Experience The Holy Land
Significant Feast Days
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10-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Depart your city for Israel
Day 2 Arrive in Tel Aviv, meet your JMJ guide, and transfer to your accommodation in Tiberias.
Day 3 Take a day trip to Mt. Tabor, Cana, and Nazareth. Visit the locations of the Transfiguration, Jesus's first miracle, and Jesus's
hometown.
Day 4 Travel along the Sea of Galilee and explore Capernaum. Visit the ruins of the old synagogue and the home of Peter's mother-in-law.
Go up to the Mount of Beatitudes, travel to the location of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, and take a boat trip on the Sea
of Galilee.
Day 5 Visit the Basilica of Stella Maris, Elijah's cave, and the Bahai Gardens in Haifa. Stop in Nablus on the way to Bethlehem to see
Jacob's Well.
Day 6 Visit the Shepherds' Field and pray at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Visit the birthplace of St. John the Baptist, pray
at the Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, and take a trip to the Israeli Museum.
Day 7 Take a day trip to the Mount of Olives, visit the Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit, Garden of Gethsemane, the Rock of Agony, and pray
at the Church of All Nations. Visit Mount Zion, the Church of the Dormition, the Upper Room of the Last Supper, and the
Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu.
Day 8 Take a day trip to Bethany where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Visit the tomb of Lazarus, the River Jordan, and the site of
Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, then relax and float in the Dead Sea.
Day 9 Walk in the footsteps of Jesus' Passion on the Via Dolorosa, and pray at the Churches of the Holy Sepulchre and St. Anne's. Visit the
Ecce Homme, the Wailing Wall, and spend free time in Jerusalem.
Day 10 Depart Tel Aviv for home
Mass will be celebrated daily within the itinerary.
Specific locations and events within the daily itinerary are subject to change depending on actual travel dates.
Day 2 Arrive in Tel Aviv, meet your JMJ guide, and transfer to your accommodation in Tiberias.
Day 3 Take a day trip to Mt. Tabor, Cana, and Nazareth. Visit the locations of the Transfiguration, Jesus's first miracle, and Jesus's
hometown.
Day 4 Travel along the Sea of Galilee and explore Capernaum. Visit the ruins of the old synagogue and the home of Peter's mother-in-law.
Go up to the Mount of Beatitudes, travel to the location of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, and take a boat trip on the Sea
of Galilee.
Day 5 Visit the Basilica of Stella Maris, Elijah's cave, and the Bahai Gardens in Haifa. Stop in Nablus on the way to Bethlehem to see
Jacob's Well.
Day 6 Visit the Shepherds' Field and pray at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Visit the birthplace of St. John the Baptist, pray
at the Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, and take a trip to the Israeli Museum.
Day 7 Take a day trip to the Mount of Olives, visit the Pater Noster, Dominus Flevit, Garden of Gethsemane, the Rock of Agony, and pray
at the Church of All Nations. Visit Mount Zion, the Church of the Dormition, the Upper Room of the Last Supper, and the
Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu.
Day 8 Take a day trip to Bethany where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Visit the tomb of Lazarus, the River Jordan, and the site of
Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, then relax and float in the Dead Sea.
Day 9 Walk in the footsteps of Jesus' Passion on the Via Dolorosa, and pray at the Churches of the Holy Sepulchre and St. Anne's. Visit the
Ecce Homme, the Wailing Wall, and spend free time in Jerusalem.
Day 10 Depart Tel Aviv for home
Mass will be celebrated daily within the itinerary.
Specific locations and events within the daily itinerary are subject to change depending on actual travel dates.
About the Holy Land
Mount Tabor in Galilee is well-known as the location of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Pilgrims to the mountain can pray at the Church of the Transfiguration which displays a beautiful mosaic of this prophetic event.
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In Cana pilgrims will visit the Wedding Church,
which commemorates the first miracle of Jesus where he changed water into wine at the wedding feast. |
In Nazareth, pilgrims will visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and St. Joseph's Church. The Basilica of the Annunciation is built over the ruins of the home of Mother Mary and her parents, Saints Anne and Joachim. It is here that Catholic Tradition tells us the Angel Gabriel appeared to Our Lady and announced to her that she would bear the Son of God. St. Joseph's Church is built over St. Joseph's workshop and the home of the Holy Family.
