Depart from Port of Spain

You will be welcomed at the airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Netanya. Enjoy dinner before retiring for the night.

Today’s first stop is Caesarea, a center of the early Christians where an angel visited Cornelius, the first Gentile believer (Acts 10), and where Paul was imprisoned for two years before appealing to Caesar. Continue your journey to Mount Carmel, where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Biblically, Mount Carmel is often referenced as a symbol of beauty and fertility. To be given the “splendor of Carmel” was to be blessed indeed (Isa 35:2). Continue 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). Visit the Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle, where He changed water into wine (John 2). Check into your hotel in Tiberias for the night.

Enjoy the beautiful city of 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. Return to your hotel in Tiberias.

At the ruins of Tel Dan, see the altar built by King Jeroboam I (I Kings 12:25-30) and learn about where the “House of David” fragment from the First Temple Period was discovered. Continue to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter told the Lord, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!” (Matt 16:16). Visit Banias Falls, one of the most beautiful natural wonders of Israel. A scenic drive along the Golan Heights will give you some stunning views of Syria and Jordan, as well as Israel. 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. Return to your hotel in Tiberias.

This morning, you will cross the Allenby Bridge. Stop at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the traditional place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Several baptismal pools dating back to Byzantine times can be seen here. Continue to Madaba, the City of Mosaics, to visit the Church of Saint George, with its sixth-century Byzantine mosaic map of Jerusalem and other holy sites. Continue to Mount Nebo, where Moses caught a glimpse of the Promised Land (Deut. 34). On a clear day, you can see all the way across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea to the rooftops of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Check in to your hotel in Petra for dinner and an overnight stay.

Explore the city of Petra. Its entrance passes through a long, narrow gorge known as the Siq and can only be accessed by carriage, horseback, or on foot. Once inside the city, marvel at the intricate detail of a city carved into the rose-colored rock cliffs. Return to your hotel at the Dead Sea for dinner and overnight.

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). In Bethlehem, visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace, which is now located within 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.

This morning, driving to the top of the Mount of Olives, the place from which Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-12), for a majestic view over all of ancient and modern Jerusalem, the center of the biblical world. Visit the Pater Noster Church and the Chapel of Dominus Flevit (Jesus wept) before walking down the “Palm Sunday Road” to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations (Basilica of the Agony), where Christ prayed on the night of His betrayal (Luke 22:40-46). Celebrate Mass at the Church of All Nations. Next, we drive to the Upper Room, revered as the location of the Last Supper (Mark 14:12-26), and the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion, where we will visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (government house of Caiaphas), where Jesus was imprisoned the night of His arrest (Matt. 26:57-65).

Experience a walking tour within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, visiting the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the man who had been crippled for 38 years (John 5:2-9), and the Church of St. Anne, where there is an opportunity to sing a hymn before walking along the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) from Pilate’s Judgment Hall to the empty tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Celebrate the Mass of the Resurrection at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Afterward, we will visit the Western Wall before returning to enjoy a final meal and take our return flight to the USA.

Return to Port of Spain