THE HOLY LAND

Day 1 : Leave the USA 
Start the pilgrimage tour as we leave airport for an overnight flight. Meals are served onboard.

Day 2 : Arrive at Tel Aviv
Upon arrival in Tel Aviv airport and after picking up your luggage leave the terminal following the GROUP sign. Outside the terminal you will meet your guide and from there we drive north. We will check into our hotel and have dinner.

Day 3 : The Ministry of Christ in the Galilee : Mt Beatitudes - Capernaum - Golan Heights - Caesarea Phlippi - Jordan River
This morning we drive to the Sea of Galilee to visit mount of Beatitudes and the church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Then we visit the church of Primacy of St. Peter. We will also visit Capernaum to see the house of St. Peter where Jesus stayed when he was there and the Synagogue where Jesus healed the paralytic. This afternoon we drive up to the Golan Heights and enjoy the scenic drive up there till we come to Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked his disciples: Who do people say I am? Back to southern end of the Sea of Galilee to stop at the Jordan River and renew our Baptismal Vows. Drive back to our hotel and overnight.  

Day 4 : Caesarea - Stella Mares - Nazareth - Cana
This morning we drive to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theatre and the ruins of the Crusader City as well as the Roman Aqueducts. Then we drive to Haifa to visit the Church of Stella Mares and the Cave of the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel. In the afternoon we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Grotto of the annunciation in Nazareth and celebrate Mass there. We will close the day with a visit to the Church of the Wedding in Cane where Jesus performed his first miracle. We will have a chance to renew wedding vows then back to our hotel for overnight. 

Day 5 : Mt Tabor - Jericho - Qumran - Jerusalem
Today we go to visit the place of Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor and pray Mass there. Then we come down from the mount and drive south via the Jordan Valley to come to Jericho, the most ancient city in the world. View the Mount of Temptation where our Lord was tempted for 40 days and nights and see the Sycamore Tree, which remind us of the tax collector, Zacchaeus. This afternoon we drive further south to the Dead Sea and visit the place called Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls where found. We close the day with a stop at the Dead Sea to allow the pilgrims the experience of a float on its water. Drive up to Jerusalem to check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 : Bethlehem - Mt of Olives - Garden Of Gethsemane
Today we visit in Bethlehem. We start with a visit to the Shepherd Fields then we go up to the Church of Nativity to visit the Place of Birth of our Lord Visit the next-door church of St. Catherine and the grotto of St. Jerome where he translated the Bible from Greek to Latin. In the afternoon we come back to Jerusalem and start visiting on Mt. Olives like the church of Pater Noster, where our Lord taught his disciples how to pray, and the place of the Ascension of our Lord. Enjoy a panoramic view towards the Old City and end the day with a visit to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of all Nations. Drive back to the hotel for dinner and over night.

Day 7 : Mt Zion - Upper Room - St Peter in Gallicantu - Visitation
We start our day with a visit to Mount Zion. There we visit the Church of the Dormition of our Lady then we will go to see the Upper Room, the place of the Last Supper. We will also see the Church of St. Peter In Gallicantu, where Jesus was held prisoner for the night at the house of the High priest of the Jews. This afternoon we visit in Ein Karem the Church of St. John the Baptist commemorating his place of birth and the Church of the Visitation. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 : Old City : Holy Sepulchre - Pools of Bethesda - Wailing Wall
Our day starts with a visit to the old City to walk the Stations of the Cross at the end of which we arrive in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We then continue to the old city to visit the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock. Then we come to the church of St. Anne and the pools of Bethesda. At the end of the day we visit in the modern part of the City, the Model of Jerusalem and the Shrine of the Book. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 9 : Tel Aviv
Transfer to the airport for your flight back to USA.