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Providing Superior Catholic Pilgrimages to
Rome, Italy, Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje, Pope John Paul II, Steps of Paul, the
Holy Land, World Youth Day, the Passion Play & more!
The Catholic Pilgrim Office operates tours for
pre-formed groups of 15 or more from U.S. departure cities. Call us about
details and generous host benefits!
The Catholic Pilgrim Office and
The Quest Travel Group
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Day 1: USA - Tel Aviv.
Tour members gather at the ticket
counter at the airport three hours prior to our
departure to Tel Aviv. Dinner and breakfast
are
served in-flight.
Day 2: Tel Aviv - Galilee.
Arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport. Exit
the terminal and meet our guide. Transfer to our
hotel in Nazareth or Tiberias, with a stop on the
way at Caesarea Maritima, if time permits (this
depends on our flight arrival time). Dinner and
lodging at your hotel.
 Day
3: Haifa – Nazareth.
This morning, we drive to Haifa and the Carmel
Mountains, heading for the place where Elijah
challenged the prophets of Baal at a site now called
Mukhraka. Up on the Carmel Mountains we also visit
the church of Stella Maris, where we have a
panoramic view of the city Haifa. In the afternoon,
we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation starting
at the Grotto where the Annunciation took place,
then we visit the house of the Holy Family
under the Church of St. Joseph, the Fountain of Mary
and the Synagogue (Holy Mass at the Grotto of
Annunciation). Dinner and lodging at your hotel.
 Day
4: The Ministry of Christ
in the Galilee.
This morning, we drive to the Sea of Galilee
and
visit the Mt. of Beatitudes where our Lord gave the
Sermon on the Mount. Continue to Tabgha to see the
splendid mosaic of the loaves and fishes with which
he fed the Five Thousand. Visit the Church of St.
Peter’s Primacy and then go to visit Capernaum to
see the house of St. Peter and the Synagogue where
our Lord preached. (Holy Mass on the Mt. of
Beatitudes or Capernaum). You have to try the
St. Peter’s fish for lunch that day. One of today's
highlights is a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee
and a visit to the ‘Jesus Boat’ - a 2000 year old
fishing boat found on the shores of Magdala. We
finish our day with a visit to the Jordan River to
renew our Baptismal Vows. Then drive back to the
hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day 5: Cana of Galilee – Transfiguration – Jericho -
Jerusalem.
Drive to Cana of Galilee to visit the church of the
wedding where Jesus performed the first of his
signs, changing water to wine. Here, couples can
renew their wedding vows. Next, we head towards
Mount Tabor, the Mount of the Transfiguration and
visit the beautiful Basilica and the rock under the
altar where the Transfiguration took place (Holy
Mass in the Basilica of Transfiguration). We spend some time on this peaceful mountain for
meditation and reflection. Leaving the mountain, we
drive via the Jordan Valley to Jericho, where we
view the Mount of Temptation and the Sycamore tree
that Zacchaeus climbed in order to see Jesus. We
continue our drive up to Jerusalem and check into
the hotel for dinner and lodging overnight.
 Day
6: Bethlehem – Ein Karem.
This morning, we drive to Bethlehem to visit the
place of our Lord’s birth in the Basilica of the
Nativity. We see the Grotto of the Nativity,
the Church of St. Catherine (where the Midnight Mass
is celebrated) and the Caves of St. Joseph and St.
Jerome underneath the church (Holy Mass in the
Nativity Church). Visit to the Shepherds’ Fields,
where the Angels appeared to the shepherds who were
watching over their flocks during the night. In the
afternoon, we drive to the nearby village of Ein
Karem to visit the birth-place of St. John the
Baptist and the Church of the Visitation, where Mary
came to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth and proclaimed
the ´Magnificat’. If time permits, we stop to
visit the Holy Land Model before returning to the
hotel for dinner and lodging.
 Day
7: Introduction to Jerusalem.
After breakfast, we drive to the top of the Mt.
Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem and a
better understanding of its geography and some of
the key sites surrounding the area. Visit the
Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught his
disciples how to pray and then proceed down the Palm
Sunday route to the Church of Dominus Flevit where
our Lord wept over the city. We continue our walk
on the Palm Sunday route to the Garden of Gethsemane
where we find the Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed
before his betrayal (Holy Mass in the Garden of
Gethsemane). Before going back to the hotel, we
have free time at the dimly-lit church for
prayer and reflection. This afternoon, we go on
Mount Zion to visit the Church of the Dormition
Abbey where our Blessed Mother fell asleep. Next,
we go to the Cenacle, the place of the Last Supper
and Pentecost. Today we also visit the Church of
Saint Peter in Gallicantu, which commemorates the
house of Caiphas (the high priest of the Jews) where
Jesus was imprisoned for the night and where Peter
denied our Lord. After this we return to our hotel
for dinner and lodging.
 Day
8: Jerusalem: The Passion of Jesus´ Last Hours.
Early this morning, we attend the Mass at the Church
of Holy Sepulcher (Mass at the tomb of our Lord).
After Mass, we return to the hotel to have breakfast
before leaving to visit the Old City of Jerusalem.
We’ll start at the Western Wall and on to the Dome
of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, including St.
Anne’s Church and the Pools of Bethesda. From
there, we continue to the Judgment Hall—known as the
Antonia Fortress where Jesus was led to be condemned
to death by Pontius Pilate. At that place, we start
following the Via Dolorosa through the markets of
the Old City, praying at the Stations of the Cross:
we reflect on the greatness of His sacrifice,
stopping at each of the fourteen stations of the
Cross until we reach the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher. There, we visit Calvary and the
empty Tomb of our Lord, and the different sections
of the church. We have free time at the church
for prayers and reflection before going back to the
hotel for dinner and lodging.
 Day
9: The wilderness: Bethany - Qumran - Masada - Dead
Sea.
Today, we have a rather different experience. We
drive to nearby Bethany to visit the church and
the Tomb of St. Lazarus (Holy Mass in Bethany).
From here, we drive to the Dead Sea area to see the
caves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were
hidden. We also visit the archeological site
there and see a video about the place. Then we
drive further south along the Dead Sea and stop for
a swim in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead
Sea—renowned for its healing properties—before
returning for dinner and lodging at the hotel in
Jerusalem.
Day 10: Jerusalem - USA.
Departure from Jerusalem to the Tel Aviv airport for
return to North America. The end of a most
enjoyable Pilgrimage.
For Biblical & historical backgrounds of sites in
the Holy Land, see
the Holy Land in Depth at
www.questtravelgroup.com. |
