Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Dr. Marcellino and Susan D’Ambrosio, Fr. Edwin Leonard, Deacon Ron Blanton, and Deacon Dan Dombrosky

Depart NYC area airport and DFW on an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. Enjoy your flight as you look forward to your incredible pilgrimage journey. Quotes for add-on flights and optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request and will be provided starting 120 days before departure. Group air restrictions (for ten passengers traveling together) do not permit specific seating requests on flights. We recommend purchasing your own airline tickets and land-only packages with us if seat confirmation is an important part of your trip. Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact your trip Account Manager, who will be happy to assist you.

Shalom! We arrive at Tel Aviv Airport and, once we pass through passport control and customs, are greeted by our English-speaking Christian guide, who will assist us with boarding our luxury Motorcoach. We travel to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and a well-deserved night of rest. Overnight in Jerusalem.

This morning, we visit the Church of St. Anne, built on the site of Our Lady’s birthplace. Continue to the Pools of Bethesda, where Christ healed the paralytic. Visit the temple area, the site of the original temple, which witnessed many episodes from Christ’s life, including the expulsion of the money changers. We visit the Western Wall (aka the “Wailing Wall”) of the Temple, the most sacred spot in the world for the Jews, and continue to the Davidson Archeological Park at the Temple to see the Teaching steps where the twelve-year-old Jesus sat at the feet of the teachers and where he later himself taught during his public ministry. In the afternoon, proceed to the National Museum, the Shrine of the Book. Continue to Mount Zion, visiting the room of the Last Supper and the Church of the Dormition. We celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, built on the site of the house of Caiaphas, which encloses the dungeon where Christ was kept on Holy Thursday night and where Peter denied Christ thrice. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Today, we begin at Bethphage, where the procession of Palm Sunday started. Continue to the Mount of Olives and visit the Church of the Ascension, the spot where Christ ascended into Heaven; the Pater Noster Church commemorating Christ’s teaching of Our Father to his disciples; Dominus Flevit, the place where Christ wept over Jerusalem, and onwards to Gethsemane to view the ancient Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Church of All Nations which houses the Rock of the Agony of Christ on Holy Thursday; in this Church is a beautiful mosaic donated by the United States. Visit the Cave of the Betrayal of Jesus and the Tomb of Our Lady. In the afternoon, we visit Ein Karem, the place of the Visitation, where Our Lady visited her cousin, Elizabeth. View the plaques with the Magnificat in most languages of the world. We visit the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist and the Grotto of his birth. We celebrate Mass at the Church of the Visitation before returning to our hotel. Following dinner, we attend the Holy Hour in the Garden of Gethsemane. Overnight in Jerusalem.

This morning, we depart for Bethlehem. We visit the children at the orphanage at the French Hospital, then continue to the Basilica of the Nativity, built over the site of Christ’s birth. We see the cave where Christ was born and enjoy singing traditional Christmas Hymns. The nearby Church of St. Catherine is the venue for the midnight Mass broadcast worldwide from Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. We visit St. Jerome’s Grotto, the cave where he lived for many years while translating the Bible into Latin. Following a break for our included lunch, we continue to Shepherds’ Field, recalling the “great throng of the heavenly hosts” who appeared to the shepherds and told them of the birth of the Savior. Here, we celebrate Mass. Tonight, we enjoy the “Sharing the Bread“ dinner as we are welcomed into the homes of Christian families in Bethlehem. Return to Jerusalem for overnight. (B.L. Special dinner)

We start the day early by celebrating Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We return to the hotel for breakfast before we start praying the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa. We visit Calvary and the Tomb of Our Lord before continuing with a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, visiting the Chapel of Flagellation, the Chapel of Condemnation, and the Lithostrotos, the site of the Antonia Fortress, where Julius Caesar resided at the time of Christ, and where Christ was tried and condemned to death. We visit the Southern Steps and the Davidson Center before we drive through the Judean Wilderness to Jericho. Visit Elisha’s Fountain and the ancient city of Jericho. See the Mount of Temptation in the distance, where Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. Visit Tel El Sultan before we continue to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. Our final stop of the day is the Dead Sea, where we have time to relax and float (don’t forget to pack a bathing suit) before heading back to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

This morning, we drive north from Jerusalem to visit Mt. Tabor. We leave the bus and transfer to taxis for the ascent to the top. We visit the site of the Transfiguration and celebrate Mass. Continue to Magdala, to visit the village of Mary Magdalene, before we check into our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

This morning, we visit Nazareth. We begin with a visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation, which encloses the remains of the house where the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that she would become the mother of God. Continue to Nazareth Village to learn more about daily life in the time of Jesus. Following lunch on our own, we drive to the Wedding Church at Cana, where Christ performed his first miracle. Here, we celebrate Mass, and married couples can renew their marriage vows. We then proceed to the River Jordan, where we renew our Baptismal vows, before returning to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Our next stop is Capernaum, now in ruins but once a thriving town where Peter lived and where much of Christ’s public ministry took place. See the Church of the Primacy of Peter, where Christ confirmed Peter as Head of the Church, and Tabgha, the place of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish. We continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Christ taught the Eight Beatitudes to His Disciples, to celebrate Mass. Following our included lunch of St. Peter’s Fish, we proceed to Mt. Arbel for a fantastic view from high above the Sea of Galilee. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

We depart from Tiberias and travel to Haifa to visit Mount Carmel. We celebrate Mass at the Church of Our Lady and Star of the Sea (Stella Maris). We visit the cave of the Prophet Elijah and have lunch before proceeding to the ancient city ruins of Megiddo (Time permitting). Continue along the shores of the Mediterranean to Caesarea Maritima, on the Plains of Sharon, to visit the ruins of the Crusaders’ City, surrounded by a moat and a city wall that encloses the ruins of the Roman city. Visit the Roman Theater and Aqueduct. We enjoy a farewell dinner at a restaurant. Overnight in Netanya. (B.L. Special dinner)

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

Early this morning, we depart for the border to cross into Jordan, where we will meet our Jordanian guide. We visit Madaba, where we see the famous 6th-century mosaic map of Palestine in St. George’s Church. Stand atop Mount Nebo, looking over the Promised Land just as Moses did before his death. We travel to Wadi Rum for dinner and an overnight stay.

We drive into the Wadi Rum desert to be transported back in time when we get into our 4×4 Jeeps for an adventure-filled ride through the sand dunes and magnificent mountains. Look at the night sky tonight, where we may see shooting stars, the Milky Way, and many planets. Lawrence of Arabia comes to mind as we settle into our Bedouin Tent for a comfortable overnight. Overnight in Wadi Rum.

Today, we visit the incredible ancient city of Petra. Enjoy a guided tour followed by time to explore on our own. Later in the afternoon, we depart for the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea.

This morning, we visit Machaerus (also known as Mukawir), the site of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. This is the fortress where Herod Antipas, the ruler of the region, imprisoned John the Baptist for publicly condemning his unlawful marriage to Herodias, his brother’s former wife (as told in Mark 6:14-29 and Matthew 14:1-12). It is also the site of Herod Antipas’s birthday banquet. It was here that Herodias’s daughter, Salome, danced, and at her mother’s request, demanded John the Baptist’s head on a platter. This event cemented Machaerus’s place as a testament to the cost of prophetic witness and the clash between worldly power and divine moral truth. We return to our hotel at the Dead Sea to relax and perhaps take a float in the sea before our farewell dinner tonight at Burj al Hamam Restaurant in the hotel. Overnight at the Dead Sea. (B.Special Dinner)

Very early this morning, we check out of our hotel and are transferred to the airport for our flight home. (Breakfast Box)