Holy Land: Walking the Path of Jesus

Day 1: Depart USA
Depart the USA from your local airport.  Enjoy a full meal and inflight entertainment (movies, music, etc.) on your overnight flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.

Day 2: Arrival in Israel
Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, you will proceed to Baggage Claim, collect your luggage and follow signs to “Groups Assembly Exit." You will be greeted by our local Trinity Tour Travels guide and driver who will accompany you throughout the pilgrimage. From the airport, you will travel by bus to the hotel in Nazareth. Mass of Thanksgiving and Welcome Dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Nazareth | Cana | Mount Tabor
Breakfast at the hotel. The day begins at the Basilica of the Annunciation to visit the home of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where the Angel Gabriel appeared to her and exclaimed, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” (Lk 1:28). Holy Mass is celebrated here. We visit St. Joseph’s Workshop, where men will have the opportunity to consecrate their families to the patron saint of holy families, St. Joseph! On to Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle at His mother’s request (Jn 2:3-5). A special vow renewal awaits married couples at the Wedding Church of Cana. The day ends on Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration. We stand near the place where Peter, James and John stood to witness where the glorified Lord appeared with Moses and Elijah (Lk 28-36). Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Day 4: Tiberias | Sea of Galilee | Mount of Beatitudes  |  Capernaum
Breakfast at the hotel followed by a drive to Tiberias, along the Sea of Galilee. We arrive at the peaceful Mount of Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-16), where we recall the Sermon on the Mount and celebrate Holy Mass. On to nearby Tabgha to visit the Church of the Multiplication where Jesus fed the crowds who came to hear Him (Jn 6:1-13). We then sail across the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water after feeding the 5,000 (Mk 6:45-51). A most memorable lunch before we continue to the Church of Peter’s Primacy, where Peter declared his love for Jesus three times and where Jesus anointed Peter to lead His Church and become the first pope (Jn 15: 15-17). The day ends in Capernaum to visit the spectacular ruins of the ancient synagogue where Jesus gave the Bread of Life Discourse (Jn 6) and the Church of St. Peter, which is built over the ruins of his house near the Sea. Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Day 5: Haifa | Caesarea Maritima | Jaffa | Bethlehem
Breakfast at the hotel, followed by check-out. We travel to Caesarea Maritima (the old capital of the Roman Province of Palestina Prima), built by Herod the Great. We visit the ruins of his palace, the ruins of the Roman Theatre and the Hippodrome, and the harbor from where St. Paul sailed to spread the Gospel throughout the ancient world.  Here, St. Paul was taken prisoner to Rome and where St. Peter baptized the first Gentile convert, Cornelius (Acts 10). On to Haifa to visit Mt. Carmel and the cave of Elijah, where the great prophet lived (1 Kgs 18). From Mt. Carmel, we enjoy a breathtaking view of the Haifa Port and the Mediterranean Sea and where Mass is celebrated at the Stella Maris Monastery, the site of the first Carmelite Order of the Catholic Church. Schedule permitting, we drive through Tel Aviv to arrive at Jaffa (Joppa) to visit the Church of St. Peter. It is in Jaffa that Peter raised a disciple (one of few female disciples mentioned), Tabitha, from the dead (Acts 9:36-42), and where he had a “trance” and saw heaven open and something like a sheet descending by four corners fall upon the earth carrying all kinds of animals (Acts 10:9-16). Check-in, dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 6: Bethlehem | Ein Karem
Breakfast at the hotel in Bethlehem. We travel to Ein Karem to visit the Church of the Visitation, where the Blessed Mother visited her cousin, Elizabeth, and proclaimed the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55).  We visit the Church of John the Baptist, built on the site of his birth (Lk 1:5). We drive to the town of Beit Sahour to visit the Shepherds’ Field, where the angel announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds. Returning to Bethlehem, we visit the same site of the birthplace of Jesus at the Church of the Nativity and celebrate Mass in one of its chapels.

Day 7: Bethany | Jordan | Qumran | Dead Sea | Jericho
Breakfast at the hotel before visiting Bethany, home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Lk 10:38-42), where Mass is celebrated. We travel to the Jordan River, the site of the Baptism of Jesus (Mk 1:9), where we renew our own Baptismal Vows. On to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We enjoy some time in the Dead Sea, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. We end the day at Jericho, the oldest continually inhabited city (Jos 6:12-24), where Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, climbed a tree to see Jesus (Lk 19:1-10)! We stop at the foothills of the Mount of Temptation to view where Jesus was tempted while in the wilderness (Lk 4:1). Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 8: Jerusalem
Breakfast at the hotel. An unforgettable day visiting the Mount of Olives, the Pater Noster (where Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer (Mt 6:9-13) and where the Ascension of our Lord is commemorated), the Psalm Sunday Road, Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Lk 19:41-44), and the Garden of Gethsemane (the Basilica of the Agony) (Mt 26:39), and where Mass is celebrated this day. We proceed to Mount Zion, the Wailing Wall, the Dormition Abbey (final resting place of the Blessed Virgin Mary), the Cenacle (the Upper Room: Last Supper (Lk 22:7-23) and Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and King David’s Memorial.  We end this evening where Jesus climbed to meet his trial at the Palace of Caiaphas, also known as Peter in Gallicantu. This is also where Peter denied Jesus three times (Lk 22:54-62). We have time for prayer in the prison pit where Jesus was held overnight. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.
 

Day 9: Old Jerusalem
A very early wake-up call. Breakfast this day is boxed and will await you on the bus following a very full morning. We begin in Old Jerusalem at the Via Dolorosa, where we walk and pray the Stations of the Cross before dawn. This ancient road leads to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of Jesus’ Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection (Jn 19: 17-41, Jn 20). Mass will be celebrated here. We pause to venerate the Stone of Unction, where Jesus’ body was cleaned and anointed for His burial. We visit Jesus’ tomb inside a small cave.
We visit the Church of the Flagellation, where Jesus was flogged and scourged before His crucifixion. Lastly, we visit the birthplace of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church of St. Ann. This acoustically sound structure stands just across the way from the Pools of Bethesda, where the paralytic waited 38 years for his healing (Jn 5: 2-6). A most amazing day ends with an unforgettable Farewell Boudin Dinner at a culturally rich restaurant in Bethlehem! Overnight at the hotel in Bethlehem.

Day 10: Bethlehem | Tel Aviv Departure
Breakfast at the hotel with heartfelt goodbyes to our local staff before traveling by bus to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for your return flight to the U.S. We are confident that reading the Word of God, praying the rosary and participating in the Stations of the Cross will never be the same. You will treasure the beauty and truth of our faith and carry the memories of this journey in your hearts for a lifetime!