| Holy
Land Roman Catholic Pilgrimage
11 Days
Sample Itinerary
Day 1 - En Route
Our members are welcomed at the airport for their flight(s)
to Israel.
Day 2 - Tel Aviv
You are met, assisted and transferred to bustling Tel
Aviv for dinner and overnight. En route visit the restored ancient
port of Jaffa (Joppa) from where Jonah set sail and where St. Peter
raised Tabitha from the dead.
Day 3 - Tel Aviv/Tiberias
Travel along the Mediterranean to the Roman port of Caesarea,
where Paul was imprisoned before sailing to Rome for trial and execution.
See the theatre and aqueduct and the Crusaders' moat and fortress.
Continue to Haifa; ascend Mount Cannel, home to Prophet Elijah.
Celebrate Mass in the Carmelite Church of Stella Mans. On to the
Crusader fortress of Acre (Akko) to see the Knights' Templar complex
and browse through this charming fishing port. Drive through the
lush Galilee. Descend to the Sea of Galilee to reach Tiberias for
overnight.
Day 4 - The Galilee
Travel by boat on the Sea of Galilee; see the remains
of a 1st-century fishing boat. Visit Capernaum, home to St. Peter
and site of Christ's preaching. On to Tabgha, site of the Miracle
of the Loaves and Fishes; see the Church of the Multiplication with
its beautiful 5th-century fish mosaic and the Church of the Primacy,
the Mensa Christi upon which Jesus shared meals with His disciples.
Celebrate Mass in the lovely Chapel on the Mount of Beatitudes.
Ascend the Golan Heights to Dan, the northern limit of Jesus' ministry
and ancient Caesarea Philippi. Here St. Peter proclaimed Jesus as
Christ. Overnight - Tiberias.
Day 5 - The Galilee
Visit Sepphoris, traditional birthplace of the Blessed
Mother. On to Nazareth to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation;
celebrate Mass in the Grotto; see the Synagogue Church, the Church
of St. Joseph and Mary's Well, where Gabriel announced the Incarnation.
Visit Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle at the wedding
feast and where you may renew your own vows. On to Yardenit, the
Baptismal site constructed where the Jordan flows from the lake.
Overnight - Tiberias.
Day 6 - Tiberias/Jerusalem
Ascend Mount Tabor, the Mount of Transfiguration, to
celebrate Mass. Drive into the Jordan (Rift) Valley to Bet She'an;
see the Roman theatre, the exquisite mosaics and the excavations
of this Decapolis city. On to Jericho, the oldest known city of
the Western world. View Qarantal, the Monastery on the Mount of
Temptation where Jesus fasted 40 days. Ascend to Jerusalem via the
Old Jericho Road which affords marvelous views of Wadi Qelt and
the Monastery of St. George. Overnight - Jerusalem.
Day 7 - Jerusalem
Visit Bethlehem, birthplace of King David and Jesus Christ,
celebrating Mass in the Church of St. Catherine. See the Manger,
Crusaders' Cloister, and the Grotto of St. Jerome. Visit Ein Karem,
birthplace of John the Baptist, to see the Church of the Visitation.
See the Model City which depicts Jerusalem in the 1st Century. On
to the Shrine of the Book, housing the Dead Sea Scrolls and the
Monastery of the Cross. End your day atop Mount Zion; visit the
Upper Room, the Tomb of King David, and Caiaphas' House (Peter in
Gallicantu). Overnight - Jerusalem.
Day 8 - Jerusalem
Descend through the Judean Wilderness below sea level
to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on Earth. Travel to Masada, Herod
the Great's fortress/palace. Ascend by cable car to view the exquisitely
restored archeological remains. On to Kibbutz Ein Gedi to sample
the unique buoyancy of the highly therapeutic Dead Sea waters and/or
enjoy a climb into the nature preserve. View Qumran, the caves where
the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. After dinner, tour of "illuminated"
Jerusalem, followed by a folklore performance. Overnight - Jerusalem.
Day 9 - Jerusalem
Ascend the Mount of olives; see the Church of Pater Noster
and Dominus Flevit. Celebrate Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Enter the Old City to reach the restored Jewish Quarter. See the
excavated Roman Cardo and the remains of Nehemiah's walls. Visit
the Wohl Archeological Museum housing excavated villas from the
1st century. Descend to the Temple Mount to see the Western Wall
and the Dome of the Rock. Walk through centuries of history in the
Hasmonean Tunnel. Tour Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the Holocaust;
walk along the Avenue of the Righteous. Overnight - Jerusalem.
Day 10 - Jerusalem
Enter the Old City through St. Stephen's Gate. Visit
the Crusader Church of St. Anne, the Pool of Bethesda, Pilate's
Judgment Hall, the Chapel of flagellation, the Arch of Ecce Homo
and the Convent of the Sisters of Zion. Begin the Stations of the
Cross following the Via Dolorosa to the Holy Sepulchre where Mass
will be celebrated in the Roman Catholic Chapel. Afternoon is at
leisure. Overnight - Jerusalem.
Day 11 - En Route
Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for return
flight(s).
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