Commissariat of the Holy Land

The Commissariat of the Holy Land has a long history. Founded in 1636 in the hospitium Terrae Sanctae adjacent to the Valletta friary, the Commissariat of the Holy Land functioned as a friary in which Franciscan missionaries to the Custody of the Holy Land would receive their formation and preparation. As an entity, it is governed by the laws and customs of the Custody of the Holy Land. The Commissary of the Holy Land is the direct representative of the Custos of the Holy Land in Malta.

The mission of the Commissariat of the Holy Land is, first and foremost, to promote the Custody of the Holy Land, which the Holy See has entrusted to the care of the Franciscan Order ever since 21 November 1342. The Commissary of the Holy Land takes care to organise an annual collection in aid of the Custody of the Holy Land. This is the so-called “Good Friday Collection” which is one of the pontifical collections in the calendar of the Church. The aim of the collection is to subsidise the mission of the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land in the care of the Holy Places, and in the spiritual, pastoral, social and educational mission of the same Custody in the running of its schools, in providing professional training and jobs for local Christians, in building projects for families of Christians who live in the Holy Land, in the areas of biblical archaeological research. For this reason, the Commissary visits personally the parishes of the diocese of Gozo once a year to organise the collection. In the archdiocese of Malta the collection is organised on a Sunday in September.

The Commissary is also responsible to publish information about the Custody of the Holy Land and its mission. For this reason, ever since 1955, the Commissariat publishes a quarterly review entitled L-Art Imqaddsa (The Holy Land), which features articles by biblical scholars and on the various Holy Places, and news about events in the Holy Land. The same Commissariat has published many books regarding the Holy Land and also guide books for pilgrims who go to visit the Holy Places.

Another important mission of evangelisation of the Commissariat of the Holy Land is that of organising pilgrimages to the Holy Land. The Commissariat organises no less than ten pilgrimages every year, in which the participants visit all the Holy Places, celebrate the liturgy and pray in the various shrines, and are accompanied by an expert Franciscan friar who has studied or lives in the Holy Land, and who provides not only historical information but also a biblical formation to the places of the Gospel.

The same Commissariat organises various courses on the Bible and on the Holy Land, open to lay persons, particularly those who have already gone on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or others who are interested in doing so. These courses are also an occasion for a solid biblical formation in order to evangelise and explain the Word of God within the context of our contemporary culture.

The urgent need to pray for peace and justice in the Holy Land is the fundamental aim of this ministry and apostolate, given that, for the Franciscans, the Holy Land is the prime and most important mission of the Order. At a time when the Franciscan Order is striving to become more international and open to cultures, it is important to remember that, in the Holy Land it has been doing so for 800 years and that this mission is the model for all kinds of evangelising missions in the Order, for the good of the Church and for the cause of peace.

For more information regarding the Commissariat of the Holy Land please contact:

Please find below our contact details for the Kummissarjat tal-Art Imqaddsa: