Make your way to your local Airport, where you will board your over-night flight. Your meals are served on board.

Arrive in Tel Aviv Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, make your way to the baggage claim area to collect your luggage. From there, proceed through customs to the Arrivals Hall, where you be greeted by your tour guide and/-or driver. A luxury motor coach will transfer us to the Negev. We will go into the desert. Dinner upon arrival and late Mass in the Kibbutz.

After breakfast, we will head for an hour walk. Mass in the wilderness (open air). In the afternoon, the coach will drive us on the Arava side (Ez47:8-12). Drive along the Dead sea to Nahal Arugot Ein Gedi, a beautiful oasis in the region where King David hid while fleeing Saul (1Sm24:2). Time of teaching. Finish the day in the beauty of the desert, driving along the Dead Sea, and passing by Qumran (Jr32:14), the site where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Dinner and overnight at Ein Gedi Kibbutz, few miles from Jericho.

After breakfast, we will travel beyond Jericho at the Jordan banks, we will continue on to the Baptismal site (Jn1:29) on the Jordan River where Father will give a teaching and lead us, feet in the water, or totally immersed, to renew our baptismal vows. There will be the shift from ‘the Father to the Son’ in our Trinitarian journey. From the Jordan banks, drive to the old city of Jericho (Js6:1-20), “the city of Roses” (Si 24:14). We will celebrate the Eucharist at Jericho’s Parish. See a sycamore tree like the one of Zacchaeus the tax collector (Lk19:1- 10) Enjoy lunch in a beautiful restaurant nearby. After lunch, enjoy a time at the Dead Sea, and continue along the Jordan Valley to Nazareth to our lodging.

Today, let’s let Mary guide us to Jesus. Visit the Basilica of the Annunciation which is built over the remains of the House where the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that she was to become the Mother of God (Lk1:26). Celebrate Mass in the Basilica. Take a long time of personal prayer. Visit St Joseph Church. Lunch at the Dames of Nazareth. In the afternoon, visit a very special site: the Tomb of the Just. Ponder on the Holy Family, the ordinary life of this special family. Its value. Ask for the intercession of St Joseph. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

In the morning, we will proceed to Mt. Tabor in the Jezreel Valley (Zc12:11), 11 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. According to Origen, St Jerome and St Cyril of Jerusalem, this is the site of the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1). Also, the site – in the first covenant, in the mid – 12th century BCE of the battle between Barak and Sisera, under the leadership of Deborah the Israelite Judge of that time (Jg4:5). Some may ascend Mount Tabor by foot in silence (1,886 feet). After praying and contemplating the Moso-Arab Church, a jewel of art, Father will celebrate the Eucharist in this magnificent place. Drive to Cana where Christ performed his first miracle (Jn2:1-11), at the request of His mother. Lunch. Visit the site. Take time to ponder on the miracle of Cana, pray and those who wish to can perform the renewal of their wedding vows. En route for the Lake of Galilee called also the Sea of Kinnereth (Nb34:11). The next two days we will ponder on the Public life of Jesus. Arrival to our hotel; Pilgerhaus for dinner and overnight. Free evening.

After breakfast, we walk to Tabgha the site of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish (Mt14). Visit the Church and its famous mosaics. Afterward, we will visit the Primacy of Peter. The bus will drive us to Ginosar. We will embark for a Boat ride to Capernaum. Capernaum is now in ruins but was once a thriving town where Peter lived and hosted Jesus (Mt 4:13). In this Synagogue Jesus gave the discourse on the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35-70). Celebrate Mass. After lunch, Drive to the Mount of the Beatitudes. Visit the Church that commemorates where Christ taught the Eight Beatitudes to his Disciples (Mt 5). Walk down the Mount and celebrate Mass outdoor, closest to the place to where the crowds were sitting, listening to Jesus. Back to the Pilgrim House. Dinner. In the evening, time of adoration in open air (place called Dalmanoutha).

Drive to Magdala. Visit this unique site. An ancient Synagogue of the village of the port of Galilee at the time of Jesus. The place where Mary Magdalene and so many met Jesus personally. Celebrate the Eucharist. Lunch. After lunch, make the ascent to Jerusalem while reading the Psalms of Ascent. Enter Jerusalem, the Holy City. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. Teaching on the Holy Sepulcher in the evening.

Bethlehem Drive to Bet Sahour and celebrate Mass at the Shepherds field, recalling the “great throng of the heavenly hosts” that appeared to the Shepherds announcing to them of the birth of the Savior (Lk2:8). Lunch. After lunch, we continue to Bethlehem. Visit the Basilica of the Nativity, built over the site of the birthplace of Jesus, born amongst the Jewish people. Visit the Cave where Christ was born. We will then visit the Chapel of St. Jerome, who lived here for many years translating the Bible into Latin. The nearby Church of St. Catherine is the venue for the midnight Mass which is broadcast all over the World from Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. In the evening make our way to the private Garden of Gethsemane for a special Holy Hour of Adoration.

Start the day early, walking through the Old City, towards the Holy Sepulcher. We will celebrate in this Holy place the Eucharist. Time of prayer at the Tomb of Jesus. Back to the Hotel for breakfast. After, we will drive to the Mount of Olives (Mt21). Visit the Dominus Flevit Church, where Christ wept over Jerusalem (Mt23:37). The Eucharist will be held there, in front of this incredible view on the ramparts. Onwards in the descent of Mount of Olives, by foot, reliving the Palm Sunday. Arrival at the Getsemani Church, called the Church of the Nations. We will view the ancient Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt26:36) and visit the Church of All 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. The coach will drive above the Kidron Valley and bring us to lunch. After lunch, we will head towards the house of the High Priest Caiaphas (Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu). This Church commemorates where Jesus was examined and eventually imprisoned before the Council in Jerusalem. It also commemorates Peter’s Denial of Christ (John 18:15-18), Peters’ repentance, and Jesus’ forgiveness of Peter. We will take a time of prayer in the cistern that served as prison. Late afternoon, the bus will drive us to the Lion Gate, for the Way of the Cross. Relive the way of the Cross. We will start at the site of the Ecce Homo where some stones of the historical Via Dolorosa were found. – and ending at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site of the Crucifixion and the Tomb of Our Lord. Return to our accommodation for dinner.

The day starts driving to Mount Zion. We will ask for a renewal of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room on Mt. Zion. The Upper Room is where Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30), and where they were together the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell upon them. Drive down the mountain of Jerusalem towards North for the celebration of the Eucharist in the Holy site of Emmaus Nicopolis where the Risen Jesus met the disciples on the road to Emmaus and was recognized through the braking of the bread (Lk 24). We will have lunch served at the Monastery of the Beatitude’s Community, the Community to which Sister belongs. After lunch, we will have a time of fraternal sharing in their Chapel and visit this moving site. We will end our pilgrimage with a thanksgiving Mass in the antic outdoor Basilica. Return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, transfer to the Tel Aviv airport for return flights home.

*206 Tours Disclaimer:
Occasionally local religious and national holidays, weather, traffic conditions and other events may necessitate changes in the sequence of events or the missing of certain events/places. Though every effort will be made to follow the itinerary, it should be considered as an indication, rather than a contract of events and places to be visited.