On Friday, 9 January, Catholics from across Jordan made their annual pilgrimage to Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas) to celebrate Holy Mass for the Baptism of the Lord.
By Claudia Torres – Jordan
On Friday, 9 January, Catholics from across Jordan made their annual pilgrimage to Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas) to celebrate Holy Mass for the Baptism of the Lord.
Bethany Beyond the Jordan
The celebration took place in the “Baptism of the Lord” church, located on the east bank of the Jordan River, near the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin inaugurated the church in January 2025.
More than 5,000 people gathered at the site to commemorate this event marking the beginning of Christ’s ministry
Now, a year later, more than 5,000 people gathered at the site to commemorate this significant event marking the beginning of Christ’s ministry. Among those present were diplomats from 10 countries and representatives of the Melkite Greek, Maronite, Chaldean, Syriac, and Armenian Catholic Churches. The Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan, Bishop Iyad Twal, presided over the Mass with Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, the Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan, concelebrating.
During the liturgy, the faithful were sprinkled with holy water that had been collected from the Jordan River before Mass, making it a particularly significant moment for those who had traveled from various places to participate.
Prayers for Palestine
Before the Mass, at a press conference, Bishop Twal, welcomed those gathered, calling the site of Christ’s baptism a “place which is abounding with holiness and cordiality”. He also extended warm greetings from Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who was in Rome for the Consistory and, therefore, unable to attend the celebration.
The Bishop shared that during a recent visit to Gaza, Cardinal Pizzaballa “felt a genuine determination for the start of a new life and the hope that this year will witness a durable, true, just, and comprehensive peace”. He added, “This is what we offer in prayer from this holy place. For Jerusalem, for entire Palestine, for our dear people in Gaza, and in all of our holy land”.
Catholics from across Jordan made their annual pilgrimage to Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas) to celebrate Holy Mass
An invitation to return to the Holy Land
The Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan also expressed his hope that pilgrims will return to the Holy Land “in great numbers” this year. “We extend a sincere invitation to pilgrims from all over the world”, he said. “Come to the Holy Land, come to the Jordan River, come to this holy place, visit this church, and be blessed by the waters of the Jordan”.
The pilgrimage was organized in collaboration with the Baptism Site Administration, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Jordan Tourism Board.
Photogallery
Praying at the Jordan River for peace in the Holy Land
