Check-in at the local Airport to board your overnight flight. Meals will be served on board.

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, you will collect our luggage in the baggage claim area and continue to the Arrival Hall where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/or driver. You will transfer to our hotel in Tel Aviv to check-in and meet the rest of the pilgrims. We will enjoy dinner at the hotel before retiring for the evening.

Following breakfast at our hotel, we will drive to Caesarea, the former capital of Judea. We will have the opportunity to visit the archaeological remains of this ancient port, which served as a base for the Herodian navy. Shortly after the time of Jesus Christ, it was revealed to Peter in Caesarea that the Good News is not only intended for the Jewish people but also for the entire world. This is also the place where the practice of adhering to the Jewish ceremonial laws ended for Christians. As a result, Peter baptized a group of gentiles, including the Roman Centurion Cornelius and his family. Our tour continues north to Haifa. Here we 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 seen on the ceiling of the Church. Following this visit, we will depart Stella Maris and enjoy the scenic drive (with a view of the bay of Acco) to Nazareth. In Nazareth, we will experience the town where Mary once lived and where Jesus lived as a child (Matthew 2:23). During the visit, we will visit the Byzantine Church of St. Joseph, which tradition identifies as the site of the workshop and home of the Holy Family. Also, we will visit Mary’s Well where the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would bear the Son of God (Luke 1:30-34). Our day culminates with a drive to Tiberias. Upon arrival in Tiberias, we will check-in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast at the hotel, we embark on a cruise on the beautiful and scenic Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:1). During our cruise, we will view the remains of a boat that dates back to the time of Jesus. Following the cruise on the Sea of Galilee, our group will continue to the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus proclaimed his great Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:20-49). Near the mount is Tabgha, site of one of Jesus’ miracles. Here, Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 with 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). Our tour continues as we visit the birthplace of Mary Magdalen, in the village of Magdala. During the time of Jesus, Magdala was a prosperous fishing village that exported fish and garum (a fish sauce reduction; popular in Roman cooking). Our day concludes at Capernaum, where Jesus began his public ministry. In Capernaum, our group will have the opportunity to see the Synagogue where Jesus taught (Mark 1:21-29), and where he gave His sermon on the Bread of Life. We will return to Tiberias to enjoy dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Following breakfast, we will drive to Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration, (Matthew 17:1-50). Here we will have some time to reflect on Christ’s Humanity and Divinity. We will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of the Transfiguration. The tour continues as we travel south in the Jordan Valley to the oldest inhabited city in the world, Jericho (Joshua 6:12-25). In Jericho, we will have the opportunity to view the mount where some traditions say the Devil tempted Jesus during his forty-day fast in the desert (Luke 4:1). Following the visit, we will continue to the site of Jesus’ baptism along the River Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17). After some time at the Jordan River, we will journey to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, we will check-in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we begin our visit to Jerusalem, including the Temple where Joseph and Mary presented Jesus (Luke 2:22), where he was found, and where he often taught. We will visit a model of the Second Temple, as it was in the time of Jesus. Following this visit, we will take a short drive to the village of Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. There are two Churches in Ein Karem, representing the two homes of Zechariah and Elizabeth. The first is in a valley where the birth of St. John the Baptist is commemorated at the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-80). The second, the Church of the Visitation, is on a hill where Elizabeth spent five months in seclusion (Luke 1:24). We will visit both of these Churches and have the opportunity to pray the Mystery of the Rosary as we walk up the hill to the Church of the Visitation. In the afternoon, we will journey to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Approaching Bethlehem, we will view the Shepherd’s Fields (Luke 2:8). In caves in these fields, we can still see the soot marks of fires that shepherds lit to keep warm. The journey concludes at the Manger Square which stands in front of the Church of the Nativity. We 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, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we will make our way to the Mount of Olives, where we will enjoy a beautiful, panoramic view of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives was a transit point for Jesus during many iconic moments. Our group will visit the Pater Noster Shrine, where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4). We will stop at Dominus Flevit, a Church that commemorates where Jesus wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). The pilgrimage 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 Holy site, the Church of All Nations, built over the “Rock of Agony.” This is where Jesus prayed alone on the night of his arrest. We will be invited to remain in prayer and to reflect on the agony which Christ experienced. We will have the opportunity to visit the Western Wall, which is the last remnant of the Jewish Temple after it was destroyed in 70 C.E. Our journey continues with a visit to the house of the High Priest Caiaphas (Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu). This Church commemorates where Jesus was examined by the Council in Jerusalem. It also commemorates Peter’s Denial of Jesus (John 18:15-18), Peters’ repentance, and Jesus’ forgiveness of Peter. We will also visit the Upper Room on Mt. Zion 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 we will visit the nearby Benedictine Church of the Dormition. One tradition tells us that this Church is the site where Mary, the Mother of Jesus, “fell asleep.” At the end of this prayerful day, we will return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Following breakfast at your hotel, we will return to the Jordan Valley to Qumran. Qumran is made up of 2,000 year old ruins from the days of the Second Temple. It is the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written and discovered (Ezekial 47:8-10). These writings have helped further the understanding of the Jewish background of Christianity. Time and weather permitting, we will have the opportunity to take a float in the Dead Sea, the lowest and saltiest spot on Earth. Next we will travel through the Judean Wilderness, the place where Jesus spent His 40 days of fasting. Our pilgrimage day culminates with a drive to Bethany, the village of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. This is where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, which foreshadows his own Resurrection (John 11:38-44). We will celebrate Mass here and return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

We will have an early morning wake-up and we 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. We will reflect upon the Stations of the Cross as we walk through the markets of the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Luke 23:26-33). This sacred place is the site of Calvary where Jesus hung upon the Cross for our Salvation, and His tomb (Luke 23: 50-55). We will celebrate Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Following Mass, we will return to the hotel to enjoy breakfast. We will continue our day with a visit to the Church of St. Anne, 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, we will return for a final visit to the Old City. We will enjoy dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning, after breakfast, we will have free time to spend at our own leisure. In the afternoon, we will gather in the Hotel Lobby, and we will depart the Holy City. Along the way, we will stop for a late lunch, and then continue for a walk through Jaffa, arriving at a Franciscan Church where we will celebrate Mass. The Church was built in 1654 and is dedicated to Saint Peter. Finally, we will continue to Tel Aviv Airport for our return flight(s) home. *Flights returning to the US depart between 11:30 P.M. and 12:40 A.M.