Holy Land

Galilee

Our pilgrimage to the Holy Land will visit the city of Tiberias by the Sea of Galilee. During which we will visit the ruins of Caesarea Maritima, which was the seat of government of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, we often go to Mt. Carmel to visit the "Place of Sacrifice" where the Prophet Elijah had an encounter with the Priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:17-40), we will visit Mt. Tabor, the Mount of the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8). From the top of the Mount, there is a wonderful panoramic view which extends from Mt. Hermon in the north to the hills of Samaria in the south. 

We will take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, visit the ruins of Capernaum which in Jesus' time was a flourishing border town and was called "his own city" because of the frequency with which Jesus visited it and the mighty works he did there. We often visit the Church of the Multiplication (Tabgha) of the Loaves and Fishes and the Chapel of the Primacy of Peter. We will go on the Mount of Beatitudes, the scene of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5) and we will stop at a baptismal site on the banks of the River Jordan for Baptisms.

Jerusalem

When we say farewell to the Sea of Galilee we will head to Jerusalem. On the way, drive to the town of Nazareth, a town in the hill country of Galilee where Jesus grew to manhood (Matt. 2:23), we will visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth Synagogue, & Mary’s Well. We will also visit Cana in Galilee, the scene of the wedding feast, where Jesus turned the water into wine (Jon. 2:1-11).  We often visit Shiloh on the Patriarch Road, where the Tabernacle was placed for 400 years during the time of the Judges.

We often make an early morning trip south to the Dead Sea area where the mountain fortress of Masada is located. Ascend by cable car for a tour of the site which was the scene of the last Jewish resistance against the Romans in the year 73 AD. We also visit the archaeological remains of the Qumran settlement, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written over 2000 years ago and on the return to Jerusalem, we will visit the Tomb of Lazarus in Bethany.



Our pilgrimage in Jerusalem will include a drive to the top of the Mt. of Olives, from which Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection. From the top of the Mount, there is a magnificent view over all of ancient and modern Jerusalem, the center of the biblical world. We visit Ascension Church, Pater Noster and walk down the "Palm Sunday Road" visiting the Chapel of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem enroute to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations where Christ prayed on the night of his betrayal (Lk. 22:40-46). We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem and walk in the footsteps of our Lord as he bore the burden of our sins to the Cross at Golgotha. We visit the Pools of Bethesda and walk along the Via Dolorosa, following the Stations of the Cross from Pilate's Judgment Hall to the empty tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

We visit Mt. Zion where we shall stop to see the Upper Room, the Tomb of King David and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu which is built over the Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest, who imprisoned Jesus and interrogated him before his trial before Pontius Pilate (Lk. 22:54).We make a visit to the Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the holocaust. We go Bethlehem, the royal city of David, to kneel at the place of the birth of Christ in the Grotto of the Nativity. We visit the Shepherd's Field where the Angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds. In Jerusalem, we also visit the Western (Wailing) Wall and the Jewish Quarter and the Garden Tomb where we will have a communion service. These are but some of the many wonderful places we will experience on our Holy Land Pilgrimage. Each Pilgrimage is tailor made and sites vary depending on availability.