| |
PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLYLAND ITINERARY
DAY 01: BEGINNING OUR PILGRIMAGE
Depart New York
via jet service. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board.
DAY 02: INTO THE LAND OF THE BIBLE
Upon arrival in
the afternoon, you will be met by our representative who will assist
you with formalities. A luxury motorcoach will transfer you to
your hotel in Tel Aviv.
 Fortress at Megiddo
This
morning drive along the shores of the Mediterranean to Caesarea
Martima on 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. Continue to Haifa,
visiting Mount Carmel and the Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,
where Mass will be celebrated, and the Cave of the Prophet, Elijah.
Visit the Bah'ai Temple and proceed to Meggido, Armageddon, a
very important strategic point on the Via Maris connecting Egypt
and Damascus. It is a city that has witnessed many wars and
suffered many destructions throughout the wars and different
periods of time. Proceed to Tiberias to your hotel on the shores of
the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight.
The Jordan River
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 confirmed
Peter as Head of the Church. Proceed to Tabgha, the place of the
Multiplication of Loaves and Fish. Continue to visit the Mount of
Beatitudes, where Christ taught the Eight Beatitudes to his
Disciples. Mass will be celebrated at the Mount of Beatitudes.
Continue to the ruins of Magdala where Mary Magdalen lived. In
the afternoon, drive to the Golan Heights in Upper Galilee. Visit
the Sources of the Jordan. View Tel Dan. Return to the River
Jordan at the exit from the Sea of Galilee. Return to your hotel.
DAY 05: GALILEE TO JERUSALEM
After breakfast drive to
Cana, where Christ performed his first miracle and where any
married couples can renew their marriage vows. Continue 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.
Drive to the top of Mt. Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration.
Continue to Beit She’an, an ancient city. Extensive excavations
have uncovered eighteen layers of habitation in Beit She’an.
Continue along the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem for dinner and
overnight.
Mount Zion
This morning visit the Church of St.
Ann, built on the site of the birthplace of Our Lady where Mass
will be 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
money changers. Here now stands the Dome of the Rock, the third
holiest spot in the world for the Moslem faith. Visit the El Aqsa
Mosque and then the Wailing Wall which is the most sacred spot
in the world for the Jews. In the afternoon proceed to the National
Museum, the Shrine of the Book enclosing the Dead Sea Scrolls,
and the Knesset or the House of Parliament. Continue to Mount
Zion, visiting the room of the Last Supper, Church of the
Dormition and then visit the Church of St. Peter in Gailicantu built
on the site of the house of Caiaphas which encloses the dungeon
where Christ was kept on Holy Thursday night and where Peter
denied Christ thrice.
Chapel of the Ascension
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 Fievit, the spot where Christ wept over
Jerusalem and onwards to Gethsemane to view the ancient Olive
trees in the Garden of Gethsemane and to 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. Celebrate Mass at the Church of All Nations. Visit
the Cave of the betrayal of Jesus and the Tomb of Our Lady. 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.
Return to your hotel.
Entrance of Humility, Church of the Nativity
Drive to
Bethlehem. Visit the Basilica of the Nativity, built over the site of
the birthplace of Christ. Visit the Cave where Christ was bom 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 which 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
Saviour.
This afternoon 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 Sepulchre, built over the site of the Crucifixion and the
Tomb. Visit Calvary and the Tomb of Our Lord followed by a
short tour of the Basilica.
Masada Fortress
After breakfast,
drive to Bethany and visit the new Church, built on the site of the
house of Mary and Martha, where Mass will be celebrated. Visit
the Tomb of Lazarus. Proceed through the Judean Wilderness to
Jericho stopping at the Inn of the Good Samaritan. Visit Elisha’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 to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls
were discovered in 1947. Proceed to Masada where you will
ascend by cable car to visit the remarkable ruins of the Fortress,
built by Herod the Great, and where from 70 to 73 A.D., Jewish
Zealots made their last stand in the Judean Revolt against the
Roman Legions. See the remains of Herod's Palace; the
Apartments, Baths, Storehouses and cisterns - all used by the
Jewish Defenders who took refuge here. Return to Jerusalem.
DAY 10: Day at leisure. Dinner and overnight.
DAY 11: TEL AVIV/NEW YORK
Transfer to the airport for
your return flight to New York
To Register, print out this form fill it out and mail it in along with your deposit.
"Holy Land Pilgrimage" Discussion Group
Our RTC trips Yahoo group is now talking about this trip.
Fill in your email address to join our Yahoo Group now!
|
 |
