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Including Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Nazareth, Cana, Tiberias, Galilee, Tabgah, Capernaum, Mount Tabor, the Dead Sea, Qumran, Bethany, Bethlehem, Jerusalem & more.
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Day 1 - USA / TEL AVIV
Tour members depart the U.S. for our transatlantic flight. Meals served onboard. |
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Day 2 - TEL AVIV
Upon arriving in Tel Aviv, we are welcomed by our Pilgrimage Tours' tour director. We board our motor coach and depart for Tel Aviv. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Tel Aviv. |
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Day 3 - TIBERIAS / CAESAREA / MEGIDDO / NAZARETH / CANA
From Tel Aviv, we depart north along the sand dunes of the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea by the Sea, built by King Herod just a decade before the birth of Jesus. The spectacular ruins were once the home of Pontius Pilate and the site of the trial of the Apostle Paul. Here we visit the Crusaders' Castle and the Roman Amphitheater. Ascending the heights of Mount Carmel for one Israel's best views high above the Mediterranean we see the place where the prophet Elijah was instrumental in the defeat of the prophets of Ba'al. At Megiddo we see the ancient city and the site where the prophetic battle of Armageddon is said will take place. We will explore the ruins and observe ongoing excavations. In Nazareth where Jesus grew up, we will celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation where the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would "bring forth a son". We continue on to Mary's Well and the site of Joseph's carpentry shop. In the town of Cana, we will see the site of the miracle where Jesus caused the water in six earthen jars to turn into wine. We have dinner and stay overnight at our hotel near the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias. |
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Day 4 - UPPER GALILEE / BEATITUDES / TABGAH / CAPERNAUM
The beginning of another incredible day takes us to Mt. Hermon. After ascending the Golan Plateau for a panoramic view of upper Galilee, we descend to modern-day Banias (Caesaria Philippi) where St. Peter proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus' "conferred the keys" upon Peter. We retell the 'Sermon on the Mount' and celebrate Mass while standing on the Mount of Beatitudes looking out over the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee. A classic boat ride across the tranquil waters of the Sea of Galilee recalls the miracle of walking on water and calling on Peter and Andrew to become 'fishers of men'. We visit Tabgah, where Jesus' walk on water took place and the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is commemorated in the mosaic floors of the historic Church. In the town where Jesus' ministry was centered, Capernaum, we see the remains of an early Church, the ruins of Peter's House, and walk inside of the ancient stone synagogue where Jesus preached. We have dinner and stay overnight at our hotel near the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias. |
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Day 5 - MOUNT TABOR / JERICHO / BETHLEHEM
One of the most vivid images of the New Testament, in Matthew 17 "And after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them. And his face did shine like the sun, and his raiment was white as the light" took place at Mount Tabor - the Mount of Transfiguration. We see the place of the transfiguration in one of the most beautiful churches in the Holy Land at the summit of the dome like mountain. We descend to the Jordan River to experience the place where John the Baptist immersed Jesus, renewing our baptismal promises in the cleansing waters. A drive through the lush Jordan valley brings us to the oldest city in the world, Jericho, where you can still see pot shards and walk on actual remains of the famed wall that came "tumbling down". From Jericho, we enter the harshness of the Judean desert that underscores the trying moment at the Mount of Temptation where, after 40 days of fasting, Jesus was tempted by Satan and prevailed. We visit the Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught the "Our Father." At the Dome of the Ascension we will look upon the rock that Jesus stood on at the moment of his ascension to heaven. We turn toward Jerusalem and Bethlehem via the Wadi Qelt, the old Roman road where we will see the Monastery of St. George built up against the cliffs. Continuing to Bethlehem, we'll celebrate the Mass for Christmas Day at the Church of St. Catherine, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born. At the Shepherd's Field, just East of Bethlehem, we learn of the announcement of the birth of Jesus. We have dinner and stay overnight at our hotel in Jerusalem. |
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Day 6 - JERUSALEM
As we ascend the Mount of Olives, morning lends us a breathtaking view of the Holy City of Jerusalem. Here we gather for our group photo. The Middle East flavor is strong; sounds of morning Muslim prayers are heard and the golden Dome of the Rock shimmers in the morning sun. We celebrate Mass at one of the most inspiring works of Christian architecture and art in Israel, the Church of All Nations, site of the Garden of Gethsemane. Crossing the Kidron Valley, we pass the monuments of Absalom, Zechariah and St. James, partially built and partially hewn directly into the limestone cliffs. At Mount Zion, the Upper Room (Room of the Last Supper and Pentecost) is a place of prayer, song and praise for many who come here. One of Jerusalem's landmarks, the Dormition Abbey represents Mary having passed into eternal life, asleep, in grand Byzantine dÇcor. We descend down the trail to Dominus Flevit Chapel, the site where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. We head for the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu - the House of Caiaphas, we see the place of the trial of Jesus and where Peter denied Christ three times. Our day concludes with a visit to the model of the Second Temple as it was in the time of Jesus and the Israel Museum where we see actual parchments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We have dinner and stay overnight at our hotel in Jerusalem. |
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Day 7 - MASADA / DEAD SEA / QUMRAN / BETHANY
After breakfast, we journey east into the Southern Judean Desert. At Masada we ascend either by foot or cable car on a spectacular ride to the top of the fortress palace of Herod, which was made famous by Jewish Zealots during the Roman siege from 70-73 AD. We see the remains of the fortifications, synagogue, storehouses, cisterns, and the 6th century Byzantine Church. Next, it's beach time at the Dead Sea - the absolute lowest point on Earth where the salty water is so buoyant that sinking is IMPOSSIBLE. - At Qumran you will look, literally only a stones throw away, into the cave where the original Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Interestingly, they were found when a Bedouin boy broke a clay jar by throwing a stone into the cave. On the Eastern slope of the Mount of Olives we see the Good Samaritan Inn, Bethany, where we celebrate Mass in the home of Mary and Martha and enter the Tomb of Lazarus where Jesus "cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth" and Lazarus was risen from the dead. We have dinner and stay overnight at our hotel in Jerusalem. |
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Day 8 - JERUSALEM / JOPPA
Through the beautiful Damascus Gate we enter the Old City of Jerusalem, making our way through colorful Arab markets and bazaars to the Temple Mount, site of the first and second Jewish temples and now the Dome of the Rock. Entering St. Stephen's gate we see the open air Pool of Bethesda where Jesus performed a miracle cure and the infirm have sought healing for centuries. We recall the final hours of Jesus' life at Pilate's Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation and the Arch of the Ecce Homo "Behold, the man". We walk and pray along the Via Dolorosa - the "Stations of the Cross" where Jesus carried and fell beneath the weight of his cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We'll celebrate Mass in this most Holy of places. In the Jewish Quarter of the Old City we'll go up to the Western Wall of the Temple, currently Judaism's holiest site where supplicants from around the world come to pray. We say farewell to Jerusalem to visit the quaint village of Joppa along the Mediterranean coast. While staying at the house of Simon the Tanner in Joppa, Peter experienced the vision of the unclean animals and was called to minister to the Roman centurion Cornelius, and begin the ministry that would lead him to Rome. We return to our hotel for dinner and stay in Jerusalem overnight. |
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Day 9 - TEL AVIV / USA
We depart to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Though we come to the end of our time of pilgrimage, our faith is deepened, our hearts stirred. Reading our Bible and seeking Christ as pilgrims in this life will forever take on new meaning for every one of us. |
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