Tour Itinerary 2008 (July 25 to August 6, 2008)

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Day 1 / Day 2
We will depart by airline to Tel Aviv on our arrival in Tel Aviv will leave for the Mediterranean sea side, the port of Jaffa, were Jonah departed for his 3 day journey in a whale. We will visit the house of Simon the Tanner where St. Peter had the Gentile dream. In the evening we will relax at the Grand Beach hotel and enjoy the sites of Tel Aviv possibly visiting Independence Hall.

Day 3
We begin our tour by driving north along the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea, a city founded by Herod the Great in 22 BC. Here Peter proclaimed the good news to the Roman centurion Cornelius. We will explore the city’s famous Roman theater, harbor, newly excavated hippodrome, and palace before continuing north to Mount Carmel, where Elijah prayed down the fire of the Lord and defeated the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). We will visit the excavations of the city of Megiddo, where 26 separate layers of cities have been found, each one built on top of the ruins of the previous city. We will view the beautiful Jezreel Valley, the location for the future gathering of the nations at Armageddon. We will drive by Nazareth to enjoy an overview of Jesus’ boyhood home with mass at the church of the Annunciation and then we will visit by Cana, where Christ performed His first miracle (John 2). We will have dinner and stay overnight in picturesque Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Day 4
Today we will start out day by visiting the Jordan River and we will renew our baptism. We will travel to the Mount of Beatitudes with its beautiful view overlooking the sea. It is the site where Jesus delivered one of His most powerful messages, the Sermon on the Mount. After that will we visit Tabgha the site of “The Multiplication of Fishes and Loaves”. Our tour will then proceed to Capernaum, Jesus’ hometown, where He performed more miracles than at any other single place. There we will view the ancient synagogue where Christ taught and the house where Peter lived. We will visit the “Jesus Boat,” dating to the time of Christ, a wooden boat discovered in 1986 on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. After a “St. Peter’s Fish” lunch in En Gev, at the eastern shore, we will continue with a visit to the Jordan River baptismal site for a special time of baptism. Before dinner we will have a chance to see Galilee’s history come alive during the multiimage presentation at the Galilee Experience

Day 5
Our day will begin by traveling through the Golan Heights. The Golan is known as Israel’s military defense line and controls 40 percent of Israel’s water resources. We will travel to the New Testament city of Caesarea Philippi, in the area where Peter made his confession of Christ’s deity (Matthew 16:13–16). We will visit the breathtaking Banias Waterfall, the site at which it is believed Psalm 42 was written. We will then drive north to the city of Dan, the northernmost city of Israel in the Old Testament. Abraham traveled from Hebron to Dan to rescue his nephew Lot from Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14:13–16). Here we will view the high place where wicked King Jeroboam set up a golden calf (2 Chronicles 11). During the day we will visit The Golan Winery and The Capernaum Vista Olive Farm in the ancient city of Kazrin, where some of the finest of God’s blessing are harvested. Close to the end of our day at the Church of the Primacy where Jesus after his resurrection re-commissions Peter to lead his church. At the conclusion of our day we will take a boat rid eon the Sea of Galilee before experiencing a Dinner Surprise.

