Dear Friends,

As the local Jewish community observes Passover, I want to extend my prayerful best wishes, as well as those of the clergy and laity of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Passover calls to mind the miracle of divine intervention in the history of the Chosen People. Our Heavenly Father not only liberated the Jews from Pharaoh’s enslavement, but also set them on a path of divinely guided life in freedom.

There are new threats today to authentic freedom and human existence. All too many in our day eat the bread of affliction. These threats can cause us to be afraid and to feel abandoned. Yet Passover reminds us that we are not alone and can always rely on the Almighty to intervene and save us.

May the observance of Passover bring you and all Philadelphia-area Jews renewed hope and spiritual vitality. I take this occasion once again to thank the Jewish community for its notable generosity in making last September’s visit of Pope Francis so successful.

Sincerely yours,

+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Philadelphia