Pilgrimage To The Holy Land

Day 1: Telaviv; Sea of Galilee

Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport Terminal 3 and assistance upon arrival by a local representative.

Drive to Galilee, check-in in Galilee for one night.

Dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Sea of Galilee > Nazareth

After breakfast, we will visit the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, located in Tabgha, on the northwest shore of the sea of Galilee (the ancient Heptapegon). The church is modern but stands on the site of 4th and 5th century churches. It preserves a splendid early Christian mosaic as well as the traditional stone on which the miraculous meal was laid.

Later on visit to the Mount of Beatitudes, the so-called « Sermon on the Mount », recorded in Matthew 5 and Luke 6. After Tabgha, we will head to visit Capernaum, which is frequently mentioned in the gospels and was Jesus’s main base during his Galilean ministry. It is referred to as Jesus’s «own city» (Mt9 :1; Mk 2 :1).

Afterwards, we drive to Nazareth, which was the hometown of Jesus and is one of the most important Christian sites in the Holy Land. Visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation. The Basilica is a modern Catholic church built over the remains of byzantine crusader churches. It incorporates the cave in which the Virgin Mary received the news from the Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth to Jesus.

The site has been a pilgrimage destination since earliest times and remains an important stop for Holy Land pilgrims.

Then we drive to Jerusalem.

Check-in in Jerusalem for two nights.

Dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Bethlehem > Mount of Olives

After breakfast we drive to Bethlehem, the birth place of our Lord.

Perched on a hill at the edge of the Judean desert just 8 kilometers south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is the childhood home of king David. Visit of the Nativity church, which enshrines the birthplace of Jesus.

Then we drive to the top of Mount of Olives to visit the Pater Noster church, built on the site of the ancient Eleona church, which is believed to be the place where Jesus taught his disciples the prayer of the Our Father.

We continue going down the mountain and visit the Franciscan church of Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Then we visit the Garden of Olives, with the Church of All Nations, which was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi in 1924.

Officially named the Basilica of the Agony, the church is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem next to the Garden of Gethsemane. The church enshrines a section of a rock that is believed to be where Jesus prayed on the night of His arrest.

Holy Mass during the day.

Dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Mount Zion > Old City of Jerusalem > Telaviv

After breakfast we drive to Mount Zion and visit the Dormition Abbey, which commemorates the falling asleep of Virgin Mary before Her Assumption. The church was dedicated by the German Benedictines in 1910.

Later on we proceed to visit the Upper Room, the Cenacle. The chapel was originally built by the crusaders. Next we follow following the traditional path of the Way of the Cross, known as «Via Dolorosa », which is a procession of 14 stations, starting next to the Flagellation Chapel, and ending at the Holy Sepulcher, at the empty tomb of our Lord Jesus.

Then visit of the church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church, which is also known as the church of the Resurrection (Anastasis), is the holiest Christian site in the world. This Basilica encompasses the Golgotha or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the Holy Tomb (sepulcher) where He was buried.

Later on we will pass through the Jewish quarter to get to the Wailing Wall, an impressive heritage and the holiest site for the Jews, which was built by Herod the Great, in around 19 BC. Herod the Great extended the mount’s natural plateau by enclosing the area with four massive retaining walls and filling the voids.

Transfer to Ben Gurion airport for departure formalities (3 hours are required by the Israeli security).

Holy Mass during the day.

BON VOYAGE !!