Holy Land Pilgrimage with Fr. Leon Pereira, O.P.
Walk Where Jesus Walked!
Group Leader: Penny Abbruzzese
October 25 - November 4, 2018
PA102518
Your trip includes
- Round-trip airfare
- All airport taxes & fuel surcharges
- Accommodations at centrally located First Class Hotels: (or similar)
- Transfers as per itinerary
- Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner daily
- Wine with dinners
- Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach
- Free Wi-Fi on Bus
- Whisper Headsets where needed
- Assistance of a professional local Christian guide
- Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary
- Mass daily & spiritual activities
- Tips to hotel staff and porters
Not included
- Beverages not included only at lunch, tips to your guide and driver.
Itinerary
Thursday, Oct 25: Depart for the Holy Land
Make your way to New York airport where you will board your overnight flight. Your meals are served on board.
Friday, Oct 26: Arrive in Tel Aviv - Tiberias
Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, you will collect your luggage in the baggage claim area, and continue to the Arrival’s Hall where you will be greeted by a tour guide and/or driver. Your group will transfer to your hotel in Tiberias. Upon arrival in Tiberias, you will check-in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Saturday, Oct 27: Caesarea - Stella Maris - Nazareth - Tiberias
Theme: The Annunciation
Following breakfast at the hotel, group will head to Caesarea, the former capital of Judea. You will have the opportunity to visit the archaeological remains of this ancient port, which aided as base for the Herodian navy. Shortly after the time of Jesus Christ, it was revealed to Peter, in Caesarea, that the Good News (to repent) is not only intended for Jewish people but also, the entire world. This is also the place which officially ended the tradition of adhering to the Jewish ceremonial laws. As a result, Peter baptized a group of gentiles, the Roman Centurion, Cornelius, and his family. Your tour continues as you travel North to Haifa. In Haifa, you will find Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery. The monastery is located above the cave where Elijah, the prophet, once lived. A colorful painting of this “wonder-worker” can be found on the ceiling of the Church. Following this visit, your group will depart Stella Maris and enjoy the scenic drive (with view of the bay of Acco) to Nazareth. In Nazareth, you will experience the town where Mary once lived and where Jesus lived as a child (Matthew 2:23). During the visit to Nazareth, your group will visit the Byzantine Church of St. Joseph, to which tradition identifies as the workshop and home of the Holy Family. Also, your group will visit Mary’s Well where the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the Son of God (Luke 1:30-34). Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.
Sunday, Oct 28: Tiberias: Sea of Galilee
Theme: The Ministry of Christ in Galilee
The group will begin this day with breakfast at the hotel, followed by a boat ride on the beautiful and scenic, Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:1). During this ride, the group will also view the remains of a boat that dates back to the time of Jesus. Following the Sea of Galilee, group will continue on to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus proclaimed His great Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:20-49). Near the mount is Tabgha, one of Jesus’ miracle sites. At Tabgha, Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 people from five loaves of bread, and two fish (Luke 9:10-17). Also, in Tabgha is St. Peter’s Primacy where Jesus bestowed Church leadership upon Peter (John 21:9).Your tour continues as you visit the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, in Magdala. During the time of Jesus, this village was a prosperous fishing village that exported fish and garum (a fish sauce reduction; popular in Roman cooking). Your day concludes at Capernaum, the launching place of Jesus’ ministry. In Capernaum, your group will have the opportunity to see the Synagogue of where Jesus taught (Mark 1:21-29), and gave His sermon on the Bread of Life. Your group will enjoy dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Monday Oct 29: Mt. Tabor – Jericho – Jordan River - Jerusalem
Theme: The Transfiguration
Following breakfast, your group will drive to the site of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:1-50). At this site, you will have some time to reflect on Christ’s Humanity and Divinity. Your group will also have the opportunity to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Transfiguration. The tour continues as your group heads South on the Jordan Valley, to the oldest inhabited city in the world, Jericho (Joshua 6:12-25). In Jericho, you will have the opportunity to view the exact location, the Mount of Temptation, of where the Devil tempted Jesus during his forty-day fast (Luke 4:1). Following the visit to this mountain, your group will continue to Jesus’ baptismal site on the River Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17). After some time at the Jordan River, your group will end their day with a transfer to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, your group will check-in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Tuesday, Oct 30: Jerusalem: Temple Model - Ein Karem - Bethlehem
Theme: The Visitation and Nativity
This morning, you will have breakfast and then depart for a day in Jerusalem, which houses the temple to which Jesus was Presented (Luke 2:22). Your group will visit a model of the Second Temple, as it was in the time of Jesus. Following this visit, your group will take a short drive to the village of Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. It is known that there are two Churches in Ein Karem, both representing the two homes of Zechariah and Elizabeth. The first is in a valley where the birth of St. John the Baptist is commemorated (Luke 1:39-80) in the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The second is on a hill where Elizabeth spent five months in seclusion (Luke 1:24) at the Church of the Visitation. Your group will visit both of these Churches and have the opportunity to pray the Mystery of the Rosary as you walk up the hill to the Church of the Visitation. In the afternoon, your group will transfer to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. In Bethlehem, you will have the opportunity to view the Shepherd’s Fields (Luke 2:8). In the caves of these fields, you are still able to see the soot marks of fires that shepherds lit to keep warm. The tour concludes at the Manger Square, which stands in front of the Church of the Nativity. As you enter the Church, you will proceed down to the Grotto of the Nativity, which marks the spot of Our Savior’s birth (Matthew 2:1-18). Beneath the Altar, there is a silver star and a Latin inscription that states: HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS (Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary). Following Mass in this Sacred space, your group will return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Wednesday, Oct 31: Bethany - Dead Sea