Day 6
This will be our busiest day of touring we will depart Tiberias and travel south to Beth Shean to view the spectacular Roman and Byzantine ruins. The bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung from the city walls (1 Samuel 31:10–12) in Beth Shean after they were defeated by the Philistines. We will then visit Sychar the site of Jacob’s well .We will drive through the Jordan Valley and see the mountains of Moab and Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34). We will drive by Jericho, the ancient Canaanite city destroyed by the power of God. Jericho remains one of the oldest known inhabited cities in the world. Then on to the Judean dessert where one of our stops will be Qumran, site of an ancient Essene community and of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will travel high above the shores of the Dead Sea and arrive at Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built by Herod the Great. Masada is famous for being the last stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. From the top of Masada, the Roman camps and siege ramp can still be seen. We will have an opportunity to stop at the Dead Sea and feel the salty water or take a swim. Afterwards, we ascend through the Judean wilderness to Wadi Qult and overlook St. Georges Monastery and then on to the Mount Scopus overlook were we will be able to survey the city of Jerusalem. Following dinner, we will check in to our hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 7
Our day will start at the Southern Steps of the Temple Mount. We will sit on the temple steps where we know Jesus actually walked. We will view the Dome of the Rock, the spot on which Israel’s Temple once stood. We will take in a presentation at the New Davidson Centre of Archeology. At the Western Wall, the Jews’ most sacred site, we will observe the lifestyles and traditions of the people within the Old City. We will travel to Mount Zion and visit what is believed to be King David’s tomb. Afterwards we will travel to Palm Sunday Road and the Garden of Gethsemane the site of Christ’s great anguish. We will continue to the Model City of Jerusalem and see the city as it was during the Roman occupation. We will spend the rest of our day at Yad Vashem, Israel’s extraordinary memorial of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. Following dinner we will embark on a unique evening tour of the Western Wall.

Day 8
This day will be the richest and most spiritually significant of all of our days on this Christian Journey. Today we will retrace the footsteps of Jesus starting with Mass in The Church of the Upper Room the site of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday and progress along the same journey as Jesus to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the site of Crucifixion, death and Resurrection. This evening, being Friday the Jewish Sabbath, we will enjoy a wonderful Shabbat Dinner in the Hotel.

Day 9
Our day will begin by traveling to Bethlehem. We will visit the Church of the Nativity, the birth site of Jesus. We will travel to the “Milk Grotto” where it was believed Mary breastfeed our Savior, It will not be hard to still hear the echo of the Angels announce Christ’s birth in Sheppard Field. Afterwards we will travel to Rachel’s tomb where we will study and compare how this Mother of Israel is very much spiritually like our Blessed Mother. In the early afternoon we will be in the beautiful town of Ein Karem, the hometown of John the Baptist. At the end of the day we will visit the Israel Museum and the site of the Shrine of the Book, home for the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Day 10
Being Sunday our Bus will depart for Early Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane. After mass we will travel to Emmaus the site where Jesus meets two of his Disciples after his resurrection. Time permitting we will go to Neot Kedumin a biblical landscape, we will experience a true biblical lunch and depart for the airport for our transfer to Rome. Once we arrive in Rome clear customs and check into our hotel we will take in two of Rome’s most famous cultural sites The Trevi Fountain and The Spanish Steps. We will enjoy a late Dinner in one of the many famous café’s of Rome.

Day 11
Our day will begin early as we will arrive at St. Peters Brasilia for mass. We will tour the Basilica and The Vatican museum along with the Sistine Chapel. You will sense and feel the culture, artistic ability and tradition to our faith history that forms the Vatican. In early afternoon we will take in Castel Sant’ Angelo which has been a summer house for r many Popes and has a fantastic view of all of Rome from the roof top. I the late afternoon we will head to St. John Lateran. This church is the cathedral church of Rome it was the first home of the Pope and it holds tremendous spiritual and historical significance. Beside this site is Santa Scala or the “Holy Staircase”, these are the steps that Helena removed from the Plutonium in Jerusalem, where Jesus ascend to his sentencing by Pilate. Beside here is Santa Croce of Gerusalemme a church with many artifacts from the crucifixion. At the end of the day we will be able to take in tour of the Roman Coliseum.

Day 12
Today we will travel to the famous town of Assisi. (Some many choose to stay in Rome and take in the many historical sites). This small town is home to St. Francis of Assisi founder of the Franciscan order. A Saint so in tune with Christ’s suffering he is depicted in images showing Christ reaching down off the cross to embrace him. We will visit the Basilica of St. Francis and the Church of Mary the Angel.

Day 13
After a group breakfast celebrating our Pilgrimage we will set out to fly home with renewed spirit in Christ and memories to last a lifetime.