A PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

ITINERARY

Day 1. Monday, October 5: Transatlantic flight to Tel Aviv

Day 2. Tuesday, October 6: Tel Aviv – Herzliya

Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel in Herzliya for a welcome dinner. (WD)

Day 3. Wednesday, October 7: Tel Aviv – Jaffa – Caesarea Maritima – Mount Carmel – Cana – Sea of Galilee

Begin your pilgrimage with a visit to Jaffa and walk through the beautiful restored Old Port, where medieval pilgrims used to arrive on their way to Jerusalem. Then, visit the magnificent remains of Herod’s Palace at Caesarea Maritima; it is here that St. Paul was imprisoned before being sent to Rome. Also visit the Roman theater and the Crusaders fortress. Continue to Mount Carmel and visit the Carmelite Monastery of St. Elias, where this holy prophet triumphed over the false prophets of Baal. Next to it, visit Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery, built in an area that for centuries was frequented by hermits, and where the Carmelite Order was founded. Finish with a visit to the Wedding Church in Cana, where Our Lord Jesus Christ performed His first miracle, and have the opportunity for a renewal of wedding vows. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee. (BB, D)

Day 4. Thursday, October 8: Mt. of Beatitudes – Tabgha – Capharnaum – Sea of Galilee

This morning, visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the scene of Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount; the Church of the Loaves and Fishes where the miracle of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes took place; and the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, where Our Lord appeared to the Apostles after His resurrection. Afterwards, explore the ruins of Capharnaum, including the ancient Jewish synagogue and St. Peter’s house. Enjoy a free afternoon before returning to your hotel on the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight. (BB, D)

Day 5. Friday, October 9: Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee is rich in memories of the three years of Our Lord’s Ministry. The day opens with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, where Our Lord Jesus Christ did much of His preaching and many of His Apostles were fishermen. See the Ancient Galilee Boat, a fishing boat from the 1st century AD now exhibited in the Yigal Allon Museum. Visit Magdala, the town of St. Mary Magdalene. Continue to the Valley of the Doves, the route Our Lord would have taken from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee. For lunch, sample the traditional dish “St. Peter’s Fish” at a typical restaurant. The afternoon is at leisure. Dinner and overnight on the Sea of Galilee. (BB, L, D)

Day 6. Saturday, October 10: Tiberias: Mt. Tabor – Nazareth

Visit the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, built on the site of Our Lord’s Transfiguration. Then travel to Nazareth to pray at the Basilica of the Annunciation, built above the Cave of the Annunciation and St. Joseph Church, built on the site of the Holy Family’s house and St. Joseph’s workshop. Dinner and overnight on the Sea of Galilee. (BB, D)

Day 7. Sunday, October 11: Tiberias – Jericho – Baptismal site – Qumran – View of St. George Monastery – Jerusalem

Today in Jericho, the oldest city in the world, see the Sycamore Tree, commemorating the place where Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector, climbed the tree to see Our Lord. Take a cable car to Mount of Temptations, where Our Lord was tempted by the devil. Next, stop at the site on the Jordan River where it is claimed that St. John baptized Our Lord. Continue to the Caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Finally in the Judean Desert, see the Monastery of St. George, where according to tradition St. Joachim learned from an angel that his wife St. Anne had conceived. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, D)

Day 8. Monday, October 12: Jerusalem: Ein Karem – Shepherds Field – Bethlehem

Travel to the “hill country of Judea” to the city of Ein Karem, the birthplace of St. John the Baptist. Visit the Church of St. John the Baptist built on the place where he was born, and the Church of the Visitation, built over the home of Zacharias, commemorating the Virgin Mary’s visit to St. Elizabeth. Continue to Shepherds’ Field to see the cave of the shepherds where the angels appeared and announced the birth of Christ. In Bethlehem, the royal city of David, pray at the Cave of the Nativity, the birthplace of Our Savior. Visit the Church of St. Catherine with the grottoes of the Holy Innocents, St. Joseph and St. Jerome, and the Milk Grotto, where tradition says the Holy Family took refuge before their flight into Egypt. Then, do some shopping at a wood carving cooperative. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, D)

Day 9. Tuesday, October 13: Jerusalem: Temple Mount – St. Anne’s Church – Ecce Homo – Mount of Olives – Gethsemane

A full day of sightseeing in the Holy City. Visit the Temple Mount, where Our Lord used to preach, traditionally the site of Salomon’s Temple, and since 691 AD an Islamic site. Afterwards, visit the Church of St. Anne, erected over the traditional site of the birthplace of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Continue to the Pools of Bethesda excavations, identified as the scene of the healing of the paralytic. Then, visit the Flagellation Church that enshrines the spot where Our Lord was flogged. Next is Ecce Homo Church, erected where Pontius Pilate presented Our Lord to the hostile Jewish crowd. In the afternoon, visit the Chapel of the Ascension, the Church of the Pater Noster, where Our Lord taught His disciples how to pray, and the Dominus Flevit Chapel, where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. Arrive into the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, built over the rock on which Our Lord prayed the night before He was crucified. Finally, visit the Cave of the Betrayal, marking the place where Judas delivered Our Lord to the soldiers. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, D)

Day 10. Wednesday, October 14: Jerusalem: Mount Sion

Begin the day with Mount Sion, to visit the Upper Room where the Last Supper took place; the Church of the Dormition erected on the spot where Our Lady was assumed into heaven; and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where St. Peter denied Our Lord three times. The rest of the day is free. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, D)

Day 11. Thursday, October 15: Jerusalem: Bethany – Masada – Dead Sea

Journey to Bethany, home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary Magdalene, and visit St. Lazarus Catholic Church and St. Lazarus’ Tomb. In Masada, take a cable car to the mountain-top fortress, the last Jewish stronghold after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 66. Afterwards, you may take the opportunity to wade and bathe in the Dead Sea. Enjoy a farewell dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, FD)

Day 12. Friday, October 16: Jerusalem: Way of the Cross – Holy Sepulcher

Early in the morning, pray the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa, finishing at the Holy Sepulcher Church. The rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, D)

Day 13. Saturday, October 17: Transfer to Tel Aviv Airport – Arrival in USA

Very early transfer to Tel Aviv airport to catch your 4:50AM group flight.

Buffet Breakfast (BB); Lunch (L); Welcome Dinner (WD); Dinner (D); Farewell Dinner (FD)

* In case of unforeseen events, this itinerary is subject to change.