The annual Cradling Christianity Mass and dinner to benefit the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land was held Thursday, Sept. 12 at Columbus Our Lady of Victory Church with Cardinal Christophe Pierre as the featured speaker.

Mass was celebrated before the dinner by Cardinal Pierre, the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States; Bishop Earl Fernandes; Father Jacques Kik, OAM, pastor at Our Lady of Victory and Father John Puodziunas, OFM, president of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, with assistance from Deacon Rob Joseph.

More than 185 people attended the dinner, which was sponsored by Cradling Christianity. The local non-profit group was founded in 2006 in Columbus to provide opportunities and educational assistance for young people who live in the Holy Land.

The Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, which was established in 1994, has raised more than $50 million since its inception for scholarships that help young people obtain diplomas and degrees, which increases the odds of them staying in the Holy Land rather than seeking job opportunities elsewhere.

Father John Puodziunas, OFM, the new director of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, speaks to the gathering.

“What we do through the Foundation is to provide housing for Christians to remain there in an affordable way,” Father Puodziunas said. “What we do is support grade schools and middle schools and what we would call high schools to educate Christians so that they could stay there and to form alliances with young people that will change the world and, in that sense, change our world. …

“It is imperative that we continue our work to maintain the Christian presence in the Holy Land, and imperative is that we continue to educate.”

Father Puodzuinas succeeded Father Peter Vasko, OFM, the president of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land for 30 years and a longtime supporter of Cradling Christianity.

Father Puodzuinas stressed the importance of maintaining Christian influence in the Holy Land, particularly in recent times with the violence in the region.

“I’d like you to think about places like Nazareth, Bethlehem, Sea of Galilee, Mount Tabor and the Mount of the Beatitudes,” he said. “Most of us here, if not all of us, know of the stories related to these places. It’s important to our faith. … It is for a home for Christians. That is why a Christian presence is so important.

“We journey there as pilgrims, but there are people who need to live there, to maintain the presence of the holiest places of our faith. These are difficult times. Many Christians have departed in fear. Many have departed in search of a better life. Some have departed simply to get educated, to be safe.”

He reminded the guests that the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) have preserved the Christian presence in the Holy Land for 800 years and have the same mission as the Franciscan Foundation.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the Vatican representative to the United States, delivers the keynote address for Cradling Christianity.

Cardinal Pierre addressed the violence in the Holy Land between the Israelis and Palestinians, pointing to St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Calcutta and the Good Samaritan as models of peace and fraternity.

“When it comes to people at war, we Christians are the ones who must introduce a new element,” the cardinal said. “This is one of the reasons that the presence of Christians in the Holy Land is so important.”

He affirmed that spiritual and material contributions, like those offered by Cradling Christianity, are “a work of peace.”

“It has real effects in the hearts and minds of those who are enduring a horrific war,” Cardinal Pierre said. “Together, with the whole Church, the charity of your prayers and gifts is a way of saying ‘no’ to war and to the culture of violence while saying ‘yes’ to social friendship and fraternity.”  

It is important, the cardinal noted, for Catholics and Christians to be peacemakers. He cited examples the papal teachings of popes from World War II until the present day that addressed calls for peace and denunciation of war.

“Each of us can be open to receiving others,” Cardinal Pierre said. “Each of us can give to the other our time and our material resources. But even more importantly, we can give to others the gift of ourselves. And in this way, we can be a part of Christ’s mission of fraternity and peace.”