Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - May 13, 2019

This morning we will travel to Nazareth, the boyhood 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. From there we will visit St. Joseph’s Carpentry Shop
and Mary’s well. We will then take an excursion to the summit
of Mt. Tabor where Jesus transfigured himself and revealed his
Divine Glory to John, James, and Peter (Matt 17:2). Overnight
in Galilee.

This morning, we will visit the sites around the Sea of Galilee,
where Jesus first called John and spent much of his time with
the Beloved Disciple. We will begin with a scenic boat ride
across the Sea of Galilee and proceed to the Church of Peter’s
Primacy (John 21:16) where we will celebrate Mass. 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 John and Peter ate
breakfast with Christ. We will proceed onto Capernaum, where
our Lord met his first disciples – including John – 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 (John 4, 5). Visit the synagogue where Jesus taught,
and then drive to Tabgha – the site where Jesus multiplied the
Loaves and Fishes and gave the Bread of Life discourse (John
6). Next, we will drive to the Mount of Beatitudes, the site of the
Sermon on the Mount. Overnight in Galilee.

After morning Mass at the Mt. of the Beatitudes we will depart
Galilee and drive to the original site on the River Jordan where
Christ was baptized, and 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 (John 1:32). Each year, pilgrims from far and
wide come to the Place of Baptism to immerse themselves in
these holy waters. Continue our drive up through the winding
mountain roads to Jerusalem, our home for the next four nights.

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 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 evening we will visit the Shroud
of Turin permanent exhibit at the Notre Dame Center. Overnight
in Jerusalem.

This morning we will celebrate an early morning Mass at the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After Mass, we will spend some
private time in prayer and reflection at the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre before returning to our hotel for breakfast. Later in
the morning we will go to Mount Zion to visit the Upper Room,
the site where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper. We will then
pray our Rosary together in the Church of Dormition, where
Mary was assumed into heaven. Next we will visit the Church
of St. Peter in Gallicantu where Peter denied Jesus three
times. The remainder of the afternoon will be free. Overnight
in Jerusalem.

After breakfast, 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, and the Arch of Ecce Homo. Afterwards, we exit
the city to visit the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed a man
born blind. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Check-out from our hotel and transfer to Tel Aviv to catch our
return flight home.