The Holy Land

You’ve arrived in the Holy Land! Once you’ve cleared customs, you will meet your english-speaking guide and be escorted to your modern deluxe bus that will take you to your hotel in Tel Aviv.  

You will check in, enjoy dinner, and rest up for your big journey. 

You will start your day by enjoying an open buffet breakfast and checking out of the hotel. 

We will then make our way to the city of Caesarea (entrance included).  It was here that Peter understood that the Good News was for the whole world, not just Jews alone. We will have a guided tour that includes a visit to a Roman amphitheater, Herod’s palace, and the aqueducts. 

Following our visit to Caesarea, we will head North to the city of Haifa, where we visit the Carmelite monastery, Stella Maris, which was consecrated to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. The monastery is located above the cave where Elijah lived and provides panoramic views of the bay of Acco. 

We will then make our way to Nazareth, Mary’s hometown where Jesus grew up. We will visit the Church of the Annunciation, located above the house of Mary, where Angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced the coming of her child, who she was to call Immanuel.  Following the celebration of mass in the church, we will visit the Upper Basilica, the nearby archaeological museum (entrance included), and see the archaeological remains of Nazareth from the time of Jesus. 

Our last visit of the day will be to Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine [John 2:1-11]. In Cana, we will visit the Franciscan Chapel, where those who wish to can renew their wedding vows. 

From Cana, we will drive to our hotel at the Sea of Galilee, where we enjoy dinner and go to sleep. 

Following our open buffet breakfast, we will begin our day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee (included), followed by a visit to the Ancient Boat Museum that houses a 2000 year old fishing boat found on the shores of Galilee (entrance included). The boat is a good example of how fishing boats looked during the time of Jesus.

We will then make our way to the Mount of Beatitudes, know for Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. We will take in the view of the enchanting gardens and reflect on Jesus’ sermon, followed by a celebration of Mass.  

We will then go to Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus fed the crowd of 5000 with the loaves and the fishes. We will also visit the site known as “Peter’s Primacy” where Jesus appeared to His disciples for the third time after His Resurrection and told Peter to “feed my lambs, feed my sheep” (John 21:9). 

We will then take a short drive to Capernaum (entrance included), the biblical village and hometown of Jesus.  Capernaum is closely with Jesus and His ministry as described in the Synoptic Gospels. We will see the house of Peter’s mother-in-law and an ancient synagogue that dates back to the time of Jesus where many of his teachings took place. 

We will then return to the hotel on the Sea of Galilee, enjoy dinner, and go to sleep. 

Following the open buffet breakfast, we will check out of the hotel and head to Mount Tabor, the sight of the Transfiguration.  Here we will have time to reflect on Christ’s human and divine natures.  We will celebrate mass to prepare for our journey to Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified and resurrected.  

We will then drive along the Jordan Valley to the ancient city of Jericho, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.  We will also see the Mount of Temptation.  In Jericho, we will see the Sycamore Tree Site where Zacchaeus encountered Jesus (entrance included). 

Following Jericho, we will head towards the Baptismal Site in Bet Arabah on the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. There, we will have the chance to renew our baptismal vows.  We will then drive to the holy city of Jerusalem. 

You will check into the hotel in Jerusalem, enjoy dinner, and go to sleep.  

Following the open buffet breakfast, we will make our way to the Israel Museum (entrance included) where we will see a model of the city of Jerusalem and the Second Temple as it looked in the 1st century AD, during the time of Jesus.  We will also see displays of the Shrine of the Book housing some of the Dead Sea scrolls found in Qumran.  

We will then take a short drive to Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. We will visit the Church of Saint John the Baptist and the Church of the Visitation.  

In the afternoon, we will go to Manger Square in Bethlehem, located in front of one of the oldest of Christian churches, the Church of the Nativity.  We will enter the church, and go down to the Grotto of the Nativity, which marks the spot where Jesus was born.  Beneath the Altar, there is a silver star with the Latin inscription “HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS” (Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary). 

We will then go to the cave at the Shepherds’ Field where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Christ.  The cave has soot marks of the fires that the shepherd lit to keep warm while watching over their flocks.  The field is also the setting of the Book of Ruth. 

We will then return to the hotel in Jerusalem, enjoy dinner, and go to sleep. 

Following our open buffet breakfast, we will begin our day with mass in Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus. We will visit the empty tomb (entrance included). Afterwards we will head to Masada to visit the fortress built by King Herod.  Inside, we will see archaeological remains that made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will also take a cable car to Masada mountaintop to see the remains of the forts, synagogues, and palaces (entrance and cable car included). 

Following lunch, we will travel along the coast of the Dead Sea to Qumran (entrance included) to visit the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. In the late afternoon, we will have free time to swim, relax, and heal in the Dead Sea waters.  

We will then return to the hotel in Jerusalem, enjoy dinner, and go to sleep.  

Following an open buffet breakfast, we will drive to the Mount of Olives where Jesus taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, and we will see a panoramic view of the Holy City of Jerusalem.  We will walk the Palm Sunday path and stop at Dominus Flevit, a little church where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). We will walk along the Jewish cemetery that overlooks the Eastern (Golden) Gate, known as the Thrones of Judgement (Psalm 122).  

We will recall the Passion of Christ at the Garden of Gethsemane, where, amid the 2000 year old olive trees, we will visit the Church of All Nations and see the Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed.  We will also see the nearby Gethsemane cave where Jesus often spent his nights, and where he was arrested by the High Priest guards.  

We will then go along Kidron Valley to Mount Zion to visit the House of Caiaphas and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (entrance included), where we will see parts of the streets where Jesus was hauled by His captors.  Following, we will visit the Formation Abbey, the place where Our Lady fell to eternal sleep.  We will then head to Cenacle, which commemorates the Upper Room where Jesus shared the Last Supper.  

In the afternoon, we will visit the Old City of Jerusalem, pass through the Armenian Quarter into the Jewish Quarter, where we will see the Roman Cardo, King Hezekiah broad wall that leads to the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount and Judaism’s holiest site. 

We will then return to the hotel in Jerusalem, enjoy dinner, and go to sleep. 

Following an open buffet breakfast, we will walk along Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross) in the Old City of Jerusalem, beginning at Antonia Fortress (entrance included) where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. We will pass through the Stations of the Cross, and walk through the markets of the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the site of Calvary and the empty Tomb of Christ.  We will celebrate mass in the church. 

Afterwards, we will go to the Pools of Bethesda (entrance included), where the healing of the paralyzed took place (John 5). We will also see the nearby perfectly intact Crusader Church of Saint Anne.  

In the afternoon, we will have time to revisit the Old City of Jerusalem. 

We will then return to the hotel in Jerusalem, enjoy our farewell dinner, and go to sleep. 

Following breakfast, we will check out of the hotel and make our way to the airport for the flight home.