The Bible Comes Alive! Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Fr. Longenecker and Kenny Burchard

Depart from Newark or Boston to Tel Aviv. Dinner and breakfast are served on the plane. Quotes for add-on flights and optional Premium Economy and Business Class upgrades are available upon request and can be quoted starting 120 days before departure. Due to group air restrictions, we are not able to request specific seats on the flight. If seat selection is an essential feature of your trip, please book land-only with us and reserve your own airline tickets.

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, we pass through Immigration and Customs, collect our luggage in baggage claim, and proceed to the Arrivals Hall. Our English-speaking Christian Tour Guide will meet us here, and he will accompany our group for our entire trip in the Holy Land. Once we depart the airport, we stop for coffee at the port of Caesarea Maritima before visiting the ancient ruins, including the theater, Herod’s Palace, the Hippodrome, and the ports and aqueducts. We celebrate Mass before arriving at our hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. There will be an orientation before dinner. Enjoy a well-deserved night of rest. Buffet dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

After breakfast, which is included each morning, we depart for Cana of Galilee, the site of Jesus’ first miracle, where couples have an opportunity to renew their wedding vows. Be sure to bring your wedding rings for this special occasion. Our next stop is Nazareth, where we visit the Church of the Annunciation to celebrate Mass. We see Mary’s Well and St. Joseph’s Church. Next, we visit Nazareth Village and have lunch. We stop at Mt. Precipice, where we have a great view of the Jezreel Valley. The angry multitudes wanted to throw Jesus from this mountain after his teaching at the Nazareth Synagogue. Our last stop is a visit to the village of Naim to walk on the Gospel Trail, where Jesus and his disciples would have walked. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

This morning, we travel to Caesarea Philippi and Banias to see the source of the Jordan River. Following lunch on our own, we visit Mount Tabor for a stunning view from the Church of Transfiguration and to celebrate Mass. Continue to Magdala for a tour of the excavations of a First Century synagogue and see the Duc in Altum Spiritual Center and the Encounter Chapel beneath. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

We enjoy a morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, followed by a visit to see the “Jesus Boat,” a fishing vessel dating back to the time of Jesus. Continue the day with a visit to the beautiful Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus taught his followers and where we celebrate Mass, overlooking the peaceful waters of the Sea of Galilee. Enjoy a lunch of St. Peter’s Fish before departing for Capernaum, home to Peter and one of the first towns where the gospel was preached. Next, we visit the Church of the Primacy of Peter, situated on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Our last stop is the Church of Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Dinner and overnight at the Sea of Galilee.

This morning, we depart from Galilee for Qasr al-Yahud, located in the wilderness area of the Jordan River, which is believed to be the authentic site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Here, we celebrate Mass. We see the Mount of Temptation in the distance and Tel Jericho. Continue to Jericho, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, We would be honored to travel this unforgettable road with you! In Christ, Kenny Burchard & Fr. Dwight Longenecker for lunch of local dishes accompanied by freshly baked bread. After lunch, we drive to the Dead Sea to take a dip in the mineral-filled waters and shop for Dead Sea Products. (Don’t forget to pack a swimsuit.) Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

We start our day exploring Ascension Chapel and visit the Church of Pater Noster, where Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer. Marvel at the panoramic view of the eternal golden city from the Mount of Olives. We walk along Palm Sunday Road, stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city. Then, continue through the Jewish cemetery with a view over the Eastern Gate. See the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of Agony, where we celebrate Mass. Our last stop is Mary’s Tomb at the Orthodox Church of the Assumption. Tonight, we enjoy meeting the Christians of Bethlehem in their homes and sharing the Bread with them. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B. Special Dinner)

We begin our day with a visit to the City of David excavations, followed by an entry into the ancient water tunnel built by King Hezekiah. We visit the Southern Steps to sit on the very steps to the Temple Mount, where Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Apostles walked. We drive to Mt. Zion to visit St. Peter in Gallicantu, built on the site of Caiaphas’ Palace. Nearby, we see Dormition Abbey and the Upper Room. Mass will be celebrated. Upon our return to the hotel, we have a private visit to the newly opened Pentecost Room at the Notre Dame Hotel. Tonight’s dinner is at leisure with an opportunity to sample the food at the rooftop restaurant of Notre Dame or one of the many cafes near the hotel. Overnight in Jerusalem.

After breakfast, we visit Shepherd’s Field to see the grotto of Christ’s birth at the Church of the Nativity and celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Catherine next door. After lunch, we visit the Hogar Nino Dios, a home for severely disabled Palestinian children, to drop off the Thick-It and other items brought from the US. We stop to pray for peace at the Separation Wall, just as Pope Francis did during his historic visit to the Holy Land in 2014. We conclude our day in Bethlehem with a visit to the Kando Christian cooperative store and shop, which supports the Christian families in Bethlehem. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Early this morning, we pray the Stations of the Cross as we walk along the Via Dolorosa, ending with Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We tour the Church, with time to venerate the place where Christ was crucified and resurrected. Today, in the Old City, our lunch is falafel or shawarma, a traditional Middle Eastern fast food. Visit St. Anne’s Church and see the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the Paralytic. Our day ends with a visit to St. Stephen Church and the École Biblique. Overnight in Jerusalem.

This morning, we visit the Israel Museum to see the Jerusalem model and the Shrine of the Book, containing the Dead Sea Scrolls fragments. Our next stop is Ein Kerem, the birthplace of St. John the Baptist, where we see the Church of Visitation and St. John’s Grotto. We celebrate Mass in this sacred spot. Tonight, enjoy a farewell dinner. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B. Farewell dinner)

We depart early this morning for our flight home following our amazing Holy Land adventure.