Your Host
Fr. Mike Schmitz
Fr. Mike Schmitz is accompanying this pilgrimage to help lead the group in prayer, fellowship, and thoughtful engagement with each traveler.
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★ Hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz
Catholic Pilgrimage · 13 Days · Holy Land
The Activated Disciple Holy Land Pilgrimage with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Jeff and Emily Cavins
Join Fr. Mike Schmitz and Jeff and Emily Cavins on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This trip will visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and more!
The Pilgrimage
Walk in the Footsteps of Faith
Join Fr. Mike Schmitz and Jeff and Emily Cavins on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Visit the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, the Mount of Beatitudes, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and more!
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Know Before You Go
What's included
✓ Included
- ✓Round-trip airfare from 6 gateways: BOS, ORD, LAX*, MSP*, JFK, and Wash. IAD
- ✓Supplement for air from LAX and MSP is $295.00
- ✓Airport taxes and fuel surcharges
- ✓First-class hotels
- ✓Service charges and hotel taxes
- ✓Buffet breakfast daily
- ✓8 Lunches
- ✓10 Hotel dinners (standard 3-course menu; beverages may be purchased at an additional cost)
- ✓1 Farewell Dinner in a restaurant with beer or wine
- ✓All transfers with a private A/C motor coach as per the itinerary
- ✓Professional English-speaking Christian tour guide throughout
- ✓Entrance fees are included for sites specifically listed (outside view means no entrance is included)
- ✓Luggage handling at hotels (one piece per person in/out)
- ✓Confirmation of daily private Mass
- ✓Whisper sets
- ✓For your convenience, a tip fund of $260.00 will be added to your invoice and collected ahead. Tips for drivers, guides, baggage handling, and restaurants will be covered on your behalf.
× Not included
- ×Personal expenses
- ×Medical Insurance and Travel Protection (highly recommended)
- ×Any items not explicitly mentioned in the listed inclusions
- ×Beverages at meals unless otherwise noted
- ×Church donations
- ×ETA-IL Travel Authorization
- ×Any airline baggage charges
- ×Baggage handling at train stations, airports, and hotels in excess of one suitcase per person
- ×Any charges incurred due to excessive luggage, including the cost of an additional baggage vehicle or porterage charges
For your convenience, a tip fund of $260.00 will be added to your invoice and collected ahead. Tips for drivers, guides, baggage handling, and restaurants will be covered on your behalf.
Day by Day
Your pilgrimage, mapped out
Tap any day to explore. Meals: B breakfast · L lunch · D dinner.
Day 1May 27, 2026
DEPART USA
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Depart the USA from one of the six gateways on an international overnight flight to Tel Aviv. Dinner and breakfast are served on the plane. Quotes for optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request and can be quoted starting 120 days before departure. Please note that you will be responsible for arranging your domestic flight to one of the six designated international gateways for the group flights, as we are unable to quote domestic air flights. Due to the nature of group air reservations, we are unfortunately unable to request specific seat assignments in advance. If pre-selecting your seats is a key requirement for your trip, we recommend booking the land-only portion with us and doing your own airline tickets separately to ensure you have full control over your seating choices. Please note that group air must have a minimum of 10 people, and some gateways may not be available if the group doesn’t meet the minimum. You will be notified by your account manager if this happens.
Day 2May 28, 2026
ARRIVAL TEL AVIV
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Upon arrival at Tel Aviv airport, the group will be greeted by our airport representative and assisted through passport control to the baggage area. Pick up our luggage and go to the bus, which takes us to our Tel Aviv hotel for check-in. We celebrate Mass at the hotel and have a welcome orientation to meet our priests and pilgrimage leadership before dinner. Dinner and overnight in Tel Aviv.
D
Day 3May 29, 2026
CAESAREA MARITIMA – TEL MEGIDDO – SEA OF GALILEE
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Following breakfast, which is included each morning, we check out of the hotel in Tel Aviv, meet the guides, and board the bus according to the color code assigned to us in our paperwork. Our first stop is Caesarea Maritima, where Jeff Cavins and Fr. Mike Schmitz greet the entire group in the ancient theatre, and where we celebrate Mass (TBC). After a teaching by Jeff, our guides will take us through the ancient harbor town built by Herod to see the ruins of his palace, the hippodrome, the port, and the aqueducts. We then proceed to Mt. Carmel and see the Muhraka Church. We travel through the scenic Carmel Mountains for lunch before we visit Tel Megiddo, the Biblical site of the final battle. Here we have a teaching by Jeff. We continue towards the Sea of Galilee to check into one of 2 luxury hotels, our home for the next four nights. Dinner is at our hotel at the Sea of Galilee.
BLD
Day 4May 30, 2026
CAPERNAUM – TABGHA – ST. PETER’S PRIMACY
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This morning, we drive to Capernaum to visit Jesus’ ministry headquarters and one of the first towns where the gospel was preached. Jeff teaches about Jesus choosing his disciples. Here, we see the home of St. Peter and celebrate Mass. We stop at Tabgha, the spot of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. A short walk from here is the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, where we renew our vocation promises. Today, we have St. Peter’s Fish for lunch. After lunch, you can either swim in the Sea of Galilee or return to the hotel for pool and leisure time. After dinner, we have an evening of worship and prayer at one of the hotels. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.
BLD
Day 5May 31, 2026
MT. PRECIPICE – NAZARETH – KFAR KEDEM FARM – SUSITA
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Today, we head for Nazareth, stopping first at Mt. Precipice for a panoramic view and Jeff’s teaching. At the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth, we celebrate Mass, visit the Grotto, and see St. Joseph’s Church, where the remains of a workshop can be seen. In the afternoon, we live like a 1st-century Jew, eating traditional foods, making bread and cheese, and even riding a donkey! Our last stop for the day will be the newly opened site of Hippos/Susita, one of the cities of the Decapolis, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Emily will give a brief overview of the site she excavated in 2010 and its biblical relevance. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.
