Who we are
The Commissariat of the Holy Land in Canada is the Canadian office the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land which is located in Jerusalem and which serves the Church throughout Israel, Palestine, and surrounding countries.
Organization
The Commissariat of the Holy Land in Canada reports to a Board of Directors which meets regularly to direct the Commissariat’s finances, approve the works financed in the Holy Land, and oversee the progress of these works. This organizational structure and administrative procedure is in conformity with the by-laws indicated in a Federal Government Incorporation attained in 1963 and renewed in 2014.
The President of the Corporation and Commissary of the Canadian Commissariat is a Franciscan friar from the Canadian Franciscan Province of the Holy Spirit, Fr. Bob Mokry. He is helped by an administrative assistant, Mrs. Jeanne d’Arc Habarugira, who cares for the daily needs of the office.
What we do
At the request of the Holy See and with the approval of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Canadian Commissariat helps to care for these Christian brothers and sisters and for the holy places. Normally this is accomplished by means of the solidarity shown by the men and women of our Canadian Church who contribute generously to a Good Friday collection taken for the needs of the Holy Land.
By means of what is normally a Good Friday collection, taken up in Canada and throughout the Catholic world, the Franciscan friars in the Holy Land with the help of other religious congregations and organizations are able to maintain shrines, continue their social and educational works, sustain the diminishing Christian population, and help the poor.
Good Friday Collection
Saint Paul frequently mentions the generosity of the different Christian communities who help other churches in their need. The Good Friday Collection is in keeping with that spirit. Since the 12th century, Christians from the west have been present in and have helped care for the churches of the Holy Land. In 1342, Pope Clement VI entrusted the care of these churches to the Franciscans; and a century later, in 1421, Pope Martin V permitted the establishment of Commissariats throughout the then-known western world to appeal for the needs of Christians and the holy places. And ever since Pope Leo XIII’s declaration of “Collecta pro Locis Sanctis” on December 26, 1877, up to our present day, the Holy See has consistently supported that need.
