teatament at Australia Catholic Unuversity.                                         6pm...A beautiful MASS for PALM SUNDAY in our Basilica.                                       So we now enter into Holy Week. May it be a blessed time                                       for all.   Love,   Jo.  fmm

                                                                                                              

 

Sent: Saturday, 30 March 2013, 16:55

Subject: Fw: YAD VASHEM

Happy Easter to all. 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jo McG...
Sent: Saturday, 30 March 2013, 14:53

March 21st......8am   Preparation for visit to YAD VASHEM by DR. DEBORAH    WEISSMAN, A Jewish educator.   [      Visiting Yad Vashem? - yadvashem.org www.yadvashem.org/museum Virtual tours and photo galleries of the museums. Plan a visit today!    http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/museum/index.asp?WT.mc_id=200964WT.cg_n=g.en    ]                        8.35   Departure for Yad Vashem - the central HOLOCAUST MUSEUM We started with individual walks around the spacious gardens  where hundreds of trees have been planted each one with the country or name of those who played a part in saving the Jews or contributed to the building of this beautiful museum. We then assembled at THE CHILDREN'S MONUMENT with the entrance sign, "The soul of a person is God's candle". It was very dark inside so we had to hold on to a cord rail to guide us.At one point, I couldn't sense the person in front of me and I thought," If this cord ends, I am lost and I cant turn back!" A frightening moment but nothing compared to what those children must have felt in their total darkness and no way out!! One and a half million had been killed!!   FORGIVE US, LORD.  I looked up towards the ceiling and beheld thousands of stars ( tiny lights ) signs of hope that light will fill our world so that all children will be loved and cared for.   After that, we wended our way through the General Museum which has 10 sections, each leading into the next one so we had to pass through all of them. Again I had the feeling of "no turning back" and feeling lost in the midst of so many alcoves and exhibits!  It began with an audio-visual of Jewish life in Europe before world war 2 and immediately after, some evidence of the end, the so called "FINAL SOLUTION to the JEWISH PROBLEM"! Then came thousands of exhibits - videos, interviews, photos, letters, documents, huge piles of shoes and Jewish books that had survived the burning, .......and what impressed me most of all, THE PERSONAL STORIES OF SURVIVERS, [  Testimonies - The Holocaust - Yad Vashem www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/resource.../item.asp?...4... Holocaust Survivors are our main medium for the story of the Holocaust. Their testimonies play a central role in the understanding the events of the Holocaust as ...]      Google Yad Vashem ‎ הזיכרון Jerusalem, 91034, Israel 02-644-3400 yadvashem.org‎ הזיכרון Jerusalem, 91034, Israel 02-644-3400 yadvashem.org‎ which were very moving and,at times heartbreaking! We made our sad way through sections 1-7 and found sections 8-10 blocked off! Why?  Obama was visiting the next day! There was so much that we didn't have time to see but hopefully, I may have the opportunity to go back again.  Obama at Bethlehem Love to all, Jo. fmm