Cardinal Dolan and Father Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land, talk about the historic presence of Franciscans in that region since the time of St. Francis of Assisi and their centuries-long work in caring for Christian holy sites, education, and helping the poor.

Today, they are also working to provide housing for Christians to help them continue to stay in the Holy Land.

Fr. Patton thanked Catholics in the United States for the support provided through the Good Friday Collection. Every year on Good Friday, a collection is taken up in Catholic Churches to support the work of the Franciscans working in the Holy Land. Christians there rely heavily on the help that comes to them from this worldwide collection.

Cardinal Dolan and Fr. Patton’s discussion is part of this week’s episode of Conversation with Cardinal Dolan that was recorded during the Cardinal’s recent trip to Jerusalem with the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

Find out more about the Custody of the Holy Land and how you can help: https://www.custodia.org/en

“Conversation with Cardinal Dolan” simulcasts weekly on the Catholic Faith Network with SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel(channel 129).