Wednesday, January 10, Day 1:
DEPART FROM USA
Depart on an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. Optional premium economy and business class upgrades quotes are available upon request.
Thursday, January 11, Day 2:
ARRIVAL – SEA OF GALILEE*
Arriving in Tel Aviv, we meet our guide and board our deluxe motor coach to Galilee. Time permitting, we visit Mt. Carmel to celebrate Mass at Stella Maris Church before arriving at our hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee area. (D) *Program on this day may change depending on flight time
Friday, January 12, Day 3:
NAZARETH – CANA – MAGDALA
After our buffet breakfast which is included each day, we start with a visit to the Wedding Church in Cana for the Renewal of the Wedding Vows. After lunch, visit Nazareth to see the newly-discovered Byzantine ruins of the Church of the Nutrition, believed to be the childhood home of Jesus, beneath the convent of the Sisters of Nazareth. Visit St. Joseph Church and the Church of the Annunciation, where we celebrate Mass. We stop in Magdala on our way back to our hotel in Tiberius. Tonight we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. (B.L. Special dinner)
Saturday, January 13, Day 4:
CESAREA PHILLIPI – GOLAN HEIGHTS WINERY VISIT
Travel north through the Hula Valley to Caesarea Philippi, where Simon confessed Jesus as Messiah, and Jesus declared Simon to be Peter, the Rock, upon which He would build His Church. Here we celebrate Mass. We see the source of the River Jordan before going to Golan Heights for a Druze lunch and a view of Lebanon and Syria, where we get a better understanding, through a brief overview, of the complicated Middle Eastern political situation. Return to our hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight. (B.L.D)
Sunday, January 14, Day 5:
SEA OF GALILEE MINISTRY
This morning we take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and visit Mt. of Beatitudes. In Capernaum, the town of Jesus, we see Peter’s house and celebrate Mass with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier. At Tabgha, we see the restored Church of Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves. See, Kursi, in the land of the Gerasenes on the eastern shores of the Sea, where Jesus cast the demonic spirits from the man and sent them into the herd of swine. We conclude with the Church of Saint Peter’s Primacy, where Jesus said, “Feed My Sheep.” Lunch of St. Peter’s Fish is included at the Pilgerhouse. Dinner and overnight on the Sea of Galilee. (B.L.D)
Monday, January 15, Day 6:
CHURCH OF TRANSFIGURATION – EIN KAREM – JERUSALEM
Following hotel check out, we drive to Mt. Tabor, where we see the Church of Transfiguration and celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, we visit Ein Karem, the birthplace of St. John the Baptist. Welcome to the Holy City of Jerusalem! Overnight in Jerusalem. (B.L.D)
Tuesday, January 16, Day 7:
JUDEAN DESERT – JORDAN RIVER – JERICHO – THE DEAD SEA
We drive through the magnificent scenery of the Judean Desert to the Baptismal site on the River Jordan. Our next stop is Jericho, where we have lunch and celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, we visit the Dead Sea to float in the mineral-rich waters. Overnight Jerusalem. (B.L.D)
Wednesday, January 17, Day 8:
BETHLEHEM – SHARING THE BREAD DINNER
We visit the Church of Nativity, built by the emperors Constantine and Justinian, with its new renovations and newly-uncovered mosaics. We pray in St. Jerome’s Grotto after visiting the Manger Grotto below the Church of Nativity. Nearby is the Milk Grotto, where the Holy Family stopped during their flight into Egypt before driving a short distance to Shepherd’s Field and Grotto to celebrate Mass. Continue our day with shopping in Bethlehem to support our Christian brothers and sisters. Tonight we are welcomed into the homes of the local Christian families for a Sharing the Bread meal. Overnight Jerusalem. (B. L. Special dinner)
Thursday, January 18, Day 9:
MT. OF OLIVES – KIDRON VALLEY – MT. ZION
This morning, we follow the Passion of Christ, starting with a visit to the Mount of Olives. We visit the church at Bethpage, where the Palm Sunday procession begins, the Ascension Chapel, Pater Noster, and Dominus Flevit. Walking down the Palm Sunday Road, we arrive at the Church of the Agony (where we celebrate Mass with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier) and the Grotto of Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested. Walk along the Kidron Valley, passing Absalom Tomb, pausing by the water gate through which Jesus would have entered the city in chains to the high priest Caiaphas’ house. We see the prison at St. Peter in Galicantu and visit Mount Zion, where the early Christians assembled after the Ascension of Jesus. We visit the Upper Room, the location of the Last Supper, and where the Holy Spirit at Pentecost empowers the Church for its mission. Today we have lunch in a Jewish Kibbutz. Enjoy a rooftop dinner with a view of the Old City of Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem (B. L. Special dinner)
Friday, January 19, Day 10:
JERUSALEM – THE HOLY CITY
Early this morning, we pray the Stations of the Cross to Calvary in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where we celebrate Mass with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier, followed by a visit to the Chapel of Flagellation and the Cardo. In the afternoon, we visit St. Anne’s Church and the newly excavated Pools of Siloam. Our final stop of the day is the Western Wall before returning to our hotel. Tonight we return to Bethlehem for a festive dinner with dancing. Overnight in Jerusalem. (B. Special dinner)
Saturday, January 20, Day 11:
JERUSALEM – USA
This morning, we are transferred to our flight home, filled with memories that will last a lifetime (the final day of the itinerary may be subject to change based on flight times). (B)
Saturday, January 20, Day 11:
JERUSALEM – CROSSING INTO JORDAN – THE DEAD SEA
This morning, we celebrate Mass and check out of our hotel. We depart for the Allenby Bridge, crossing into Jordan. Our Jordanian guide meets us at the border to take us to Tel el-Hammam, the site of the biblical city of Sodom. Check into our hotel at the Dead Sea and perhaps have time for a float in the Dead Sea. This evening we enjoy dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at the Dead Sea. (B. Special dinner)
Sunday, January 21, Day 12:
MADABA – MT. NEBO – BETHANY BEYOND JORDAN – DEAD SEA
We drive to Madaba to see the famous 6th-century mosaic map of Palestine in St. George’s Church. Here we celebrate Mass. Stand atop Mount Nebo looking over the Promised Land just as Moses did before his death. Lunch is included today at Haret Jdoudna, an excellent local restaurant. Our day ends with a visit to Bethany Beyond Jordan, where Joshua crossed over with the Ark of the Covenant and the authentic site where St. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. Overnight at the Dead Sea. (B.L.D)
Monday, January 22, Day 13:
PETRA
Today, we visit the amazing ancient city of Petra. Enjoy a guided tour followed by time to explore on your own before we drive to Amman. Mass will be celebrated. Our farewell dinner is at a local restaurant. Overnight in Amman. (B. Special dinner)
Tuesday, January 23, Day 14:
DEPART FOR USA
This morning, we are transferred to our flight home, filled with memories that will last a lifetime (the final day of the itinerary may be subject to change based on flight times). (B)
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