Day 1: Depart for Holy Land

Depart for Tel Aviv with complimentary meals and beverages served onboard your international flight.

Day 2: Arrival to Tel Aviv Airport

On arrival in Tel Aviv proceed through Passport Control, meet our private airport assistant, and claim our luggage. Our group will meet straight forward with our guide. Proceed to our hotel in Nazareth and begin our pilgrimage in beautiful Galilee.

Day 3: Mt. Tabor - Cana - Nazareth

Drive to Mount Tabor (The site of the Transfiguration) and then to Cana of Galilee
to visit the Wedding Church (Mass) where Jesus performed the first of his signs,
changing water to wine. Continue drive to Nazareth and visit the Basilica of the
Annunciation starting with the Grotto of the Annunciation and the Church then we will visit the house of the Holy Family underneath the Church of St. Joseph. Meeting with Vicar of Nazareth. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Nazareth

Day 4: Tiberias - Sea of Galilee- Capernaum– Mt. of Beatitudes

This morning, we drive to the Sea of Galilee to visit the Mt. of Beatitudes where our Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount (Mass) continue to Tabgha to see the splendid mosaic of the loaves and fishes with which He fed the Five Thousand. Visit the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy and then go to visit Capernaum to see the house of St. Peter and the Synagogue where our Lord preached. You will have the opportunity to try the St. Peter’s fish for lunch today. One of today’s highlights is a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee and we will also see the “Jesus Boat” a 2000-year-old boat found at the shores of Magdala.

Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Nazareth

Day 5: Jericho - Qumran - Dead Sea - Jerusalem

Today: After breakfast, you will drive along the Jordan Valley. Visit the Jordan River to renew our baptism vows. Drive down the Jordan Valley and we stop at the oasis town of Jericho, visit the excavations of the oldest city in the world and view Mt. Temptation where Jesus fasted and was tempted by Satan. We will visit the exca- vations of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered. On the way, back there is time for a swim (or rather a float!) in the mineral rich waters of the Dead Sea, renowned for its healing properties (Mass this day in Jericho). Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 6: Bethlehem - Ain Karem - Jerusalem

This morning, we visit the place of birth of our Lord, The Basilica of the Nativity.

We will visit the Grotto of Nativity and the Church of St. Catherine where the Mid- night Mass is celebrated and the Caves of St. Joseph and St. Jerome underneath the church. We will walk to the Milk Grotto,

remembered as the spot where Mary nursed the infant Jesus and pray for your children and grandchildren. Afterward, we visit Shepherd’s Fields, where the Angels appeared to the shepherds who were watching over their flocks during the night. In the afternoon, we drive to Ain Karem to visit the birth place of St. John the Baptist and the Church of the Visitation where Mary came to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth and proclaimed the ‘Magnificat’.(Holy Mass at the Nativity Church). Dinner and overnight where your beautiful hotel overlooks the Old City, Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem.

Day 7: Jerusalem - Mount Zion - Upper Room

Early morning, we attend Mass at the Church of Holy Sepulcher, then return to our hotel for breakfast. After eating, we head to the Old City to visit the Western Wall, Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque. We then walk to St. Anne’s Church, the Pools of Bethesda, and the Judgment Hall where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. At this point, we begin walking the Via Dolorosa through the mar- kets of the Old City while praying the Stations of the Cross, stopping at each of the fourteen stations until we reach the Church of Holy Sepulcher. Here, we venerate Calvary and the empty Tomb of our Lord. Visit of the Latin Patriarchate and meet- ing with the Patriarch. Dinner and overnight where your beautiful hotel overlooks the Old City, Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem.

Day 8: Jerusalem Mt. Of Olives – Mt. Zion

After breakfast, we go on Mount Zion to visit the Church of the Dormition com-

memorating our Blessed Mother falling asleep. Next, we go to visit the Cenacle,
the place of the Last Supper and Pentecost. We also visit the Church of Saint Peter
in Gallicantu. The house of the high priest of the Jews Caiaphas where Jesus was imprisoned for the night and where Peter denied our Lord. After lunch, we go to Mt. Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem for a better understanding of its geography and some of the key sites surrounding the area. Visit the Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, and then we walk on the Palm Sunday road to the church of Dominus Flevit, where our Lord wept over the city. Continue our walk on the Palm Sunday road to the Garden of Gethsemane. At Gethsemane is the Rock of Agony where Jesus uttered His last prayer. Spend some time in reflection and meditation inside the church (Holy Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane). Din- ner and overnight where your beautiful hotel overlooks the Old City, Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem.

Day 9: Allenby Bridge - Madaba - Mt. Nebo - Petra

In the morning, we will drive through Allenby Border Bridge to Petra. On the way, we will stop in Madaba (the City of The Mosaic).We continue to Mount Nebo where Moses saw the promised Land before dying. Dinner and overnight in Petra.

Day 10: Petra - Madaba - Mt. Nebo -Amman

Full day dedicated to the visit of the Nabatean Capital. We will walk along the Siq to reach the magnificent Treasure and visit the archeological site. Afternoon we will travel to Amman. Dinner and overnight in Amman.

Day 11: Amman - Cairo

Breakfast at hotel and check-out. We transfer to Queen Alia Airport for our flight from Amman to Cairo. We plan to arrive in Cairo at noon. We transfer to our hotel for check-in and get ready for a nice cruise dinner in the Nile. Dinner and overnight in our hotel in Cairo.

Day 12: Great Pyramids – Sphinx

After breakfast, we travel to the Giza Plateau to visit the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx an archaeological site on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments includes the three pyramid complexes known as the Great Pyramids, the massive sculpture known as the Great Sphinx, sever-

al cemeteries, a workers’ village and an industrial complex. These are some of the
structures that the people of Israel built as slaves in Egypt. then proceed to visit
ancient city of Memphis which lies some 12 miles south of Cairo. The ancient city is
now an open-air museum testifying to the magnificence of its four thousand years of
history. Serving Memphis lies the necropolis Saqqara a vast, ancient burial ground, featuring numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step pyramid of Djoser. Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight in our hotel.

ay 13: The Great Museum and Churches

After breakfast, at the hotel, we start our day visiting the famous Egyptian Museum contains the world’s most extensive collection of pharaonic antiquities; no visit to Egypt is complete without a trip through its galleries where the treasures of King Tut Ein Khamon are exhibited. Visit Coptic Church a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed that the

Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga). Coptic Cairo was a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt until the Islamic era, though most of the current buildings of the churches in Coptic Cairo were built after the Muslim conquest of Egypt. Then we proceed to visit the Monastery of St. Simon el Mokkattam. Simon the Tanner (fl.10th century), also known as Saint Simon the Shoemaker is the Coptic Orthodox saint associated with the story of the moving the Mokattam Mountain in Cairo, Egypt, during the rule of the Muslim Fatimid Caliph al-Muizz Lideenillah (953-975) while Abraham the Syrian was the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight in our hotel.

ay 14: Departure back to USA

In the morning, we depart from Cairo Airport back to the United States.