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An 11-Day Pilgrimage to the Holy Land &
Jordan
Including Tel Aviv, Haifa, Caesarea, Mount Carmel, Nazareth,
Cana, Tiberias, Sea of Galilee, Beatitudes, Tabgha, Capernaum,
Mount Tabor, Jerash, Petra, Amman, Mount Nebo, the Jordan
River, Jericho, Masada, Qumran, the Dead Sea, Bethany,
Jerusalem, Ein Karem, Mount Zion
Day 1 - Monday
USA / TEL
AVIV
Tour
members gather for our flight to the Holy Land. Meals are
served onboard.
Day 2 - Tuesday
TEL
AVIV
Today we
arrive in Tel Aviv. We are met by our Pilgrimage Tours’
tour escort and taken through customs then board our motor
coach to transfer to our hotel on the Mediterranean Sea for
dinner and overnight. (Accommodations in Tel Aviv on the
beach of the Mediterranean Sea at the Sheraton Moriah
Hotel)
Day 3 -
Wednesday
CAESAREA / MOUNT CARMEL / HAIFA /
NAZARETH / CANA /
TIBERIAS
After
breakfast, we begin our tour of the Holy Land. We
drive 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. 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. Here we visit the shrine of Our Lady of Mount
Carmel and see Elijah’s Cave. Next we visit Haifa,
where we see the St. Peter by the Sea Shrine.
Continuing on to Nazareth where Jesus grew up, we
celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation, where
the archangel Gabriel told Mary that she would “bring
forth a son”. After visits to Mary’s Well and the
Church of St. Joseph, site of Joseph’s carpentry shop, we
proceed to Cana where for a renewal of wedding vows where
Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into
wine at the wedding feast. Dinner and overnight in
Tiberias. (Accommodations in Tiberias on the beach
of the Sea of Galilee at the Scots
Hotel)
Day 4 - Thursday
UPPER GALILEE / BEATITUDES /
TABGHA / CAPERNAUM
After breakfast we depart for the Beatitudes
where we retell the ’Sermon on the Mount’ following by our own
celebration of Mass while standing on the Mount of Beatitudes
looking out over the Jordan Valley and the Sea of
Galilee. Next we take a classic boat ride across the
 tranquil waters of the Sea of
Galilee recalling the miracle of walking on water and
calling on Peter and Andrew to become ‘fishers of
men’. Next we see Tabgha (Heptagagon, “seven
springs”), where the multiplication of the loaves and
fishes is commemorated in the mosaic floors of the
historic Church. We visit the nearby Church of the
Primacy on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Peter
received his commission from Jesus to “feed my
lambs”. Next, in the town where Jesus’ ministry was
centered, Capernaum, we see the remains of an early
Church, the ruins of Peter’s House, and the ancient
synagogue where Jesus preached. Next we enjoy our
“St. Peter’s Lunch” on the Sea of Galilee. The
remainder of our day is free to enjoy as we choose.
Dinner and overnight at our hotel on the Sea of Galilee in
Tiberias.
Day 5 - Friday
MOUNT TABOR / JORDAN VALLEY /
JERASH / AMMAN
This morning we ascend 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. Here we enjoy a
celebration of Mass. Next we drive through the Jordan
Valley to Sheikh Hussein Bridge and cross over into
Jordan. We arrive in the spectacular, ancient city of
Jerash, the grandest survivor of the Decapolis, its great
pillars and theatre still untoppled. Jerash is situated
on lush land with lovely green foliage year round from its
collection of various Oaks and Pines. Here we will see
Hadrian’s Arch, the Hippodrome, the Oval Plaza and Theatre, the
Cardo and the Temples of Artemis and Zeus. We continue on
to Amman and enjoy an orientation tour of this ancient city to
include a visit the 2nd century Roman Amphitheater, as well as
the Roman ruins of the Citadel and visit the Archaeological
Museum. Dinner and overnight in Amman.
(Accommodations in Amman at the Le Meridian
Hotel)
Day 6 - Saturday
AMMAN /
PETRA
This
morning we depart for a day-trip to Petra. We arrive in
Petra, the “Rose Red City”. Visiting
this ancient Endomite and Nabatean capital with its famed
gorge, ancient streets, dwellings and tombs, as well as
incredibly beautiful temples carved into its multi-colored
sandstone, is an extraordinary experience. Late
afternoon we return to Amman for dinner and
overnight.