Theme: Early Years in Jerusalem & the Wilderness
This morning drive down the Jordan Valley to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Take the cable car to the top of Masada to learn about the heroic last stand of the Zealots. Afterwards there may be time for a dip in the Dead Sea for those who want to. Drive through the Judean Wilderness where Jesus spent 40 days fasting, and it is in this area that John the Baptist lived and baptized Christ. Then to Bethany where He raised Lazarus from the dead. Celebrate Mass here before returning to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Thursday, Nov 01: Jerusalem: Mt. Of Olives - Gethsemane - Mt. Zion - Western Wall
Theme: Palm Sunday and the Agony in the Garden
After breakfast, we will make our way to the Mount of Olives, where you will be able to take in the beautiful, panoramic view of Jerusalem. Historically, the Mount of Olives was a mandatory transit point for Jesus during many iconic moments. Your group will visit the Pater Noster Shrine, where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer (Pater Noster) (Luke 11:1-4). You will have the opportunity to stop at Dominus Flevit, which is a Church that commemorates where Jesus wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). The tour continues on to Gethsemane, a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Jesus brought His disciples here to pray the night before He was crucified (Luke 22:29-53). The Garden still contains trees with roots that date back to the time of Jesus. Beside the Garden is your next stop, the Church of All Nations, built over the “Rock of Agony”. This is where Jesus prayed alone on the night of His arrest. Throughout this time, you are invited to remain in prayer and to reflect on Christ’s agony that he experienced. Your group will have the opportunity to visit the Western Wall, which is the last remnant of the Jewish Temple after it was destroyed in 70 A.D. The tour continues as you will visit the house of the High Priest Caiaphas (Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu). This Church commemorates where Jesus was examined and eventually imprisoned before the Council in Jerusalem. It also commemorates Peter’s Denial of Christ (John 18:15-18), Peters’ repentance, and Jesus’ forgiveness of Peter. You will also visit the Upper Room on Mt. Zion. The Upper Room is where Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30) and, where Jesus appeared to His disciples after His Death and Resurrection (Mark 16:14). In addition, your group will visit the nearby Benedictine Church of the Dormition. Tradition tells us that this Church is where Mary, the Mother of Jesus, “fell asleep.” At the end of this prayerful day, your group will return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Friday, Nov 02: Jerusalem: Via Dolorosa - Holy Sepulchre
Theme: The Way of the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection
Your group will have a very early morning wake-up, which will begin the Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross) at the Antonia Fortress. This is the spot where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate (John 18:28-19:16). Following His condemnation, He was taken (on the Road to Calvary) to His place of Crucifixion. Your group will reflect upon the Stations of the Cross as you travel through the markets of the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Luke 23:26-33). This Sacred destination is the site of Calvary (Jesus’ crucifixion place) and, His tomb (Luke 23: 50-55). Your group will celebrate Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Following Mass, your group will return to the Hotel to enjoy breakfast. We will continue our day with a visit to the Church of St. Anne’s, the home of Jesus’ maternal grandparents (Anne and Joachim); and the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the crippled man (John 5:1-9). This afternoon, your group will enjoy a revisit to the Old City. Following this visit, your group will enjoy dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Saturday, Nov 03: Jerusalem-Free day
Following breakfast and check-out we will enjoy free day at Jerusalem to pray and reflect. Transfer to the Airport for your return flight home. Dinner en route. Departure just after midnight.
Sunday, Nov 04: Tel Aviv Airport — US
Arrival in the U.S.
Why buy "With Airfare" from 206 Tours
- 1000’s of flights are being cancelled. 206 Tours will assist getting you to your destination.
- Your transfer will be waiting for you upon arrival, even if your flights are rescheduled.
- In the event your tour is not operating we will refund you all your money back or provide a full credit
- Your seats will be assigned according to your request (most online fares do not include seat assignment appox. $300)
- If you need to travel few days prior or stay few days later, make a stop-over, we will arrange it for you.
If you do not buy Airfare from 206 Tours
- With many flight cancellations and overbookings, we feel that you should know:
If your flight is cancelled - 206 Tours will not be able to assist you. - In order to guarantee your arrival and departure transfer, we need your detailed flight arrival / departure by 45 days prior, Any changes within 45 -3 days prior, additional transfer cost may apply.
- For changes in arrival / departure within 3 days of departure, we will not be able to rebook your transfer and you will need to make your own way to / from hotel or airport at your own cost
- Often times low online fares, do not include seat assignments ($300 approx.). It will be a challenge to get a good seat assigned at the airport.
- If you book your own airfare, travel insurance provided by 206 Tours will not reimburse expenses caused by your flight changes.