Westmoreland Catholics pray for peace in Holy Land

About two weeks before war broke out between Hamas-led Palestine and Israel, Katie Zuzik was on a trip to Israel with a group from the Diocese of Greensburg.

“To be able to have seen the Holy Land for myself and to walk the path and to see it for myself, it was a busy place, a place where you would see the different religions mixing, the different cultures,” said Zuzik, 43, of Greensburg.

But with death tolls rising and destruction continuing, it is difficult to see the once “vibrant place” gone quiet, Zuzik said.

“To see the destruction and the tension and the heartbreak all over the Holy Land is just really heartbreaking for me,” she said. “I think my trip has put all of this into a new perspective for me.”

Zuzik is the pastoral associate at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg. She operated the Facebook and YouTube livestream of a Mass for peace Friday at the cathedral.

The service drew more than 50 people. Bishop Larry Kulick led congregants in reciting a prayer for peace in Israel and Palestine. Many of the 78 churches in the diocese also celebrated the day of peace, declared by Pope Francis last week, Kulick said.

Although Catholic relief agencies across the world are at work reaching those impacted by the war, Kulik said prayer is one of the most powerful steps for the church.

“For us, we would say in our Catholic tradition, the Mass is the most perfect form of prayer, because every element of prayer comes together in the perfect way,” he said.

Rosalinda Castillo said the Mass was an “enlightenment,” reminding Catholics to pray for peace across the world.

“We have to pray for peace, not only in Israel or in Ukraine,” said Castillo of Irwin.

“All over the world, (we) just see people being hurt — especially the one that’s happening right here in our country right now in Maine,” she said, referring to a mass shooting that killed 18 people at a bowling alley and restaurant Wednesday night.

Janice Walker normally attends Holy Family Church in Latrobe, but felt it was important to be at the cathedral Friday morning.

“I’ve been to Israel twice and it just touches your heart to know what these people are going through,” said Walker of Unity. “That’s why I came.”

Judy McChesney said hearing about the war is “heart-wrenching.”

“I can’t watch it sometimes,” said McChesney of Greensburg. “I just cry.”

McChesney went to Greece and Ephesus, Turkey, this past summer. It is hard to believe how different her experience could have been had she gone just a few months later, she said.

“Life can change in a moment,” McChesney said.

The religious groups being impacted by the war — Christians, Jews and Muslims — all value the practice of prayer and fasting which was encouraged by the Catholic church Friday, Kulick said.

“Jerusalem is a center for all three of the major religions. This war could reshape a lot of things,” he said. “You don’t want to be an alarmist, but I myself, as a historian, look at this and you see things that are paralleled in historic times before that have led to major confrontations throughout the world.”