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In Capernaum, known as "The Town of Jesus," pilgrims will visit sites relevant to Jesus's ministry and public life.
The Pilgrimage Church of St. Peter, an octagonal church on pillars, is built over the ruins of the home where Jesus once healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Nearby, pilgrims can also visit the ruins of the old synagogue where Jesus preached, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish. |
The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, also called Mensa Christi, is built over the Lord's Table where Christ and his apostles had breakfast together after his resurrection. It was here that Christ told his apostles to cast their net, and they caught an enormous quantity of fish after having caught nothing all night. After breaking bread together with them, Jesus commissioned Peter to feed and tend his flock, granting him primacy as head of the apostles and the Church. Visitors to the area can also take a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee as was done in the time of Jesus.
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The Basilica of Stella Maris is part of the Stella Maris Monastery, a monastery of Discalced Carmelites on Mount Carmel in Haifa. The Carmelite order, well known for the Brown Scapular, was founded on Mount Carmel back in the 12th century with the prophet Elijah as one of their patrons. Underneath the altar of the church, is a cave dedicated to Elijah where the prophet lived for some time. Nearby on Mount Carmel, pilgrims will also find another cave, Elijah's Cave, where the prophet Elijah found refuge before his encounter with the prophets of Baal.
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In Bethlehem, pilgrims will visit the Shepherds' Field where the angels announced the birth of the Christ Child to local shepherds tending their flocks by night. Here pilgrims can pray at the Chapel of the Angels and see archaeological excavations of ancient churches. Nearby, the Church of the Nativity stands upon the site where Jesus was born. This is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in the world where people have come to pray since the 2nd century. Inside the church, the Grotto of the Nativity marks the spot of Jesus's birth and the spot where the infant Jesus was laid in the manger.
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The Church of St. John the Baptist in Ein Karem is a Franciscan church built on the birthplace of St. John the Baptist. Nearby, pilgrims can also visit the Church of the Visitation where the Blessed Virgin Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth and proclaimed the 'Magnificat'.
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In Jerusalem, visitors will make a pilgrimage to the Mount of Olives including a dramatic view of the Old City, revealing 4,000 years of history. The Church of Pater Noster is dedicated to Jesus teaching the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples, and the Church of Dominus Flevit recalls when Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Beside the Garden of Gethsemane, pilgrims will pray at the Church of all Nations which houses The Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed during his Agony in the Garden before his arrest.
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Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem, is now dominated by Dormition Abbey and the Basilica of the Assumption. This Benedictine monastery is built over the place, where according to tradition, the Virgin Mary is believed to have fallen asleep and been gloriously assumed, body and soul, into heaven.
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The Upper Room, also called the Cenacle, on Mount Zion is located above the tomb of King David. The Upper Room is the location of Jesus' Last Supper with his apostles, and also the place where the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles as tongues of fire on the feast of Pentecost.
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The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu marks the place where St. Peter denied Christ three times. Below the church building is the prison of the high priest Caiaphas, including the cell where Jesus was kept on the night of Holy Thursday.
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In Bethany, on the other side of the Mount of Olives, pilgrims will visit the town of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. This is also the town of Simon the Leper in whose home the woman anointed the feet of Jesus. Here, pilgrims can visit the Tomb of Lazarus. After traveling down the Jordan Valley and visiting the oasis town of Jericho and its archaeological excavations, pilgrims will also have the opportunity to renew their baptismal vows in the River Jordan, at the site of Jesus's baptism.
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The Dead Sea, renowned globally for its mineral-rich waters and healing properties, is actually a salt lake bordered by Palestine and Israel on the west and Jordan on the east. This lake lies 1,412 feet below sea level and is one of world's saltiest bodies of water. Pilgrims will have the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing swim (or rather, a float!) in the Dead Sea.
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Along the Via Dolorosa, or Way of Sorrow, pilgrims will retrace the last steps of Jesus as he carried his cross through the markets of the Old City. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands over the location where the cross of Christ once stood. It also contains the stone where the body of Jesus is believed to have been laid after burial, and His empty tomb.
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The Wailing Wall, the most holy place for the Jews, is what remains of the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. Pilgrims from all over the world come here to say a prayer and leave their petitions in the wall. Here, pilgrims can take some time for quiet reflection and prayer, as well as leave their own petitions behind.
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