BLD
Day 6June 1, 2026
SEA OF GALILEE – MT. OF BEATITUDES – MAGDALA
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We enjoy a morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, with a teaching by Jeff and music by Aly Aleigha. We visit the Boat Museum to see the 1st-century boat found along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We take a short ride to the beautiful Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the peaceful waters of the Sea of Galilee. Following lunch, we visit the 1st-century synagogue at Magdala on the Sea of Galilee site and celebrate Mass at Duc in Altum’s boat chapel. We have the opportunity for adoration and confession on the shores of the Sea of Galilee at Magdala. Join Jeff and Fr. Mike at one of the hotels after dinner for a special question-and-answer social. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.
BLD
Day 7June 2, 2026
BEIT SHE’AN – SACHNE – JERUSALEM
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We check out of the hotel, depart from Galilee, and travel towards Jerusalem. Our first stop is the archaeological site of Beit She’an for a tour of the partially reconstructed ancient city. Next, we stop at the refreshing Sachne Natural Springs to celebrate Mass (TBC) and then enjoy a picnic lunch and a refreshing swim (bring a bathing suit). As we drive toward Jerusalem, we pass by the city of Jericho and can see Mt. of Temptation in the distance. Then we make our ascent to the holy city of Jerusalem, entering the city and stopping to view the Old City from atop Mt. Scopus. Join Emily after dinner for a special presentation on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which we will explore together on Sunday. Overnight in Jerusalem.
BLD
Day 8June 3, 2026
BETHLEHEM – AFTERNOON AT LEISURE – OPTIONAL WESTERN WALL TUNNELS
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Today’s visit to Bethlehem includes Mass at St. Catherine’s Church, a visit to the Grotto of Christ’s Birth at the Church of the Nativity, and shopping at a Christian store. We visit Shepherds’ Field to see the typical shepherds’ cave and to hear Jeff teach about Mary. After lunch, we return to Jerusalem for an afternoon of leisure. Following dinner, we have an optional visit to the Western Wall tunnels. Overnight in Jerusalem.
BLD
Day 9June 4, 2026
JERUSALEM: ISRAELI MUSEUM – SOUTH- ERN STEPS OF THE TEMPLE – FREE AFTERNOON
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This morning, we visit the Israeli Museum to see a scale model of Jerusalem from the time of Christ. Continue to the Old City of Jerusalem today, where we celebrate Mass at the Latin Patriarchate in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. We then visit the Davidson Center to sit on the steps to the Temple Mount that Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Apostles would have walked. Hear an inspiring teaching by Jeff. Following lunch, the rest of the afternoon is at leisure to enjoy lunch and explore the Holy City (we suggest visiting the Western Wall, to tuck a prayer into the ancient wall, the Citadel Museum, or the City of David). Overnight in Jerusalem.
BLD
Day 10June 5, 2026
EIN GEDI – QUMRAN – BAPTISMAL SITE OF JESUS – DEAD SEA
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After breakfast, we visit Ein Gedi, a wildlife preserve, where we hear Jeff’s teaching about King David’s mighty men. We visit the Baptism site on the Jordan River for Mass, renew our Baptismal vows, and hear a teaching from Jeff. Next, visit Qumran Caves, where shepherds discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls. Following lunch at Qumran, our last stop of the day will be the Dead Sea, where we can float in its mineral-rich waters (don’t forget to pack a bathing suit). Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
BLD
Day 11June 6, 2026
JERUSALEM: MT. OF OLIVES – GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE – MT. ZION – ST. ANNE’S CHURCH
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We start our day on Mt. of Olives for an overview of the City before walking down Palm Sunday Road and marveling at the panoramic view of the eternal golden city. We stop at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city, and Jeff teaches us the meaning of suffering. Continue along the Jewish cemetery with a view over the Eastern Gate. See the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of Agony, where we celebrate Mass and have the opportunity to reverence the Stone of Agony. After lunch, we drive to Mt. Zion to visit St. Peter in Gallicantu, which was built at the site of Caiaphas’s house and the Upper Room, the spot of the Last Supper and the Day of Pentecost. Tonight we have our farewell dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B.Special dinner)
BD
Day 12June 7, 2026
THE HOLY CITY: VIA DOLOROSA – CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE – FREE AFTERNOON
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This morning, depart early for the Holy City. We pray the Stations of the Cross as we walk along the Via Dolorosa, ending with our visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where we venerate the place of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection and celebrate Mass. We also visit St. Anne’s Church and the Pool of Bethesda, where Jeff teaches. The rest of the day, including lunch, is at leisure to explore on our own, enjoy local food places, and do some last-minute shopping and packing before departing either tonight or early tomorrow morning for Tel Aviv airport and your flights home. You can choose to have dinner on your own in the old city or return to your hotel for an included dinner.
BD
Day 13June 8, 2026
RETURN TO USA
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We are transferred to the airport for our return flight home today, following our amazing Holy Land adventure.
Pricing
Choose how you travel
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Land Only
$6,385per person
Land Only. Main trip package.
Land and Air
$7,485per person
Land and Air. Main trip package.
Land and Air from LAX and MSP are an additional
$295additional
Land and Air from LAX and MSP are an additional. Additional supplement.
Solo Room (Additional Charge)
$1,695additional
Solo Room (Additional Charge). Additional supplement.
ETA Required
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Deposit
A deposit of $750.00 per person should accompany your registration by January 15, 2026.Final Payment
Final payment is due by February 26, 2026.Passport Validity
Your passport must be valid through December 8, 2026.Pilgrimage Information
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Completed
This departure has ended. Registration is closed.