Holy Land Pilgrimage - September 18, 2019

Following breakfast, we will drive to Cana of Galilee where Jesus,
at the request of Mary, performed His first miracle – changing
water into wine. It was here also that He blessed marriage and
raised it to the dignity of a sacrament. Married couples will have
the opportunity to renew their wedding vows. From there, we
go a short distance to Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus.
In the Church of the Annunciation we will celebrate Mass. Just
behind the altar, at the Cave of the Annunciation, we will see
the actual room in which Mary said “yes” to the angel Gabriel,
and then visit St. Joseph’s Carpentry Shop and Mary’s well. In
the afternoon, we will take an excursion to the summit of Mt.
Tabor, the mount of Transfiguration, where Jesus revealed his
Divine Glory to the apostles (Matt 17:2).

This morning, we will enjoy a scenic boat ride across the Sea
of Galilee and proceed to the Church of Peter’s Primacy (John
21:16). Here on the shore of Galilee, Jesus appeared to the
Apostles after His Resurrection and confirmed Peter in the role
as Vicar of Christ with the words, “Feed My sheep.” The rock
emerging from the center of the church is the actual table at
which they ate breakfast. We will proceed onto Capernaum,
which for three years was the center of Jesus’ public ministry.
Here our Lord met his first disciples – Peter, Andrew, James,
John and Matthew – and worked many miracles. He healed
Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever, brought a child back to life,
cured a leper, healed the centurion’s servant, cast out a demon
from a young boy and healed all that were sick (Matt 8:16). We
will celebrate Mass, visit the synagogue where Jesus taught,
and then drive to Tabgha – the site where Jesus multiplied the
Loaves and Fishes and fed over 5000 people (Luke 9:13). Next,
we will drive to the Mount of Beatitudes the site of the Sermon
on the Mount.

After Mass at the Mount of the Beatitudes, we will travel around
the Sea of Galilee and stop at Kursi. Here Jesus met a possessed
man and miraculously cast out a legion of demons into the herd
of swine (Luke 8:26). From there we travel through the Judean
wilderness to the River Jordan to renew our baptismal vows.
The Bible tells us that the Children of Israel crossed the River
Jordan opposite Jericho when they came into the Promised
Land. The prophet Elijah divided its waters and crossed with
Elisha on dry land. Naaman the Syrian dipped in the waters
seven times and was cured of his leprosy. And Jesus was
baptized by John in the Jordan (Mark 1:9). Each year, pilgrims
from far and wide come to the Place of Baptism to immerse
themselves in these holy waters. From here, we will drive to
Jerusalem our home for the next five nights.

We will drive to Bethlehem and have Mass at the Shepherd’s
Fields. Above the traditional Grotto of Jesus’ birth, we will visit
the Nativity Church, built by the Emperor Constantine in the
4th century. Also tour the Manger, Grotto of St. Jerome, and
the Church of St. Catherine. Then visit the Franciscan Family
Center and the Milk Grotto Chapel followed by some free time
before returning to Jerusalem.

This morning we will drive to the top of the Mt. of Olives for
a spectacular view of Jerusalem. We will visit the Church of
Pater Noster where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray,
Ascension Chapel the site where Jesus ascended into Heaven,
and then walk the “Palm Sunday Road” to Dominus Flevit,
where Our Lord wept over Jerusalem. Then we will proceed
to the Garden of Gethsemane to visit the Church of All Nations
for Mass on the Rock of Agony. In the afternoon, we will drive
through the New City of Jerusalem to Ein Karem, birthplace of
St. John the Baptist, to see the Visitation Church where Mary
proclaimed her famous “Magnificat”.

This morning we will enter the Old City of Jerusalem through
St. Stephen’s Gate to visit the Church of St. Anne, where the
Blessed Virgin Mary was born. Next to this site is the Pool of
Bethesda, where Jesus healed the paralytic man. We will then
walk the Via Dolorosa finishing prayerfully in the Church of the
Holy Sepulcher where we will have Holy Mass. There we will
climb Mt. Calvary and pray at the site of the crucifixion. We will
venerate the site where Jesus’ body was anointed, the tomb
where he was buried and rose from the dead, and the Chapel
of St. Helena where the true cross was found. While in the
Old City, we will also see Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the Chapel
of Flagellation, the Arch of Ecce Homo, the “Wailing Wall”, and
we will view the Temple Mount. Afterwards, we exit the city to
visit the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed a man born blind.
We then go to Mount Zion to visit St. Peter in Gallicantu where
Peter denied Jesus three times and the Upper Room, the site
where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper. Last, we will pray our
Rosary together in the Church of Dormition, where Mary was
assumed into heaven.

We will drive to Bethany to visit the site of the House of Mary,
Martha & Lazarus and the Tomb of Lazarus. Then drive to
ancient Jericho, the oldest known city in the Western world.
In 1250 B.C., Joshua encircled the city and at the blast of the
priests’ trumpets, the walls came tumbling down (Joshua
6). Many times Jesus passed through this city on his way
to Jerusalem. The sycamore fig, the tree which Zacchaeus
climbed in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus, still grows in this
area. From the ruins of ancient Jericho, we will ascend the
Mount of Temptation where Jesus fasted and prayed forty days
to resist the devil. Return to Jerusalem. This evening we will
enjoy a farewell dinner.

Today our Holy Land pilgrimage comes to an end. We will
transfer to the airport for our return flight home.