Holy Land Pilgrimage
Israel
9 days
8 nights
Day 1 • Split or Dubrovnik APT / Medjugorje
Arrival in Split or Dubrovnik APT. Meet with the driver and transfer to Medjugorje Dinner and overnight in the hotel.
Day 2 • Medjugorje
Join the mass, visit the Apparition Hill and climb Holy Cross Mountain. If possible, we’ll have meetings with visionaries. In the evenings attend the recitation of the Rosary and the Healing service at the St. James Church. Dinner and overnight in Medjugorje.
Day 3 • Split or Dubrovnik APT / Tel Aviv / Tiberias
Departure to Split APT or Dubrovnik for a flight to Holy Land. Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. Meet your local guide who will escort you to our hotel in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.
Day 4 • Tiberias / Boat ride / Capernaum / Mt. Beatitudes / Caesarea Philippi
Today we tour the sites around the Sea of Galilee. We visit Capernaum to see the synagogue and St. Peter’s house. Visit Tabgha and the nearby Church of St. Peter’s Primacy. There will be an unforgettable Mass near the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In the afternoon, we drive to northern Galilee to visit Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus told Peter “You are the Rock and Upon this rock I will build my Church.” Upon our return to the Sea of Galilee, we will take a boat ride on the lake. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.
Day 5 • Nazareth / Mt. Tabor / Caesarea / Jerusalem
Drive to Mount Tabor, scene of the Transfiguration which we climb by taxis. We then drive to Nazareth stopping at Cana, the village of Jesus’ first miracle of changing water into wine; here couples may renew their wedding vows. In Nazareth we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and St. Joseph’s Church where we will celebrate Mass. Visit Mary’s Well and the Church of the Angel Gabriel. We continue via the Mediterranean Coast to Jerusalem stopping at Caesarea, where the Romans held Paul prisoner. Visit the Roman and Crusader ruins. Continue to Jerusalem. Dinner & overnight in Jerusalem
Day 6 • Jordan River / Dead Sea / Bethany
We drive in the Judean desert to the new Jordan River Baptismal Site at Qasr el-Yahud where we remember our Baptism. We then visit Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Afterwards there may be time for a dip in the Dead Sea for those who want to. We also drive through Jericho to see the Sycamore tree and view the Mt. of Temptation. We then drive to Bethany where He raised Lazarus from the dead. Celebrate Mass here before returning to the hotel. Dinner & overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 7 • Via Dolorosa / St. Anne Church / Ecce Homo / Holy Sepulchre / Wailing Wall
Early in the morning we retrace the last steps of Jesus. As we walk along the Via Dolorosa, through the markets of the Old City praying the Stations of the Cross, we reflect on the greatness of His sacrifice. Finally we arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Mass. After breakfast at our hotel we return to the Old City of Jerusalem to visit St. Anne’s Church, the home of the Virgin Mary and her parents Saints Joachim and Anne. We pass the Ecce Homo church where Pilate proclaimed “Behold the man”; then the Wailing Wall, the most holy place for Jews. At the Cenacle we visit the Upper Room of the Last Supper. Dinner & overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 8 • Mt. Olives / Gethsemane / Shepherd’s Fields / Church of the Nativity
On the first day in Jerusalem we present an overview for a better understanding of its geography and some of the key sites surrounding the area. This includes a dramatic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives, revealing a city with 4000 years of history. We walk the Palm Sunday route stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Then to Gethsemane, the Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed before his arrest. Visit the cave of betrayal and the cave of Assumption of Mary to heaven. In the afternoon, we drive to the Shepherd’s Fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus. Then we visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that stands upon the site where Jesus was born. Mass in Bethlehem or the Shepherd’s Fields. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 9 • Tel Aviv
Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure flight.