A 12-day Pilgrimage to the Holy Land & Jordan

Day 1 – Monday
USA / THE HOLY LAND
Today we depart the United States on our flight to The Holy Land, arriving in Tel Aviv the following day. Meals are served on board our transatlantic flight.

Day 2 – Tuesday
TEL AVIV / CAESAREA MARITIMA / HAIFA / MOUNT CARMEL / SEA OF GALILEE / TIBERIAS
This morning we arrive in Tel Aviv. We are met by our Pilgrimage Tours’ tour escort and board our motor coach. We drive north along the sand dunes of the Mediterranean coast to visit Caesarea Maritima, 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. Next we visit Haifa, where we see the Saint Peter by the Sea Shrine. 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 will visit the Stella Maris Monastery and celebrate Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We continue on to the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Day 3 – Wednesday
TIBERIAS / NAZARETH / CANA / TEL DAN / CAESAREA PHILIPPI
Following breakfast, we drive to Nazareth where Jesus spent his childhood. Here we will visit and 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 Saint Joseph, site of Joseph’s carpentry shop, we proceed to Cana for a renewal of wedding vows in the church where Jesus performed his first miracle, by turning water into wine at the Wedding Feast. In the afternoon we visit the nature park of Tel Dan as well as Caesarea Philippi (Banias), where Saint Peter proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus “conferred the keys” of the Kingdom of Heaven upon Peter and said to Peter “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church”. We return to Tiberias with a drive through the Golan Heights and a stop at the Plain of Bethsaida. We return to the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Day 4 – Thursday
MOUNT TABOR / MOUNT OF BEATITUDES / TABGHA / CAPERNAUM
Today we drive to Judea through Samaria. En route we ascend Mount Tabor; the Mount of Transfiguration. We visit and celebrate Mass at the place of the transfiguration in one of the most beautiful churches in the Holy Land at the summit of the dome like mountain. Later in the morning we drive to the Mount of Beatitudes, where we retell the Sermon on the Mount while overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee. Following Mass, we visit Tabgha and the Church of Heptapegon (“seven springs”). In the church’s mosaic floor the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is commemorated. We visit the nearby Church of the Primacy of Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee where Peter received his commission from Jesus to “feed my sheep”. Next we enjoy our “St. Peter’s lunch” on the Sea of Galilee. In the afternoon, we arrive in the town where Jesus’ ministry was centered, Capernaum, where we see the remains of an early Church, the ruins of Peter’s House, and the ancient synagogue where Jesus preached. Our day concludes with 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”. In Nof Ginosar we see the remains of an ancient boat from the 1st century, known as the celebrated “Jesus Boat”. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Day 5 – Friday
JORDAN VALLEY / JERASH / AMMAN
This morning we drive through the Jordan Valley to the Sheikh Hussein Bridge where we cross into Jordan. Our first visit in Jordan is to the spectacular, ancient city of Jerash, the grandest survivor of the Decapolis, its great pillars and theatre still standing. 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 as well as the Theatre, the Cardo and the Temples of Artemis and Zeus. Finally, we arrive in Amman for an orientation tour of this ancient city where we see the 2nd century Roman Amphitheater, as well as the Roman ruins of the Citadel and visit the Archaeological Museum. We celebrate Mass at Sacred Heart Parish before arriving at our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Amman.

Day 6 – Saturday
AMMAN / MOUNT NEBO / PETRA
This morning we visit Mount Nebo where God showed Moses the Promised Land. On a clear day, the view is quite dramatic and includes seeing the Jordan Valley and Jordan River, the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Jericho & the Dead Sea. Here we celebrate Mass at the Franciscan Church. Following Mass, we drive to one of the most popular destinations in the whole world; the “Rose Red City” of Petra. Here we visit the ancient Edomite 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. We descend down the sandstone path and arrive at the famous Treasury of Petra. Here we enjoy free time before arriving at our hotel in Petra for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 – Sunday
PETRA / THE JORDAN RIVER / JERICHO / JERUSALEM
This morning we drive to the Jordan River and see the place where Jesus was immersed by John the Baptist and where pilgrims renew their baptismal promises to this day. Next we drive to the border and cross the Allenby Bridge into the Holy Land where we will visit the oldest city in the world, Jericho, where you can still see actual remains of the famed walls that came “tumblin’ down”. Here we see the famous Sycamore tree that Zaccheus climbed in order to see Jesus. While in Jericho, we visit and celebrate Mass at the Good Shepherd Church. Following Mass, we continue on to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 – Monday
JERUSALEM / BETHLEHEM / MOUNT OF OLIVES
This morning we drive to 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. We depart Manger Square and Bethlehem for a short drive 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. In the afternoon, we return to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives and enjoy a dramatic view of the walled Old City of Jerusalem. 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. We arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane to celebrate Mass, followed by a visit to the Church of All Nations. Finally, we visit the Church of the Assumption, the beautiful place of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 9 – Tuesday
JERUSALEM / MOUNT ZION
This morning we enjoy a visit to Mount Zion, beginning with Mass at the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu – the House of Caiaphas, the place of the trial of Jesus and where Peter denied Christ three times. Following Mass we visit 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. From here we enter the city through Zion Gate and enter the Jewish Quarter and walk the “Cardo”, the ancient Roman road towards the Western Wall of the Temple or “Wailing Wall”, currently Judaism’s holiest site where people from around the world come to pray. From here we also see the Temple Mount, site of the first and second Jewish temples and now the Dome of the Rock. We visit nearby St. Anne’s Church 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. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 10 – Wednesday
JERUSALEM / BETHANY / MASADA / THE DEAD SEA
We awake early this morning and arrive at the Chapel of Flagellation and the Arch of the Ecce Homo “Behold, the man”, as well as 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 free time to explore this place of Jesus’ tomb. In the afternoon we drive to Bethany to see the home of Mary and Martha and the Tomb of Lazarus where Jesus “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth” and Lazarus was risen from the dead. Next we drive to Masada, the fortress palace of King Herod. We enjoy a spectacular ride as we ascend Masada by cable car. Finally, it is “beach time” at the Dead Sea – the absolute lowest point on Earth where the salty water is so buoyant that sinking is IMPOSSIBLE. Following our time at the Dead Sea, we return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Days 11 & 12 – Thursday & Friday
JERUSALEM / EMMAUS / EIN KAREM / TEL AVIV / USA
This morning we visit the Israeli Museum and 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. Next we drive to the traditional location of Emmaus, in the town of Abu Ghosh where we visit its beautiful church. We continue on to Ein Karem for a visit to the birthplace of John the Baptist, and then continue on 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. Following Mass, we return to Jerusalem for this evening’s “Farewell Dinner” at the Saint John Paul the Great Spiritual Center. 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 day. 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.