Your spiritual pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

You will be welcomed to the Holy Land by our airport representative and transferred to your Bethlehem hotel. Enjoy dinner before retiring for the night.

In Bethlehem, visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace, which now resides in the world’s oldest functioning church (Luke 2:1-7). Celebrate Mass in Bethlehem and then gaze out over Shepherds’ Field, where the angels first proclaimed the Good News. Visit Bethany, the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Here, Jesus visited on several occasions and raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Travel to Ein Karem, the village where John the Baptist was born and the Virgin Mary visited Elizabeth prior to our Lord’s birth (Luke 1:26-40). Visit the Church of St. John, the birthplace of John the Baptist.

Visit and renew your baptismal vows at the baptismal site of Qasr el Yahud, where tradition says Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Just off the Roman road that Jesus “walked” is the Wadi Qelt gorge, the site of the Monastery of St. George. Journey to Jericho (considered the oldest city in the world) to visit the ruins of the ancient city conquered by Joshua (Josh. 6:1). From Jericho, in the distance, you can see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:1). Celebrate Mass in the Church of the Good Shepherd in Jericho near a sycamore tree and remember Zacchaeus, who climbed a sycamore to see Jesus (Luke 18-19). Travel to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. End your day with the opportunity to take a dip in the mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea.

Visit the Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle, where He changed water into wine (John 2). Continue on to Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matthew 2:23), and celebrate Mass in the Basilica of the Annunciation. You will also see the House of the Holy Family, St. Joseph’s Workshop and St. Joseph’s Church (Luke 2:41-52; Matt. 2:19-23). Stand atop Mount Precipice, where Luke describes how Jesus was rejected by those in the synagogue after He taught them. Filled with anger, they “led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong” (Luke 4: 29).

Enjoy beautiful Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry, and visit the synagogue located on the site where Jesus taught (Matt. 4:13, 23). Sail across the Sea of Galilee, reflecting on the gospel stories of Jesus calming the storm. Listen to Jesus’ words from His Sermon on the Mount at the Mount of Beatitudes (Matt. 5-7) and celebrate Mass at the Church of the Beatitudes. At Tabgha, the traditional location of the feeding of the 5,000, explore the Church of the Loaves and Fish (Luke 9:10-17). Take a moment to reflect and pray in the Chapel of the Primacy, where Peter professed his devotion to the risen Christ (John 21). In Magdala, once home to Mary Magdalene, visit a recently discovered first-century synagogue.

As you stand on Mount Tabor, contemplate what it must have been like for Saints Peter, James and John to behold the glory of the Transfigured Christ (Matt. 17:2). Celebrate Mass at the Church of the Transfiguration. Continue on your journey to Mount Carmel where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Biblically, Mount Carmel is referenced most often as a symbol of beauty and fertility. To be given the “splendor of Carmel” was to be blessed indeed (Isa 35:2). “Then we will travel to the stunning, historic port of Caesarea on the Mediterranean. This was the capital of the Roman province of Judea and is associated with Saints Peter, Phillip and Paul, who was imprisoned here for years. Later we arrive in Jerusalem.

Be inspired by the breathtaking beauty of Jerusalem (“the Golden City”) as you stand on the Mount of Olives, the place from which Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-12). Visit the Church of Pater Noster, walk the Palm Sunday Road, stopping briefly at the tear-shaped Dominus Flevit Church, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Celebrate Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed before His crucifixion (Matt. 26:36-44). On Mount Zion, see the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was imprisoned the night of His arrest (Matt. 26:57-65). Nearby is the Upper Room, revered as the location of the Last Supper (Mark 14:12-26). Conclude your day by visiting the Church of the Dormition of Mary.

Take time to pray at the Western Wall, which is all that remains of Herod’s Temple. Sit on the Teaching Steps where Jesus once taught. Take a leisurely stroll down the Cardo, the main street of the Old City, where modern shops stand between ancient ones. View the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle of healing (John 5:1-31), and sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne, renowned for its beautiful acoustics. At Herod’s Antonia Fortress, see where Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:1-11). Walk the Via Dolorosa, “the Way of the Cross,” and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

After breakfast, enjoy celebrating Mass at the holiest place on earth, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then have the remainder of the day to explore Jerusalem on your own.

DEPART ON AN EXTENSION OR RETURN TO THE USA