A few years ago, Jaffa Nazareth was a modest village, three kilometers away from the city of Nazareth. Today, the town of Nazareth has expanded to the west, making both of the towns indistinguishable. As of a recent statistic, the population of Jaffa Nazareth was estimated to be 20,000. Among them 5,500 Christians.
The first mention of Jaffa-Nazareth comes in the 14th century BC in the lists of Pharaoh Aménophis IV under the name IAPU. Then in the book of Joshua (19:12): " From Sarid eastward it ran to the district of Chisloth-tabor, on to Daberath, and up to Japhia”.
There is a tradition, which says that Jaffa of Nazareth is the home of the Apostles James and John’s sons of Zebedee. Hence, the Latin parish church was consecrated to St. John and called the Church of St. John the Beloved. The Crusaders built another church in Jaffa in honor of St. James.
In 1865, some of the faithful in Jaffa of Nazareth asked Patriarch Valerga to send a missionary to their village. In 1869, the Patriarch received custody of the mission and appointed as parish priest Father Luigi Fattori, who built a small church and convent in 1872. In 1888, another church was built there. The Rosary Sisters joined the parish in 1885 to supervise the school. One of them was Mother Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas, (now Saint Marie Alphonsine), foundress of the Congregation of the Rosary Sisters. In recent years, there have been many developments in the situation of the village. The Latin Patriarchate parish in Jaffa of Nazareth has a church and a school, which was established in 1868, and the new school building was built in 1980. Today it includes a nursery, primary and secondary school with a student population of 495 students.
Fr. Nidal Qanzou’ah, is the current parish priest and is assisted by four Rosary Sisters, who help him meet the pastoral needs of approximately 380 families, according to recent statistics of the parish.
Pastoral activities
- Legio Mariae and other fraternities: The fraternities are characterized by a spirit of prayer and service, which help lift both the spiritual and physical needs of the parish, with their constant prayers and offering of their time and effort in service. The Legio Mariae includes approximately 15 women, who meet weekly to pray the fraternity's mandatory prayer, as well as the Rosary while spreading the Marian spirit among other fraternity members. The parish also has another Marian Fraternity, which has about 40 women who meet every Wednesday. About 10 members of St. Anton Fraternity meet every Monday of the end of each month. It was established in 2004 in the parish of Jaffa Nazareth, and it helps take care of the service of love in the parish and aid distribution to needy families.
- Pastoral Council: The Pastoral Council of Jaffa-Nazareth parish is characterized by unity and love, as their work is likened to the icon of the Trinity, and in its example, they serve the parish and assist the parish priest during the celebrations, feasts, and summer camps, as well as other liturgical activities. Every year, a pastoral program is developed based on a single need that needs attention and care in the life of the parish. The council, which is made up of priests, religious sisters, and the laity, works to provide spiritual formation for the parishioners throughout the year and encourage belonging to the Church.
- The Scouts: It was founded in 1970, yet in 2002, it was merged with another scout group in the town, but Fr. Qanzou’ah, the current parish priest revived the scout group to strengthen the youth’s belonging to the parish. Today, there are approximately 120 scout members, working under the framework of the Catholic Scout Organization.
- The Choir: There are approximately 25 members who rehearse weekly, and there are two official organists of the parish. Recently, a choir made up of the school's students has also been established to help celebrate Mass.
- The Youth: The Rosary Sisters supervise the different youth groups in the parish, with the help of some volunteers. They seek to provide spiritual service in an engaging-informative way, to help the youth in their spiritual walk, and to help them create friendships among the parish.
- The Neocatechumenal Way: Armandua, from the Neocatechumenal Way, provides pastoral care for the few members in the parish, who hold two meetings per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Each year, the parish holds four pilgrimages to different cities in the Holy Land, which help the faithful have a deeper outlook on the different feasts celebrated by the Church and reflect on the history of salvation. However, due to the current situation, no pilgrimage was organized this year.
Future Aspirations
- Restoration of the well of St. Marie Alphonsine, which became a pilgrimage shrine, especially after her canonization.
- Restoration of St. James’s church.
- Restoration of the shops next to the monastery, to provide a special income for the church to help support all Apostolic activities and movements in the parish.
- Establishing a permanent exhibition in the parish that shows a part of the religious, civil, ecclesiastical, and archaeological history of Jaffa-Nazareth.
- Holding evangelistic evenings in residential communities on Friday evenings and inviting neighboring families to take part.
H.B. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, will begin his pastoral visit to the Latin parish of Jaffa-Nazareth from April 19 until April 21 to oversee the state of the parish.
Stay tuned for day-by-day pictures, which will be posted on our Facebook page: the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
