Catholic Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Depart London with easyJet direct to Tel Aviv. Upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport the guide and coach will be waiting to transfer you to your hotel in Bethlehem where you will be staying for the next five nights.

After breakfast we walk to Manger Square to celebrate Mass in St Catherine’s church followed by a viewing of the grotto inside the Nativity Church where Jesus was born. We then enjoy a tour of the recently restored wall mosaic from the 12th century AD, St. Jerome’s Tomb, the Chapel of the Holy Innocents and St. Joseph’s Grotto. After a short walk we arrive at the Milk Grotto to see the "Museum of the Miracles". We continue our journey by taking the coach to Shepherds’ Field and visit the grottos there and the chapel above where the angels first sang the ‘Gloria in Excelcis Deo’ on the night of the first Christmas. Before returning to our hotel there will be an opportunity to do some souvenir shopping.

Entering the Old City of Jerusalem via Lion’s Gate, we walk to St Anne’s Basilica where Our Lady was born and the Pools of Bethesda. Proceed to the Church of Ecce Homo built on the site of the Palace of Pilate and there we visit the Churches of the Flagellation and the Crowning with Thorns, followed by the Stations of the Cross along Via Dolorosa. Here we follow the route Our Lord walked on the first Good Friday. We can carry a Cross from here changing at every station (optional), finishing in the Holy Sepulchre Basilica - the holiest place on earth for all Catholics. We celebrate Mass in the Chapel of Apparition then we visit Mt Calvary, the Holy Tomb of Jesus and the Grotto of the True Cross. After lunch we walk to Mt Zion and view the Upper Room (The Last Supper), King David’s Tomb and the magnificent Dormition Abbey where Our Lady was assumed to heaven. Before returning to our hotel in Bethlehem we visit St Peter’s in Gallicantu and the dungeon below where Jesus was imprisoned after His mock trial on Maundy Thursday night.

After breakfast we return to Jerusalem to visit the famous Wailing Wall. This is the holiest site in Judaism, being the last surviving structure of the temple destroyed in AD 70. We then travel to Bethany to visit St Lazarus’ Church and celebrate Mass. Proceed to Jericho where we view the Mount of Temptation and Zacchaeus’s Sycamore Tree. After lunch in either Qumran or Jericho we continue on to the Dead Sea for the floating experience. The water here is famously revitalising due to the high levels of natural minerals.

In the morning we travel by coach to Jerusalem for the final time to tour the beautiful Mount of Olives. We begin our descending walk at the Ascension Dome then to Pater Noster Grotto where Jesus taught His Prayer, Our Father. We then continue down to Dominus Flevit and celebrate Mass where Jesus wept over Jerusalem having foreseen its destruction. We complete our walk at Gethsemane Garden and the Church of All Nations, viewing the Rock of Agony within and spending some time here for prayer and reflection. After lunch we take our coach westward out of Jerusalem and on to Ein Karem to tour the Visitation Shrine of Our Lady to St Elizabeth, followed by a viewing of the Basilica of St John the Baptist and the chapel where he was born.

Leaving Bethlehem for the final time we head northward along the Jordan Valley, to Nazareth. Upon arrival we tour the magnificent Basilica of Annunciation, built on the grotto where the annunciation occurred. There will be time to reflect and pray in front of the grotto before viewing the upper level and various donated art works depicting the Virgin Mary. Staying in Nazareth we visit St Joseph’s Grotto and his workshop to celebrate Mass. Across the road we view the Synagogue of Jesus and Mary’s Well. We leave for Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water to wine. It will be possible for married couples to renew their marriage vows in a ceremony at the Church of the Wedding. Depart for Tiberias where we check in to our hotel for the remaining two nights.

Our day begins driving through Tiberias to the Yardenit baptismal site on the River Jordan. Here we can participate in a ceremony reaffirming our Baptismal Vows. We then travel along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, visiting the Mount of Beatitudes where the Sermon on the Mount happened, St Peter’s Primacy where Christ appeared to the Apostles after His Resurrection (celebrate Mass here), followed by the Church of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha where the Feeding of the 5,000 took place. We will have lunch nearby with the option to eat St. Peter’s Fish (fresh tilapia). Afterwards we enjoy a wonderful boat ride on the Sea of Galilee itself, singing and taking in the view before driving to Capernaum - the town of Jesus - where we visit St Peter’s Church and view the remains of the ancient synagogue in which Jesus used to teach.

After check-out we say farewell to Tiberias and begin our journey south-west to Mount Tabor, believed to be the holy site where Jesus was transfigured and became radiant in glory upon a mountain. We will alight from our coach and take mini vans to the summit. Here we celebrate Mass in the beautiful Church of the Transfiguration before enjoying a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. If there is time before our flight, we may visit Mt Carmel in Haifa and the Basilica of Our Lady Star of the Sea (headquarters of the Carmelite Order) and view the Cave of Prophet Elijah. Proceed to the airport in Tel Aviv for our flight back to London.