Pilgrimage to the Holy Land – June 19-29, 2024 – 24MI06HLBD

Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. Premium economy and business class rates are available upon request.

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, the group is met by our Christian tour guide, who will accompany the group for the entire trip in the Holy Land. We board our bus and head to Caesarea, where we view the archaeological remains of this ancient port. Continue to Haifa to celebrate Mass at Stella Maris Church. We continue to our hotel at the Sea of Galilee area to settle into the hotel and enjoy a welcome drink and dinner. Overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

Travel to Nazareth to see where Mary and Joseph lived and Jesus grew up. (Mathew 2:23). We visit the Byzantine Church of St. Joseph, which tradition identifies as the workshop and home of the Holy Family, and celebrate Mass at the Church of Annunciation. We visit the Wedding Church at Cana in the afternoon, where married couples may renew their wedding vows. Overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

Our group enjoys breakfast at the hotel before we embark on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We continue on to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus proclaimed His great sermon on the Mount. Nearby is Tabgha, one of Jesus’ miracle sites, where we visit the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish. Also, in Tabgha is St. Peter’s Primacy, where Jesus bestowed church leadership upon Peter and where we celebrate Mass. (TBC). Tonight we have dinner at Magdalena restaurant. Overnight at our hotel at the Sea of Galilee. (B. L. Special dinner)

Our first stop today will be Capernaum for a visit to the synagogue where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Bread of Life and to see Peter’s House. We make a brief stop at the area of Bethsaida, the location of Jesus’ miracles of healing the blind man and the first Feeding of the Multitude. We continue to the national park of Banias and Cesarea Phillipi, where Jesus called Peter “the rock” upon which his future church will be founded. Here we celebrate Mass. We stop to visit the Golan Heights, from where we view the Syrian landscape. Dinner and overnight Sea of Galilee.

We drive to Mt. Tabor to visit the Monastery of Transfiguration, where we celebrate Mass. We stop at a local winery to taste Galilean wines and have lunch. Continue to Jerusalem for a vist to the Israeli Museum before we settle into our hotel, the Notre Dame located across the street from the Old City. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B. Special lunch, D)

After breakfast, we head to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, where we visit Shepherd’s Fields to celebrate Mass. Visit the Church of the Nativity, built over the Grotto marking the

We visit Bethany to see the house of Mary, Martha and Lazarus before driving to Mt. of Olives. Our group visits the Pater Noster Shrine, where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer. Walking down the Palm Sunday Road, we stop at the Ascension Chapel, Dominus Flevit (the teardrop church), the Garden of Agony, and the Church of Gethsemane, where we celebrate Mass. We drive to Mt. Zion in the afternoon to visit St. Peter in Galicantu, the Upper Room, King David’s Tomb, and the Church of the Dormition. We see the Church of St. Anne and the Pools of Siloam. Tonight dinner is at leisure to explore the local dining scene in the Old Town or the nearby Mamilla Mall. Perhaps try dinner at the rooftop of the Mamila Hotel or the Wine Cheese Bar in our hotel. Overnight at our hotel in Jerusalem.

Following early morning Mass at the Chapel of Notre Dame, we drive through the Jordan Valley to the oldest inhabited city in the world, Jericho. In Jericho, view the exact location of the Mount of Temptation, where the Devil tempted Jesus during his forty-day fast. We receive a blessing by Fr. Donovan at Jesus’ baptismal site on the River Jordan. In Qumran, we see the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written and discovered. Time and weather permitting, our group will have the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea, the lowest and saltiest spot on Earth. (be sure to bring your bathing suits). Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

We begin the day early this morning by walking the Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross), to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where we celebrate Mass. After walking through the Old City, we visit the Wailing Wall and the Davidson Center with the Southern Steps. Enjoy the farewell dinner tonight at a local restaurant. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B. Special dinner)

Following breakfast this morning, we are transferred to the airport for our flight home.