As we get more and more involved in our studies of Matthew Gospel I want to share something of our hosts here at Ecce Homo. The program is offered by Sisters Notre Dame de Sion. The Congregation was founded "to witness in the Church and in the world that God continues to be faithful in his love for the Jewish people and to hasten the fulfilment of the promises concerning the Jews and the Gentiles." At the beginnings of the Order are two priests: Theodore Ratisbonne and Alphonse Ratisbonne. As you can guess they were blood brothers. They also came from a Jewish family. Although their paths first took them in different directions they arrived at the same destination. In 1827 Theodore was baptized as Catholic and three years later ordained a priest. 15 years later his younger brother Theodore experience vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary while on a pleasure trip to Rome. The outcome of the event led him to cancel his wedding plans and after a couple of weeks of instructions he was also baptized as Catholic in January 1842. He didn’t waste time and in June of the same year he entered the seminary to become a priest as well. The conversion of Alphonse was a sign for Theodore that God wanted them to establish a Catholic Order that would promote dialogue between Christians and Jews. The fruit of that dream is the Congregation of Sisters of Sion. Alphonse in 1855 moved to Palestine where he established Ecce Homo Convent in Jerusalem and later in Ein Karem where Virgin Mary visited Elizabeth. Faithfull to their vocation Sisters of Sion still preserve their presence in Jerusalem and in Ein Karem. The convent that Alhhonse started renovating is not only a house for the nuns but a pilgrim house for those coming to Jerusalem and a place for Biblical Studies.
For those who want to find out more about the Sisters:
www.notredamedesion.org
For those who want to find out more about the Sisters:
www.notredamedesion.org
Today sisters took us to their “outside the walls” house in Ein Karem. Before we met the community we first paid visit to a couple of significant churches in the village. The first was the Church of the Visitation. What I have learned so far is not to rush to the churches straight away but to pay attention to the surroundings. As I was climbing the hill (another one, I am going to miss these hills) I was looking at the landscape and I thought about what Mary was reflecting on during her trip here. The church commemorates the meeting those two women had. There is an interesting statue in from of the church capturing that moment. The wall around the church is also covered with Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise after Elisabeth experienced her baby moving in her womb at the words of Our Lady. Mary’s word are there in many languages. After prayer in the church of the Visitation we walked first down the hill and next we climbed another hill to visit the church of John the Baptist. The church is built over the place where the prophet was born. The grotto where he was born resembles the one on Bethlehem. Outside the church on the fence one can read the hymn John’s father Zachariah uttered after his speech was returned. Again Zachariah’s word are in different languages like in the church of the Visitation.
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