P.O. Box 53419 Atlanta, GA  30355 (404) 467-8041 FAX (404) 467-8042 Coordinator@catholicpilgrimoffice.com

Celebrating our 32nd Year Providing Superior Catholic Pilgrimages

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

Day 1: BEGINNING OUR PILGRIMAGE. Depart North America via jet service. Dinner and breakfast are served on board.

Day 2: INTO THE LAND OF THE BIBLE. Upon arrival in the afternoon, we are met by our representative who assists us with formalities. A luxury motor coach transfers us to our hotel in Herzlia for overnight.

Day 3: ALL THE PAST YEARS WITH HISTORY. Morning departure to Caesarea Maritima in the Plains of Sharon to visit the ruins of the Crusader's City, surrounded by a moat and a city wall enclosing the ruins of the Roman City. Visit the Roman Theater and proceed along the shores of the Mediterranean to Haifa. Visit Mount Carmel and the Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Visit the Cave of the Prophet Elijah. Proceed to Nazareth where we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation enclosing the remains of the House of Joachim and Ann and the site where the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that she was to become the Mother of God. Mass is celebrated here followed by a visit to the Home of the Holy Family, St. Joseph's workshop, Mary's Well and the Synagogue where Jesus preached. Continue to Cana, where Christ performed his first miracle, the Transformation of Water into Wine, and where any married couples can renew their marriage vows. Proceed to our hotel in Tiberias.

Day 4: THE SEA OF GALILEE AND UPPER GALILEE. In the morning, we cross the Sea of Galilee by boat from Tiberias to Capernaum, now in ruins but once a thriving town where Peter lived and where much of the public ministry of Christ took place. See the Church of the Primacy of Peter, where Christ taught the Eight Beatitudes to his Disciples. Mass is celebrated at the Mount of Beatitudes. Continue to the ruins of Magdala where Mary Magdalene lived. In the afternoon, drive to the Golan Heights, overlooking Upper Galilee. Cross the River Jordan via Jacob's Daughters Bridge and return to our hotel.

Day 5: ALONG THE JORDAN VALLEY. After breakfast, we leave Tiberias and drive to the top of Mt. Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration where Mass is celebrated. Continue to Megiddo, Armageddon, a very important point on the Via Maris connecting Egypt and Damascus. It is a city that has witnessed many wars and suffered much destruction throughout the different periods of time. We proceed through the Jordan Valley - Judean Wilderness to Jericho stopping at the site of Inn of the Good Samaritan. Visit Elijah's Fountain and the ancient city of Jericho from which you can view the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. Continue along the shores of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi where a precipitous cliff, filled with caves, rises some 2,000 feet. Time is allowed for a float on the Dead Sea. Proceed to visit Qumran, where a shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, before continuing to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 6: JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM. Drive to Bethlehem. Visit the Basilica of the Nativity, built over the site of the birthplace of Christ where Mass is celebrated. Visit the Cave where Christ was born and it is the occasion to sing the traditional Christmas Hymns. A visit is made to the Chapel of St. Jerome, who lived here for many years and translated the Bible into Latin. The nearby Church of St. Catherine is the venue for the midnight Mass that is broadcast all over the World from Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Continue to the Shepherds field, recalling the "great throng of the heavenly hosts" who appeared to the Shepherds and told them of the birth of the Savior. In the afternoon, visit Ein Karem, the place of the Visitation where Our Lady came to visit her cousin Elizabeth. View the plaques with the Magnificat in most languages of the World. Visit the parish church of St. John the Baptist, and the Grotto of his birth. This evening we request a meeting with his Beatitude, Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Return to our hotel.

Day 7: MOUNTAINS OF JERUSALEM. This morning tour the Old City of Jerusalem, visiting the Chapel of Flagellation, the chapel of Condemnation and the Lithostrotos, the site of the Antonia Fortress where Julius Caesar resided at the time of Christ and where Christ was tried and condemned to death. Beginning the way of the Cross here, join the walk along the Via Dolorosa led by the Franciscans - ending at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site of the Crucifixion and the Tomb. Mass at the Basilica on the Holy Sepulcher. Visit Calvary and the Tomb of Our Lord followed by a short tour of the Basilica. This afternoon we drive to the Mount of Olives and visit the Church of the Ascension, the spot where Christ ascended into Heaven; the Pater Noster Church commemorating Christ's teaching of the Our Father to his disciples; Dominus Flevit, the spot where Christ wept over Jerusalem and onwards to Gethsemane Nations which houses the Rock of the Agony of Christ on Holy Thursday; in this Church is a beautiful mosaic donated by the United States. Visit the Cave of the betrayal of Jesus and the Tomb of Our Lady. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 8: JERUSALEM. This morning visit the Church of St. Ann, built on the site of birthplace of Our Lady where Mass is celebrated. Continue to the Pool of Bethesda, where Christ healed the paralytic. Visit the Temple area, the spot where the original temple was built and which was the scene of many episodes from the life of Christ, such as the expulsion of the moneychangers. Here now stands the Dome of the Rock, the third holiest spot in the world for the Moslem faith. Visit the El Aksa Mosque and then the Wailing Wall that is the most sacred spot in the world for the Jews. In the afternoon proceed to the Shrine of the Book, enclosing the Dead Sea Scrolls. Continue to Mount Zion, visiting the room of the Last Supper, Church of the Dormition and then visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu built on the sire of the house of Caiphas that encloses the dungeon where Christ was kept on Holy Thursday night and where Peter denied Christ thrice.

Day 9: JERUSALEM - CAIRO. Leave Jerusalem this morning and travel to the village of Abu Gosh where the crusaders had their first view of Jerusalem. Continue along the Courage Road to Rafah. Cross the border to Egypt where we are met by our Egyptian guide and driver. Proceed to the remains of war-torn El Arish, a small town and Bedouin center which is the capital of the Sinai. Continue our drive across the Sinai Peninsula along the Mediterranean Sea to Qantara, destroyed during the long years of battle between Egypt and Israel. Cross the Suez Canal by ferry and travel along the mighty Nile River to Cairo, Egypt. Check into our hotel upon arrival.

Day 10: CAIRO - GIZA. Morning visit to the Egyptian Museum to view many specimens of finest antiquities including precious collections from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Then drive through the city past Cairo University to Giza. Visit Cheops Pyramid and the Sphinx. Camels or horses are available to ride to the Pyramid Plateau. Afternoon sightseeing drive along the Nile Cornice past East El Ainin Hospital to "Old Cairo" to visit the Coptic Churches of Abu Sarga associated with the Flight of the Christ Child to Egypt, Ben Ezra Mosque and MAR Mosque. Drive via Republic Square past Abdin Palace to Sultan Hassan Mosque, the Citadel and El Azhar University to the native bazaars of Khan El Khalili where time is allowed for browsing and shopping.

Day 11: CAIRO - USA. Morning departure from Cairo to North America. The close of our unforgettable tour of the Bible Lands - having walked in the paths of the Master and the early Christians.

For Biblical & historical backgrounds of sites in the Holy Land, see the Holy Land in Depth at www.questtravelgroup.com.

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