JERUSALEM (02-05-2019) – Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, bestowed the Order’s Cross of Merit of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem on Sister Monica Navalta, FSE at a ceremony held at the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem. In receiving the Cross of Merit, Sister Monica is recognized as a “person of unquestionable moral conduct who has served the Church and has shown great charity and love for the Holy Land” according to the Order’s website.
Sister Monica serves in the English section of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem and has frequent contact with issues related to the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. She assisted in organizing the pilgrimage of the Order’s Rome staff who were present for the ceremony. Sister Monica also ministers to the large number of migrants who live in the Holy Land. Her Franciscan Sisters in the FSE Jerusalem Center report that Sister Monica is receiving calls and messages from all over the world congratulating her on the auspicious award.
The Cross of Merit comprises three crosses: a large one worn around the neck, a smaller cross pin on a long ribbon, and a small lapel pin. The Governor General, Ambassador Leonardo Visconti di Madrone, assisted Cardinal O’Brien in draping the large cross around Sister’s neck. The ceremony was strategically planned as a complete surprise to Sister Monica who characteristically prefers to stay in the background and carry on her mission without notice.
Congratulations, Sister Monica, for this well deserved award!
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