Day 7 - Sunday
AMMAN / MT. NEBO / JERICHO /
MASADA / QUMRAN / THE DEAD SEA /
JERUSALEM
This
morning we visit Mount Nebo where God showed Moses the Promised
Land. Here we celebrate Mass at the Franciscan
church. Next we depart Jordan via the Allenby Bridge and
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”. At Masada we
ascend either by foot or cable car on a spectacular ride to the
top of the fortress palace of Herod. Next, its 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. We turn toward Jerusalem via the Wadi
Qelt, the old Roman road where we will see the Monastery of St.
George built up against the cliffs. Dinner and overnight
in Jerusalem. (Accommodations in Jerusalem near the Old
City walls at the King David Hotel)
Day 8 - Monday
JERUSALEM /
BETHLEHEM
Our
day begins with a dramatic view of the walled Old City of
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives where we participate in a
group photo. This is followed by a visit to the Church of
Pater Noster where Jesus taught the “Our Father”, and the
Chapel of the Ascension. Next we walk down the hill known
as the “Palm Sunday Road”, to Dominus Flevit Chapel on the site
where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. A stop at the Church of
the Assumption is the beautiful place of the Tomb of the Virgin
Mary. Next, we proceed to the Garden of Gethsemane to
celebrate Mass and a visit to the Church of All Nations.
Next we arrive at 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. Next we travel the
short route to the Shepherd’s Valley Tourist Village for lunch,
followed by a visit to the Shepherd’s Field with its caves that
were typical of the stables of Jesus’ time. It is here
where the angel appeared to the shepherds and led them to
Bethlehem. Next we arrive in Bethlehem, birthplace of
Jesus, where we will spend some time in prayer at the site of
Jesus’ birth inside the Church of the Nativity, St.
Catherine’s, the Grotto of the Holy Family, and the Cave of St.
Jerome. While in Bethlehem, we have time for shopping
beautiful Olive wood carvings and other Israeli crafts in
Bethlehem. We depart Manger Square and return to our
hotel in Jerusalem. This evening, dinner is on our own at
a local restaurant. Overnight in
Jerusalem.
Day 9 - Tuesday
JERUSALEM
This morning we enter through the Dung Gate and go up to the
Western Wall of the Temple, currently Judaism’s holiest site
where people from around the world come to pray. Next we
visit the Temple Mount, site of the first and second Jewish
temples and now the Dome of the Rock. Next we pay a visit
to St. Anne’s and an opportunity to sing a hymn and then see
the open air Pool of Bethesda where Jesus performed a miracle
cure and the infirm have sought healing for centuries.
Next 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”, the Lithostrotos where we see the ancient
carvings in the stone floor of the basement. From
here we will 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 followed by some time to explore this place of
Jesus’ tomb. From here we walk the “Cardo” and enter
the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to explore its shops
and culture. The rest of our afternoon is at leisure
for prayer and reflection. This evening, dinner is
on our own at a local restaurant. Overnight at our
hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 10 & 11 – Wednesday &
Thursday
JERUSALEM / EIN KAREM / MOUNT
ZION / TEL AVIV / USA
This morning we will visit a couple of
important museums. First we visit the Israeli Museum and
see its model of the Second Temple as it was in the time of
Jesus, as well as the “Shrine of the Book”, with its Dead Sea
Scrolls exhibit, followed by a visit to nearby Yad V’shem
Museum, Israel’s “national holocaust museum”. Next we
arrive in Ein Karem in time for lunch, followed by a visit to
the birthplace of John the Baptist, and to the Church of the
Visitation, where we celebrate Mass. It is here where the
Blessed Virgin Mary proclaimed her famous hymn of thanksgiving
known as the Magnificat. Next we visit Mount Zion where
we find The Upper Room, (Room of the Last Supper and Pentecost)
a place of prayer, song and praise. One of Jerusalem’s
landmarks, the Dormition Abbey represents Mary having passed
into eternal life, asleep, in grand Byzantine décor. This
evening we enjoy a “Farewell Dinner” at a local
restaurant. Following dinner, we proceed to Tel Aviv’s
Ben Gurion airport for our late night return flight to the
United States. We arrive back home the following
morning. 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. We have
dinner and stay overnight at our hotel in
Jerusalem.
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