OPHEL - Remains of an ancient staircase.
Leo XIII, having examined the report of the Work drawn up by Mother Bigard, sent the first blessings, enriching it with many indulgences. On 13 Oct. 1895 the Bishop of Séez approved it and a regular council was established, comprising the Bigards and two other ladies. On 10 Sept. 1896 the Propaganda encouraged the initiative. Since recognition of the Work by the French government was not obtained, it was transferred to Fribourg in Switzerland. After the death of Mother Bigard (1903), the Work was entrusted to the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary. On 28 Apr. 1920 the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide took it under its direct jurisdiction. With the motu proprio *Vix ad summi* of 24 June 1929, the central headquarters was moved to Rome and given an organization similar to that of the Pontifical Work for the Propagation of the Faith. Its purpose is to assist the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda in the formation of indigenous clergy, also subsidizing the construction of seminaries in the missions. Monetary contributions are collected through annual dues, collections, and the system of individual and collective adoptions, as well as scholarships.
---
OPHEL - South-eastern hill of Jerusalem.
The name, from the root *'āphal* = “to swell,” properly “protuberance,” “projection” (Deut. 28:27; 1 Sam 5:6), came to mean an elevation or hill (cf. 2 Kgs 5:24 “hill of Samaria”; Vulg. *vesperum*; LXX 10 ὀξυτεύω = *'ōphāl* “darkness”; in the Moabite Stone [line 22] “hill of the city of Dibon”). Every other occurrence of *'ōphāl* in the Bible designates the south-eastern hill of Jerusalem, whose wall was built by Jotham (2 Chr 27:5), enlarged and repaired by Manasseh (2 Chr 33:14), and after the exile by the Thecuites (Neh 3:27 [Vulg. *murus templi*]; 11:21; 2 Chr 27:3; 33:14).
The biblical texts determine with great precision the site of the hill O. to the south of the Temple area, where stood the Canaanite city or fortress of Zion (2 Sam 5:6;