Custodia Terrae Sanctae

Custodia Terrae Sanctae
Franciscan serving the Holy Land
We are a group of Christian men who have been called by God from every corner of the world for a special mission: to watch over His house. We belong to a religious Order in the Catholic Church, the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscans. 
Drawn by love of the poor and crucified Christ, our founder, St Francis of Assisi, went to the Middle East at the beginning of the 13th century, in order to “touch” the places which offer an irreplaceable testimony to God’s revelation and love for the human beings. During his pilgrimage, and despite the Crusades, St Francis encountered and dialogued with the sultan Melek al-Kamel, who was governing the Holy Land at the time. It was a peaceful encounter, which marked the beginning of the Franciscans’ presence in the Holy Land and influenced the way in which we have been present until today.
This province of the Franciscan Order took the name “Custody of the Holy Land”.