A PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND WITH KENNEDY HALL

ITINERARY

Day 1: September 1: Transatlantic Flight to Tel Aviv

Day 2: September 2: Arrival in Tel Aviv – Transfer to Tiberias

Upon arrival into Tel Aviv airport, board your private motor-coach and transfer to your hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Time permitting (depending on flight arrival time), visit Caesarea Maritima, where St. Peter converted the Centurion Cornelius, the first pagan to become a Christian, and where St. Paul was imprisoned before his trial in Rome; visit the Crusader walled city and Roman ruins. (WD)

Day 3: September 3: Cana – Stella Maris – Nazareth

This morning, journey to Cana were Our Lord performed His first miracle, transforming water into wine. Visit the church that commemorates this miracle. Married couples may have the opportunity to renew their wedding vows. Continue to visit Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery, built in an area that for centuries was frequented by hermits, and where the Carmelite Order was founded. Below the monastery is Elias’ Cave, where the prophet lived. Continue to visit the Carmelite Monastery of St. Elias, where this holy prophet triumphed over the false prophets of Baal.  Enjoy a panoramic view of the bay of Acco. After lunch, travel to Nazareth, where Our Lord spent much of His life. Visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, which incorporates the site where the Blessed Virgin Mary received the news from the Archangel St. Gabriel that she would give birth to Christ Jesus. In the same compound, visit the Church of St. Joseph’s Carpentry that contains ruins dating to the 1st century, and is revered as the original workshop of St. Joseph and home of the Holy Family. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias (BB, L, D)

Day 4: September 4: Tiberias: Sea of Galilee – Mount of Beatitudes – Tabgha – Primacy of St. Peter – Capharnaum – Magdala

Begin your day with a boat ride through the Sea of Galilee, followed by the visit to the Ancient Boat Museum that houses a 2000-year-old fishing boat found buried in mud on the shores of Galilee. Visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the scene of Our Lord’s great Sermon on the Mount. Then, visit the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes to commemorate the miracle. Continue to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, where Our Lord appeared to His Apostles after His Resurrection. Continue to Capharnaum to visit the church built over the ruins of St. Peter’s house and the synagogue where Our Lord used to preach. See the Valley of Doves; this valley is the route Jesus Christ would have taken from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee. Finally, visit the fishing village of Magdala, where St. Mary Magdalene lived. Here in 2009, a chance discovery revealed a 1st-century synagogue, where Our Lord likely preached during His ministry. For lunch, enjoy the famous St. Peter’s Fish at a local restaurant. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (BB, L, D) 

Day 5: September 5:  Mount Tabor – Jericho – Jordan River “Bet Arabah” – Bethlehem

Start this morning with a visit to Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, during which He began to radiate light and was seen conversing with Moses and Elias. Continue to the Jordan River, to the site considered the place where St. John the Baptist baptized Our Lord. Then, head to Jericho, one of the world’s oldest cities for a distant view of the Mount of Temptation, traditionally regarded as the mountain on which Our Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil during His 40-day fast. It is in Jericho that Our Lord healed Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, and dined with Zacchaeus, the rich tax collector. See a sycamore tree like the one Zacchaeus climbed to have a look at Our Lord. In the afternoon, continue to Bethlehem for dinner and overnight. (BB, L, D)

