Holy Land: Online Mass reservations coming soon

(Vatican Radio) Pilgrims wishing to attend Mass or Prayer services in the holy sites under the care of the Franciscan Custody in the Holy Land will soon be able to reserve places on-line. The Franciscan Pilgrims Office (FPO) launched the new service on Monday 18 August at a conference attended by 150 agencies, including Palestinian, Israeli and international travel agencies.

Each agency will be given a one-time-only registration and a booklet is being prepared for the public, explaining the reservation process. The reservations system will be put on-lilne in the coming weeks for October reservations, permitting agencies and groups to see not only the availability of the sanctuaries, but also their capacity, and to avoid double booking.

The Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Pizzaballa says it is the Custody of the Holy Land’s desire to facilitate the reception of groups, as well as to become more modern and efficient. “This is only the beginning,” he declared. He also announced the beginning of work on the Gethsemane sanctuary, which will connect the sanctuary to the Kedron Valley, thereby facilitating access and reception of groups.

The email address of the FPO for more information is: fpo@custodia.org