10 Day Holy Land “Off the Beaten Path “

Day 01: Depart USA Gather at the Airport at least three hours prior to our scheduled flight to Israel. Dinner and breakfast, along with entertainment, will be served aloft.

Day 02: Arrival | Jaffa | Tel Aviv Upon our arrival at the Tel Aviv airport, we will be met by our representative for a panoramic tour of Jaffa and an opening Mass of our Pilgrimage. We will then be transferred to our hotel on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea for dinner and overnight.  Weather permitting, we suggest a walk on the beach.

Day 03: Caesarea | Akko | Haifa | Tiberias After breakfast, we transfer to visit Caesarea by the sea, a Roman style city built by Herod in the 01st Century. Continue to Akko, where we visit the Crusaders Castle and the Templers Hall and finish with a tour of the Ancient City. Next, we visit Stella Maris in Haifa, a 19th Century discalced Carmelite monastery located on the slopes of Mt. Carmel; where Mass will be celebrated. View the Bahai gardens and transfer to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Day 04: Mt. Tabor | Cana | Nazareth | Zippori | Tiberias We enjoy breakfast this morning before transferring to Mt. Tabor where we visit the Basilica of the Transfiguration. We then transfer to Cana, the site of the first miracle of Jesus. After Cana, we travel to Nazareth and visit the Church of the Annunciation where Mass will be celebrated. Our final stop for the day will be at Zippori, before we transfer back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 05: Tiberias | Capernaum | Mt. Beatitudes | | Tabgha | Magdala | Tiberias After a hearty breakfast, we set sail on the Sea of Galilee via boat to Capernaum. We travel outside of Capernaum to Mt. of Beatitudes for a visit and Mass celebration at the Mt. of Beatitudes Church. Continue to Tabgha where we visit the Primacy Church. We end our day with a visit to the ruins of Magdala. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 06:  Tiberias | Jacob’s Well | Baptismal Site | Jericho | Dead Sea | Jerusalem This morning we travel through the Jordan valley to Nablus, the Mt. of Blessing. Stop to visit Jacob’s Well and celebrate Mass at a local parish.  We continue to the Jordan River, where we will have the opportunity to renew our baptismal vows. Then travel to Jericho where the walls came tumbling down and a commanding view of the Mt. of Temptation and Elisha’s Fountain. Then on to the Dead Sea for an optional swim. Check-in at our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. 

Day 07: Jerusalem | Shepherds Field | Bethlehem (Prefer Sunday) | Jerusalem After breakfast, we drive to Shepherds Field for the opportunity to celebrate Holy Mass at a parish with the local community. Afterwards, we drive to Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity.  Late in the afternoon, we drive to Ein Karem, an ancient village of the Jerusalem district. Here, we visit the church of St. John the Baptist and the Visitation Church. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 08: Old City | New Jerusalem We enjoy breakfast at the hotel prior to beginning our day.  We visit the St. Anne Church & Pool of Bethesda. Here we devote time to the Stations of the Cross. The Holy Sepulchre is next on our list to visit and celebrate Mass.  We take some time to tour the Old City and then we visit the Shrine of the Book. In the afternoon, we request a meeting with the Latin Patriarch or his bishop (if available). Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 09: Mountains of Jerusalem | Airport for Departure This morning we drive to Mt. Scopus and the Mt. of Olives for a panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. We walk along Hosanna road to the Gethsemane to visit the Church of All Nations, which stands on the rock of agony, where Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Here, Mass will be celebrated. See the pillar of Absalom, the Eastern (Golden) Gate and the Pinnacle of the Temple. We then drive to Mt. Zion, where we visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu on the site of Caiaphas’ Museum. After a farewell dinner, we transfer to the airport for our return flight home. 

Day 10: Arrive USA Arrive early in the morning and continue home. The end of a most memorable pilgrimage.