The Holy Land with the City of St. Jude Parish & St. Michael the Archangel Parish

Our pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins as we board our flight for Israel today.

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, we’ll meet our Canterbury tour manager at our hotel in Tel Aviv for check-in and dinner.

Following breakfast, we will drive to Caesarea. We will visit the archaeological remains of this ancient port. Continue North to Haifa. In Haifa, you will find Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery. The monastery is located above the cave where Elijah, the prophet, once lived. Following this visit, enjoy the scenic drive to Nazareth, were we’ll visit the Church of the Annunciation. Tradition identifies it with the workshop of St. Joseph and the house of the Holy family. We will continue with a visit to the Church of the Incarnation, viewing the remains of the house of the Blessed Virgin where the Angel appeared and announced the good news. Following Pilgrims path we visit Mary’s well, where often the Virgin Mary would have walked to draw water from the spring. The next stop will be to Cana where you will visit the Franciscan Wedding Church. Couples will have the opportunity to participate in the ceremony to renew their wedding vows. We’ll continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, and check-in at the guest house before dinner.

Today we begin with breakfast at the hotel, followed by a boat ride on the beautiful Sea of Galilee. Upon docking the boat, you will have the opportunity to view the remains of a boat that dates back to the time of Jesus. Following the Sea of Galilee, we continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus proclaimed His great Sermon on the Mount. Near the Mount is Tabgha, where Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 people from five loaves of bread and two fish. We’ll also visit St. Peter’s Primacy where Jesus bestowed church leadership upon Peter. Continue to visit the birthplace of Mary Magdalene in Magdala. Our day concludes at Capernaum, the launching place of Jesus’ ministry. In Capernaum, visit the Synagogue where Jesus taught and gave His sermon on the Bread of Life. Return to the hotel for dinner.

After breakfast, we will drive to the site of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor. Celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Transfiguration. Continue south to the Jordan Valley to the oldest inhabited city in the world, Jericho. In Jericho, we can view the exact location of the Mount of Temptation, where the Devil tempted Jesus. We’ll continue to Jesus’ baptismal site onthe Jordan River where you will have the opportunity to renew your baptismal vows. After some time at the Jordan River, we will transfer to Jerusalem to check-in to our guest house and enjoy dinner.

This morning, enjoy breakfast before we start our day in Jerusalem. Visit a model of the Second Temple as it was in the time of Jesus. Following this visit, we will take a short drive to the village of Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. In the afternoon, transfer to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. In Bethlehem, you will have the opportunity to view the Shepherd’s Fields. The tour concludes at the Manger Square which stands in front of the Church of the Nativity. Following Mass in this Sacred space, return to the hotel for dinner.

Following breakfast, we will travel down the Jordan Valley to Qumran. Qumran is made up of 2,000 year old ruins from the days of the Second Temple and also the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Time and weather permitting, you will have the opportunity to take a float in the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Continue as you travel through the Judean wilderness, the site where Jesus spent 40 days of fasting. We’ll end our day in Bethany, the site where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Return to the hotel for dinner.

After breakfast, we will make our way to the Mount of Olives where you will be able to take in the beautiful, panoramic view of Jerusalem. Historically, the Mount of Olives was a mandatory transit point for Jesus during many iconic moments. Visit the Pater Noster Shrine where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer. You will have the opportunity to stop at Dominus Flevit which is a Church that commemorates where Jesus wept for Jerusalem. Continue on to Gethsemane, a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Jesus brought His disciples here to pray the night before He was crucified. The Garden still contains trees with roots that date back to the time of Jesus. Next we’ll stop at the Church of All Nations, built over the “Rock of Agony”. This is where Jesus prayed alone on the night of His arrest. Throughout this time, pilgrims are invited to remain in prayer and to reflecton Christ’s agony that He experienced. We’ll also have the opportunity to visit the Western Wall, which is the last remnant of the Jewish Temple after it was destroyed in 70 A.D. Next we’ll visit the Upper Room on Mt. Zion where Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Last Supper and where Jesus appeared to His disciples after His Death and Resurrection. In addition, visit the nearby Benedictine Church of the Dormition. Tradition tells us that this Church is where Mary, the Mother of Jesus, “fell asleep.” Return to hotel for dinner.

This morning we’ll begin the Via Dolorosa at the Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. We’ll end by Celebrating Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Following Mass, we will return to the hotel to enjoy breakfast. We will continue our day with a visit to the Church of St. Anne’s, the home of Jesus’ maternal grandparents (Anne and Joachim) and the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the crippled man. This afternoon, enjoy a revisit to the Old City.Following this visit, return to the hotel to enjoy dinner. With a renewed sense of pilgrimage and an invigorated love of our Catholic faith, we say farewell to our fellow pilgrims as the pilgrimage comes to a close this evening.

Arrival back into the USA.

Visit the Red Sea, explore the ancient city of Petra, stand atop Mount Nebo, and much more on an optional pilgrimage extension to Jordan!