Day 6: September 6: Shepherds’ Field – Bethlehem – Ein Karem

Today visit the Shepherds’ Field, the traditional place of the angel’s visit to the shepherds on the first Christmas night. Here, the Gospel of St. Luke tells us, an angel announced the birth of Jesus. Afterwards in Bethlehem, visit the Church of the Nativity, whose focal point is the Grotto that marks the place where Our Lord was born. Adjacent to the church is the Church of St. Catherine, that connects to the crypt that includes the Cave of St. Jerome, where traditionally he translated the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate); St. Joseph’s Chapel, recalling the dream in which an angel warned St. Joseph to take the Holy Family to Egypt; and the Chapel of the Holy Innocents, commemorating the children massacred by Herod. Outside the complex is the Milk Grotto, a small and peaceful chapel. Tradition has it that when escaping to Egypt, the Virgin Mary was nursing Jesus, and a few drops of milk spilled to the ground turning the rocks white. Have lunch on your own and time for souvenir shopping. In the afternoon, continue to Ein Karem to visit St. John the Baptist Church, built above the house where the saint was born. Inside, to the left of the main altar, one can see a small cave considered the place of his birth. Up on a hill, visit the Church of the Visitation, where the meeting between St. Elizabeth and Our Lady took place. The present Church of the Visitation incorporates a natural grotto that once contained a small spring. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem. (BB, D) 

Day 7: September 7: Bethany – Qumran – Dead Sea – Jerusalem

Today’s sightseeing begins with the village of Bethany, where Our Lord often received hospitality in the house of His friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Around the complex is the narrow, deep entrance to Lazarus’ Tomb. Next, visit the Qumran Museum located on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea at the settlement nearest to the hiding place of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves of the sheer desert cliffs. The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they include some of the only-known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before 100 AD. Continue for an opportunity to wade in the Dead Sea before heading to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. (BB, D)

Day 8: September 8: Jerusalem: Mount of Olives – Gethsemane – Mount Zion – Western Wall

Today, head to the Mount of Olives for a beautiful panoramic view of Jerusalem. Visit the Chapel of the Ascension and the Church of Pater Noster, where Our Lord taught His disciples how to pray. On to the Church of Dominus Flevit, where Our Lord wept over the city of Jerusalem. Head to the Garden of Gethsemani and the Church of All Nations, officially named the Basilica of the Agony, built over the rock on which Our Lord prayed the night before He was crucified. Continue along the Kidron Valley to Mount Zion to visit the Church of St. Peter of Gallicanctu, where St. Peter denied Our Lord, and to the Palace of Caiaphas, where Our Lord was imprisoned. Afterwards, visit the Church of the Dormition, where tradition reveals that the Mother of God was laid in a tomb before her body was assumed into heaven. Next, see the Last Supper Room, where Our Lord shared the Last Supper with His Apostles. In the afternoon, walk into the Old City of Jerusalem, pass by the Armenian Quarter into the Jewish Quarter, where we will see the Roman Cardo, King Hezekiah broad wall that leads to the Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount and Judaism’s holiest site. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, D)

Day 9: September 9: Jerusalem: Via Dolorosa – Holy Sepulcher – St. Anne’s Church – Pool of Bethesda – Flagellation Church – Ecce Homo Church

Early this morning, carry the cross and follow the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross that Our Lord walked on Good Friday, and end at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Here, touch the rock where the Cross was placed and spend some time in prayer. A small interior chapel marks the spot of the Tomb of Our Lord. Then, enjoy an in-depth tour of this magnificent church, including a visit to the tomb of our forefather Adam and the tombs of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, as well as a tour of the Holy Sepulcher chapels. After breakfast, visit the Church of St. Anne, erected over the traditional site of the birthplace of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Continue to the Pool of Bethesda excavations, identified as the scene of the healing of the paralytic. Afterwards, visit the Flagellation Church that enshrines the spot where Our Lord was flogged, and, the Ecce Homo Church, commemorating the place where Pontius Pilate presented Our Lord to the hostile Jewish crowd. In the afternoon, enjoy some time to revisit the Old City of Jerusalem. The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, D)

Day 10: September 10: Jerusalem

Enjoy an entire free day in Jerusalem. Tonight, celebrate the end of a beautiful pilgrimage with a farewell dinner with your travel companions. Overnight in Jerusalem. (BB, FD)

Day 11: September 11: Homebound Flight

Transfer to Tel Aviv airport for your return flight. (BB or boxed breakfast)

Buffet Breakfast (BB), Lunch (L), Dinner (D), Welcome Dinner (WD), Farewell Dinner (FD)

* In case of unforeseen events, this itinerary is subject to change.