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Calling all pastors… Canterbury Pilgrimages is hosting a 9-day familiarization trip to Israel!
This trip is intended for Pastors and Assistant Pastors of churches with 500+ average weekly attendees. It is limited to 1 pastor and guest per church. Some exceptions may apply. If you have questions regarding your eligibility for this trip, please contact us by email at maximilian@canterburypilgrimages.com or by phone at 603-325-8330.
Canterbury Pilgrimages can arrange airfare for you from your local airport for an additional cost. Please contact us for a quote.
Pastors who travel on Canterbury Pilgrimage’s 2024 Familiarization Trip and return to Israel with a group from their church with Canterbury Pilgrimages within 18 months of the familiarization trip’s return, will be entitled to a full refund of monies paid for the familiarization trip.
The day has arrived, and we depart JFK to begin our overnight journey to Israel.
Arrival at Ben Gurion airport, assistance and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight in Nazareth
Today we will head to the city of Haifa on Mount Carmel. Visit to the Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris and the Cave of Elijah. Celebration of Holy Mass. We will continue to Nazareth and Cana of Galilee, the place of Jesus’ first miracle. In Nazareth, we will visit the Church of the Annunciation and St. Joseph’s carpentry.
Overnight in Nazareth
Today we will follow in Jesus’ footsteps on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, then we will visit the archaeological site of Capernaum, the city that Saint Mark called “the House of Jesus.” In this place, you can find the church built on the house of St. Peter and the synagogue from the time of Jesus. Celebration of Holy Mass. We will continue to visit St. Peter’s primacy by the Sea of Galilee. We will also visit the Mount and the Church of the Beatitudes.
Overnight in Nazareth
Early in the morning, we will continue our pilgrimage. We will climb Mount Tabor to visit the Church of the Transfiguration. Celebration of Holy Mass. We will continue through the Jordan Valley, passing the Jordanian border until we approach the Jordan River, where we will visit Qasr el Yahud for the renewal of baptismal vows. Departure for the Dead Sea, where we will have free time to bathe in the salty waters of the dead.
Overnight in Bethlehem
In the morning, we will visit the Shepherds’ Field and the Grotto. We will continue to Bethlehem to visit the birthplace of Jesus, the Basilica of the Nativity, and the Church of St. Catherine. Celebration of Holy Mass. In the afternoon, we will visit Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist.
Overnight in Bethlehem
This morning we will start from the Mount of Olives, remembering the events that took place in this place where Jesus spent very significant moments. We will visit the place of the Ascension and the Pater Noster grotto. We will descend along the path that the Messiah made on a white donkey (Mat:21), recalling the triumphant entry of Palm Sunday. We will visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where we will see the oldest olive trees on earth: silent witnesses of the moment of deep prayer of Jesus before surrendering himself body and soul to passion (Luc:22:39-43).
We will have a moment of meditation in the Church of the Agony or the Nations. Celebration of the Holy Mass. We will visit the Tomb of the Virgin, the place of the Assumption. Panoramic view of the valley. We will climb Mount Zion where we will be in the Upper Room, the place where the Last Supper and Pentecost were celebrated. We will visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. We will visit the Church of St. Anne, according to tradition the birthplace of Mary.
Overnight in Jerusalem
In the morning, solemn Via Crucis along the Via Dolorosa, from where the Fortress of Antonia was located (included) and up to the Holy Sepulchre, passing through the fourteen stations of the Via Crucis to Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre. Celebration of the Holy Mass. Breakfast at the hotel. Afterwards, tour of the Jewish Quarter, one of the neighborhoods of the Old City, where we can see the Roman Cardo, the wide wall of King Hezekiah, the Hurva Synagogue and the Golden Menorah. We will continue towards the Western Wall, the holiest place in the world for Judaism.
Overnight in Jerusalem
With a renewed sense of pilgrimage and an invigorated love for our Catholic faith, we board our flight for the return journey home.
