Melkite Jerusalem.

In a post last June, I mentioned that one of the first things I did when arriving in Jerusalem was to attend the early morning liturgy at the Melkite Greek-Catholic Patriarchate near the Jaffa Gate in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. I returned to participate in the Divine Liturgy at the Melkite Patriarchate most of the mornings of my retreat; though I certainly stood out among the handful of communicants (who were mostly Arab women), I felt very welcome among the Melkites. The above photos offer a sense of what I saw each morning as I turned down Greek Catholic Patriarchate Road, entered the patriarchal church through its rather unassuming main entrance, and joined a small but faithful group for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Grateful for the hospitable reception that I received from the Melkites of Jerusalem, my prayers today are for the prosperity and safety of the Greek Catholics of the Holy Land. AMDG.