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Including Tel Aviv, Tiberias, Caesarea, Nazareth, Cana, Galilee, Tabgah, Capernaum, Mount Tabor, the Dead Sea, Masada, Qumran, Bethany, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Assisi, Rome & The Vatican.
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Day 1 - USA / TEL AVIV
We depart the U.S. for our flight to Rome via wide-body aircraft. Arriving the next morning, connect with our flight to Tel Aviv. Meals are served onboard. |
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Day 2 - TEL AVIV
Today we arrive in Tel Aviv and are met by our Pilgrimage Tours' tour director who will assist us through customs. We board our motor coach to transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Tel Aviv. |
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Day 3 - TIBERIAS / CAESAREA / NAZARETH / CANA
After breakfast, we begin our tour of the Holy Land. Our first stop is Caesarea by the Sea, the Roman capital city where Peter baptized Cornelius. We visit the Crusaders' Castle, the Roman Amphitheater, and the seaport from which the Apostle Paul sailed to Rome. Continuing along the coast to Mount Carmel we see the site of Elijah's triumph over the prophets of Ba'al. Continuing on to Nazareth where Jesus grew up we celebrate Mass in the oldest of the churches of the Annunciation. After visits to Mary's Well and the site of Joseph's carpentry shop, we proceed to Cana for a renewal of wedding vows where Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine at the wedding feast. En route to Tiberias for dinner and overnight, we go to the Jordan River to renew our Baptismal promises. |
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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 / BETHLEHEM / JERUSALEM
We leave Galilee for our journey to Judea through Samaria. En route we ascend Mount Tabor to the site of the Transfiguration and visit the monastery there. From the monastery we have a magnificent view of all Galilee. Then we continue along the Jordan Valley road to Jericho, the oldest City in the world, to see the excavations of its ancient, fallen walls, view the Mount of Temptation, and see Elijah's Spring. We proceed via the Wadi Qelt, the old Roman road, and view St. George's Monastery. Our first breathtaking glimpse of the Holy City of Jerusalem awaits us as we ascend the Mount of Olives. Continuing to Bethlehem, Jesus' birthplace, to celebrate the Mass for Christmas Day at the Church of St. Catherine, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born. We also visit the Grotto of St. Jerome and some of the caves that are typical of the stables of Jesus' time. We visit the Shepherd's Field where we learn of the announcement of the birth of Jesus. Then we visit Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist, and the Church of the Visitation. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. |
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Day 6 - JERUSALEM
Our day begins with a dramatic view of the walled Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. From here we pose for our group photo. We visit the Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught the "Our Father". At the Chapel of the Ascension we will look upon the rock that Jesus stood on at the moment of his ascension to heaven. We proceed to the Garden of Gethsemane to celebrate Mass at the Church of All Nations. Crossing the Kidron Valley, we pass the tombs of Absalom, Zechariah and St. James, and stop at the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (the House of Caiaphas), where Peter denied Christ three times and visit the New City of Jerusalem. 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. Our day ends with visits to the model of the Second Temple and the Israeli Museum where we see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. |
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Day 7 - JERUSALEM / DEAD SEA / QUMRAN / BETHANY
This morning we enter the Old City and go to the Temple Mount to see the Dome of the Rock, the Western (Wailing) Wall, the Pool of Bethesda, Pilate's Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, and the Arch of the Ecce Homo (Behold the Man). Traveling alongside the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi, those who wish will have the chance to float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea. We proceed to Qumran and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. On the way to Jerusalem we see the Good Samaritan Inn, Bethany, home of Mary and Martha, where we celebrate Mass and see the Tomb of Lazarus. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. |
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Day 8 - JERUSALEM / ROME
As our time in the Holy Land nears an end we walk and pray the Via Dolorosa (The Stations of the Cross) that leads us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Its vast sanctuary contains Calvary where Jesus was crucified and died, as well as the tomb from which he was resurrected. We celebrate Mass and pray in this most holy of places. In the afternoon we transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight to Rome. Dinner is served on the flight. Upon arrival in Rome we are met by our Pilgrimage Tours_ tour director. Our motor coach takes us along the ancient Appian Way to trace the route the apostles took from the Holy Land into the Eternal City. Following dinner, we participate in a panoramic sightseeing tour of "illuminated Rome by night". Overnight in Rome. |
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Day 9 - ROME
After breakfast our day begins with our own celebration of Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. While at the Basilica we see a young Michelangelo's masterpiece, the deeply moving, magnificent Pieta. Then we visit one of the great art collections in the world, the Vatican Museums. We see the Tapestries Gallery, the Belvedere with its marvelous statues. We also visit Raphael's Rooms, the Pincio Garden and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel that has been restored to its original beauty. In the afternoon we visit the Colosseum, Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Imperial and Roman Forums, Constantine's Arch and the Mamertine Prison where Peter and Paul were held and many Christian martyrs died, and St. Paul's Basilica Outside the Walls where the Apostle to the Gentiles is buried. En route to the Old Appian Way to visit the Catacombs of St. Calixtus, we visit the Basilicas of St. Mary Major, the most important church in the world dedicated to Our Lady and St. John Lateran, the Pope's cathedral church where relics of both Peter and Paul remain under the main altar. Dinner and overnight in Rome. |
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Day 10 - ROME - Papal Audience
After Mass this morning we go to the Vatican for an Audience with the Pope. After the Papal Audience we gather for a group photo in front of St. Peter's. The remainder of our day will be spent visiting the churches of San Clemente and its Crypt and also San Croce in Gerusalemme, which house pieces of the True Cross. We also have time for prayer, relaxation or shopping at religious gift stores. Dinner and overnight in Rome. |
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Day 11 - ASSISI
After breakfast this morning we depart for the medieval town of Assisi and celebrate Mass in the Lower Basilica of St. Francis. After Mass we explore the basilica with its wonderful frescoes by Cimabue and Giotto. We then visit the Basilica of St. Clare, Francis' friend and foundress of the Poor Clare nuns, and see the crucifix that spoke to St. Francis in San Damiano. We go to San Damiano to pray in the place where Francis wrote the "Canticle of the Sun." Then we visit the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli built to enclose the tiny Church of the Porziuncola, St. Francis' first retreat and place of prayer and where he consecrated Clare as the Bride of Christ. Return to Rome for dinner and overnight. |
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Day 12 - ROME / USA
This morning we transfer to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport for our flight home. Though we come to the end of our time of pilgrimage, our faith is deepened, our hearts warmed, and seeking Christ as pilgrims in this life is certain to take on new meaning for every one of us. |
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