Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, will preside this Sunday, October 25, at the celebration of Our Lady Queen of Palestine, principal patroness of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The solemnity will take place at the Marian shrine of Deir Rafat, one of the main centers of devotion for Catholics in the Holy Land.
The Mass will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by the traditional procession with the icon of the Virgin, as confirmed by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
A devotion deeply rooted in the Holy Land
The devotion to Our Lady Queen of Palestine is closely linked to the contemporary history of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and to the desire to place the Christian communities living in the places where the earthly life of Jesus Christ took place under the protection of the Virgin.
The shrine of Deir Rafat, located west of Jerusalem, was promoted by Patriarch Luigi Barlassina during the first half of the 20th century.
Since then, it has become one of the most representative pilgrimage sites for Catholics in the Holy Land, especially during the annual feast of the Virgin Queen of Palestine.
The title expresses the faithful’s trust in Mary’s intercession and their recognition of her as the spiritual mother of Christians living in the region.
The Shrine of Deir Rafat
The church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and preserves a particular artistic and devotional feature: the repetition of the angelic salutation in different languages, reflecting the universality of Marian prayer.
Each year, the feast brings together priests, religious, and faithful from the communities of the Latin Patriarchate, who come to the shrine to participate in the Eucharist and the procession.
The celebration is one of the most visible expressions of local Catholic identity in a region where Christian communities coexist with different religious traditions and have been facing particularly difficult circumstances for decades.
Prayer for the Christians of the Holy Land
The feast of Our Lady Queen of Palestine takes on particular significance due to the situation of Christians in the Middle East, whose presence is linked to the very origins of the Church.
Emigration, political instability, and economic difficulties have affected the Christian communities of the region for decades.
In this context, the annual pilgrimage to Deir Rafat keeps alive a tradition of prayer for perseverance in the faith, the unity of Catholic communities, and peace in the Holy Land.
This Sunday’s celebration will be presided over by Pizzaballa and will conclude, according to the announced program, with the procession of the icon of the Virgin Mary Queen of Palestine.