The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, ofm, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has just completed his first visit to Ireland. His Beatitude travelled from Jerusalem to preside at the Vigil Mass and Ceremony to invest an Irish Dame and Knights into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ), an Order with an almost 1,000-year history of supporting Christians in the Holy Land.

During his time in Maynooth, the representatives of Catholic Youth groups (Alpha Youth,Youth 2000, Mary Immaculate College,  Salesian Community, Dublin Diocese, Maynooth Parish) met with His Beatitude Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, ofm.

On Saturday morning, prior to the Investiture Ceremony and Mass, Patriarch Pizzaballa met with the Irish members of the Equestrian Order at its Annual Meeting. He thanked the Irish Dames and Knights for their ongoing prayers, support, frequent visits to the Holy Land, and the over €5.5 million they have donated for the delivery of Education, Social Care, and Humanitarian Aid across the Holy Land. He outlined the grave position that Christians find themselves in the area.
The Lieutenant of the Order in Ireland, Peter Durnin, GCHS, presented Cardinal Pizzaballa with a cheque for €75,000 to provide Humanitarian Aid to the Christian community in Gaza and the West Bank. This donation brings the total donated so far in 2024 by the Order in Ireland to the Holy Land to approximately €240,000.
The EOHSJ was established in Ireland in 1986 and now has over 200 members, mostly male and female members of the
laity, with a leaven of Ecclesiastical members including one deacon.

At this year’s ceremony, on Saturday 20th July 2024 in St Patrick’s Pontifical University Maynooth, one new Dame and eight new Knights were invested into the Order in the presence of Seán Cardinal Brady, GCHS, and several of Ireland’s Catholic Archbishops, including Most Rev’d Eamon Martin, KC*HS Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.
They join the 30,000 members of the Order world-wide who are organised into 60 “Lieutenancies”. These Lieutenancies stretch from South Africa, to Malaysia, Australasia, North and South America, and the Dominican Republic, the most recently established Lieutenancy.

To witness the admission of the Order’s new members were European representatives of the Order from: Malta; The Netherlands; Norway; Switzerland & Liechtenstein; England & Wales, and; Scotland.
On Friday, Cardinal Pizzaballa held a series of meetings. He met with:

• Leaders and members of Catholic youth organisations from a number of Dioceses to discuss the current situation affecting the Christian community in Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
• The Irish Episcopal Council for Justice and Peace, which is chaired by Bishop Alan McGuckian, SJ, Bishop of Down and Connor. Also present were Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly of Cashel and Emly; Bishop Lawrence Duffy of Clogher; Bishop Bill Crean of Cloyne; other council members, and; representatives of Trócaire which has several ongoing projects in the Holy Land.
• Representatives of the Aid to the Church in Need Ireland who updated him on its current “Aid to the Church in Need Holy Land Appeal”.
  Prior to his departure for Jerusalem, the Cardinal concelebrated Mass on Sunday 21 July in the Pro Cathedral with Archbishop Dermot Farrell, Archbishop of Dublin, and preached the sermon.