Your spiritual pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

You will be welcomed to the Holy Land by our airport representative and transferred to your Bethlehem hotel. Enjoy dinner before retiring for the night.

Travel to Ein Karem to visit the Shrine of the Visitation and birthplace of St. John the Baptist, and where the Virgin Mary visited Elizabeth prior to our Lord’s birth (Luke 1:26-40). In Bethlehem, visit the birthplace of Jesus, which is marked by the Basilica of the Nativity, and kneel at the place of his birth in the Grotto of the Nativity (Matt. 1:18-25). Celebrate Mass in Bethlehem and visit Shepherds’ Field, where the Angel of the Lord proclaimed the good news of the birth of the Savior (Luke 2:8-18).

After breakfast, we visit Bethany, the town where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Celebrate Mass in Bethany. Then we drive to visit the Qasr El-Yahud baptismal site on the River Jordan, which the Vatican recognizes as the authentic site of the baptism. There, we renew our baptismal vows. Continue on to Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matt. 2:23) and celebrate Mass in the Grand Basilica of the Annunciation. You will also see the house of the Holy Family, St. Joseph’s Workshop and St. Joseph’s Church. Journey north and visit the Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana, site of Jesus’ first miracle as He changed water into wine (John 2).

Enjoy beautiful 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 the Church of the Multiplication, the location of the feeding of the 5,000, explore the Church of the Loaves and Fish (Luke 9:10-17). Also, we will visit St. Peter’s Primacy, where Jesus bestowed church leadership upon Peter (John 21:9). Continue to Jerusalem for your overnight stay.

This morning, we will be driving to the top of 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. See 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. Afterward, 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 and enjoy a final meal before returning to the USA.

Return to the USA or Depart on an Extension