We arrive at Ben Grunion Airport and are met by our bus driver and our English speaking guide. We make our way up to Jerusalem. Dinner will be waiting for us at the hotel, when we arrive in Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem.

We attend Mass early in the morning at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher-Tomb or at Calvary, whichever is available. (Catholic Masses can only be said between 4:30 AM and 6:30 AM in the Holy Sepulcher). I encourage everyone to attend these Masses because after the Mass we will explain all the holy sites within the church. Leaving the church we get a chance to buy some religious souvenirs at a local shop, and we return to the hotel and have breakfast. Plan to leave the hotel around 8:30 AM. We drive to the Shepherds’ Field in Bethlehem where we sing Christmas carols. We continue on to the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus, where we celebrate late morning Mass at St. Joseph’s Crypt. We also will visit the Milk Grotto where tradition has it that Mary fed the child Jesus breast milk. We will have lunch in Bethlehem. This afternoon we will go to the Church of the Dormitian, a Benedictine Abbey commemorating the sleeping (death) of Mary, the Mother of the Lord. We will visit the Room of the Last Supper located just across the road from the Dormitian Abbey. We do several scripture readings in the Room of the Last Supper and then we visit the House of Caiaphas, the high priest, and the site of Peter’s denial. We will get a chance to walk where Jesus walk while visiting Caiaphas’s house. The front cover of “Walking In His Footsteps” shows the stairs leading to Caiaphas’s House. We overnight in Jerusalem.

We attend Mass early in the morning at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We visit the town of Ain Karem located near Jerusalem and see the house where St. John the Baptist was born. We will celebrate Mass at the Church of the Visitation, the site where Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. In the afternoon, we will visit the Western Wall. We will also visit the uneven stairs leading up to the Temple where the Presentation took place. We will read a passage from scripture and say one decade of the rosary. We return to our hotel for dinner and rest for a while. After enjoying dinner we will make a holy hour in the Garden of Gethsemane (Church of All Nations) around 8:00 PM at the very spot where Jesus asked his apostles, “Could you not stay awake for one hour with me?” We will get a chance to go to confession during the holy hour. Overnight in Jerusalem.

We celebrate early morning Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre either in the Tomb of Christ or on Calvary, whichever is available. After enjoying breakfast at our hotel, we leave around 8:30 AM and drive to Mt. Scopus with its many churches built in memory of Jesus’ ascension. We will visit the Mosque of the Ascension where it is believed Christ ascended into heaven. There we say one decade of the rosary and read a scripture from Acts 1. We proceed to the Church of Pater Nostre where Jesus gave us the Our Father prayer. Then on to the Church of Dominus Flavent, the site where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. We stop at the Garden of Gethsemane where we will celebrate morning Mass at 11:00 AM. After Mass we will break for lunch as all the churches are closed from noon to 2:00 PM each day. After lunch we get a chance to visit and go through the Shroud of Turin museum and the guide will explain why this is the burial cloth of Jesus. In the afternoon, we take a tour around the Old City visiting each of the historical gates – Jaffa Gate, Zion Gate, New Gate, Damascus Gate, Dung Gate and St. Stephen’s Gate. We will visit St. Anne’s Church (birthplace of the Blessed Mother) and then see the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the lame man on the Sabbath. We will see the Ecce Hommo Arch and visit the convent of the Sisters of Zion where Jesus was mocked and scourged. Here we will read a verse from John: 19 and say one decade of the rosary. We will celebrate our own Way of the Cross procession through the Via Dolorosa. The procession will enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and visit Calvary and the Holy Tomb. Bus will meet us at Jaffa Gate and take us back to our hotel. Overnight in Jerusalem.

We attend Mass early in the morning at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher-Tomb or at Calvary, whichever is available.We depart Jerusalem and pass through the Judean desert and view Jericho, the oldest city in the world. If time permits we will visit the Dead Sea and weather permitting get a chance to float in the sea so bring your swim suit just in case. We view the sycamore tree which Zacharias climbed to see Jesus and do the scripture reading for this place. We enjoy lunch at Jericho and then head back to Jerusalem. The afternoon is open to you. The driver will bring you back to the hotel for those wanting to rest. Those who want to join the Franciscans with the traditional Friday Stations of the Cross are welcome to join me. The bus will let us off at St. Stephen’s Gate and we walk up to join the Franciscans at 3:00 PM. We will have to get our own transportation back to the hotel after the Stations of the Cross or just walk back to the hotel. Taxi cabs are available at Jaffa Gate. Remember you need to pack your luggage tonight as we check out of the hotel in the morning. Make sure all personal bills are paid at the front desk and turn in your key.

We head north along the Jordan River toward Nazareth, the boyhood town of Jesus. We celebrate Mass at the Church of the Annunciation. We will also visit St. Joseph Church where Joseph had his carpentry business and then visit the Synagogue in Nazareth where Jesus was reared. We proceed on to Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle where he turned water into wine. It is here that the married couples can renew their marriage vows. Just before sunset, we arrive at our hotel on the Sea of Galilee. Overnight Sea of Galilee.

We visit the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes where Jesus fed 5,000 men, and then move on to the village of Capernaum. We visit Peter’s House and see where Jesus stayed while he was preaching in the local synagogue. We celebrate Mass outside on top of the Mt. of the Beatitudes overlooking the Sea of Galilee. We enjoy lunch near the Sea of Galilee and get a chance to try St. Peter’s fish. Chicken is available for those who don’t like fish. We enjoy a one hour boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and do four scripture readings about how Jesus walked on the water and then calmed the sea from a storm. After the boat ride we will take an easy bus ride all around the Sea of Galilee and visit Kursi the area where the swine ran into the sea. We then stop at the Jordan River to renew our Baptismal promise, and good chance to get some water from the Jordan River. We need to pack tonight as we check out of the hotel in the morning and head back to Jerusalem. Overnight Sea of Galilee.

We proceed to Mt. Tabor, site of the Transfiguration. Everyone will enjoy the ride to the top of the mountain. We have to take small taxi cabs because our bus is too large for the narrow road. We will celebrate Mass first and then enjoy a fine lunch with pasta and chicken cook by the Italian chefs. We continue on to Mt. Carmel, the site where Elijah confronted the priests of Baal. We enroll everyone in the Brown Scapular on Mt. Carmel. We then proceed back south to Jerusalem along the Mediterranean coast and reflect on all the beautiful and spiritual places we visited. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Early morning Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for those interested. The last day is open for last minute shopping in the Old City or revisiting your favorite holy site. Remember that lunch is on our own. Pack for the long trip back home as we check out of the hotel tomorrow on our journey back home. Overnight in Jerusalem.

This is our last day in the Holy Land for all of us. Early morning Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After breakfast we leave for the orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. You get a chance to see the children and adults who have been orphans for 40 years. After visiting the orphanage we have to check out of the hotel around noon. We will enter Bethlehem again and visit a Carmelite Montesary where Blessed Mariam of the Crusified Jersus is buried. We will see a short slide show about her and see where she lived. We have our farewell dinner in Jerusalem and get a chance to thank our tour guide and bus driver for the past week and beautiful memories. Surprise gifts and awards will be given out at dinner. We depart for a late night departure to the US. We arrive in the United States early in the morning (6:30 AM). The memories will last forever!!!!!!!!!!