A Catholic Journey
09 Days | 08 Nights
Holy Land Tours
- DAY 1
ARRIVAL: TEL AVIV /NETANYA
Peter said, “Teacher, where do you live? Come and see” John 1:39
Welcome to the Holy Land! here you will see the place where it all happened and you will experience firsthand the sites where Jesus lived and conducted his ministry, as well as you will follow the road he traveled during his final days on earth. Upon arrival in Tel Aviv you will be met by your catholic guide and transferred to your accommodations in Tel Aviv/Netanya for dinner and restful overnight before we begin the thrilling journey of following in the footsteps of Jesus in the next day. (D)
- DAY 2
The Vision was Spread from Here
“follower of the Way of Jesus” (Acts 24:14).
Breakfast and check out. We start our journey at the biblical town of Joppa known today as Jaffa. Peter came to Joppa from Lydda to raise Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead (Acts 9:36-42). While in Joppa, the apostle stayed at the house of Simon the Tanner. When Peter was praying on the roof, he had a vision of a large sheet filled with animals being lowered from heaven (Acts 9:43–10:23), signaling to him to go with the messengers from Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army. The Church of St. Peter marks the traditional site of Peter’s vision of the great sheet. Here, we celebrate our opening mass of the Pilgrimage. Thereafter we arrive in Caesarea Maritima (“by the sea”). Caesarea, a port founded by Herod the Great, is one of the most important cities in the Roman World. Here, Peter baptized the first recorded gentile convert to Christianity — Cornelius. Here is also where St. Paul the apostle was jailed for two years, and from Caesarea, he made his way to Rome spreading the gospel to the heart of the Roman world. We continue our way north to Mt. Carmel in Haifa. We enjoy panoramic view of the bay and visit the Chapel of Stella Mares (Star of the Sea).
Finally, we arrive in Tiberias for check in, dinner and the evening. (B.D)
- DAY 3
NAZARETH: THE HOME TOWN OF JESUS
“He will be called a Nazarene.” Matthew 2:23
Breakfast. We make our way to Cana, site of Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding feast; here we invite couples to renew their wedding vows. Proceed to Nazareth the home town of Jesus, where we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation for Mass, then continue to the Church of St Joseph built over the carpentry workshop of St Joseph. We visit Mary’s Well a spring is located in the center of downtown Nazareth. According to a tradition, this was the place where angel Gabriel announced to Virgin Mary that she will give birth to the son of God. “And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water…”. Our final stop is the site of the Transfiguration at Mt. Tabor. We return to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (B.D)
- DAY 4
JESUS’S JOURNEYS AROUND GALILEE
“Jesus left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea” Matt 4:13.
This morning we begin with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We prayer and sing along as we sail the peaceful waters of the Sea of Galilee. At a nearby museum, we will visit a replica of a fishing boat from the time of Christ. Our visit continues to the Mt. of Beatitudes to gain a panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee. The bible teaches that Jesus climbs a hill near En Tabgha and teaches how to be blessed by God the ‘Sermon on the Mount’. From there we will visit Capernaum where Jesus began his Galilean ministry, visiting the synagogue which dates to the time of Jesus and the site of Peter’s home. We will visit Tabgha where it is believed that Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 and the nearby Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter commemorating Jesus’ reinstatement of Peter as chief apostle. Here we see the altar built upon a cliff known in Latin as Mensa Christi, the Table of Christ, where the resurrected Jesus prepared bread and fishes over a fire for his disciples. we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight (B.D)
- DAY 5
FROM GALILEE TO JERUSALEM
“I rejoiced when I heard them say: Let us go the house of the Lord” Psalm 122
Breakfast and check out. From Galilee you travel along the fertile Jordan Valley where Jesus walked with His disciples, we stop at first at the baptismal site on the banks of the Jordan River- Qasr al-Yahud- the traditional baptism spot on the Jordan River. Here we renew our baptismal vows. Thereafter we arrive in Jericho, being the normal route from Galilee to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through it several times. We will see the traditional sycamore tree of Zacchaeus & view Mt. Temptation. Our last stop is at the little village of Bethany, on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives about 3km from Jerusalem it was a favorite place of rest and refuge for Jesus. Here he knew the friendship of his friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. And here, in the cemetery just below the village, he raised Lazarus from the dead. Then it us up to Jerusalem. We enter Jerusalem by the Mount of Olives. Check in dinner and overnight. (B.D)
- DAY 6
BETHLEHEM
“Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” Luke 2:12
Breakfast, we drive to The Shepherd’s Fields the location where the Shepherds sited the Star of Nativity before venturing to visit Jesus then we continue the oldest churches in the world, where it all began; The Church of The Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus. A huge church with a long history of religious significance, you will be able to see the various chapels of the Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox Christians. We will visit the caves and the Grotto of the Manger. Returning to Jerusalem; we stop in Ein Karem where we visit the Church of St. John the Baptist and the Church of the Visitation back to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B.D)
- DAY 7
MOUNTAINS OF JERUSALEM
“Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:36-39).
We begin this day with a ride the Mt. of Olives, a prominent site in the life of Jesus. Here Jesus taught his pupils, and where Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and where Jesus says “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:36-39). We gain a panoramic view of the old City of Jerusalem from the top of the mountain and visit the place of the Ascension, Pater Noster (commemorating the “Our Father”), Dominus Flevit, (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem). At the foot of the mountain, stands the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane. Thereafter we stop at the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount.
We enjoy lunch on our own then we visit Mt Zion, also called Sion, in Old Testament. Several important events in the early Christian Church have taken place on Mount Zion. We visit the Upper Room commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. We continue onto the Church of the Dormition of Our Lady The location is identified in Christian tradition as the place where the Virgin Mary died — or “fell asleep.” Finally, we visit the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu, (Latin for ‘cockcrow’) The church is located on the site of the house of the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was taken after His arrest. It was there in the courtyard that Apostle Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, as Jesus predicted. The church is contemporary and has beautiful stained glass and murals depicting Peter’s denial, his immediate repentance, and his later reconciliation with Jesus after the Resurrection. back to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B.D)
- DAY 8
JERUSALEM OLD CITY – THE HOLY SEPULCHRE & FREE TIME
“Behold the Man!” John 19:5
Breakfast. We Enter the Old City of Jerusalem through St. Stephen’s Gate to visit the Crusader Church of St. Anne, the best-preserved Crusader church in Jerusalem, marking the traditional site of the home of Jesus’ maternal grandparents, Anne and Joachim, and the birthplace of the Virgin Mary. We observe the nearby The Ecco Homo (“Behold the Man”) Arch, located at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa. Tradition holds that this was where Pilate pronounced judgment on Jesus. Then we gather at the Antonia Palace to walk the Via Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross or the Way of Suffering, where nearly 2000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth carried his cross to his crucifixion. We conclude the Via Dolorosa at the site of Calvary for Mass at the Crusader’s Chapel in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We take a moment here to reflect about the sorrows of Jesus and to repent our own sins. And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” We enjoy a guided tour of the Holy Sepulcher and the Empty Tomb. The rest of the day is free to explore on your own. Back to our hotel for dinner and the evening. (B,D)
- DAY 9
JERUSALEM / TEL AVIV / RETURN
We transfer to the Tel Aviv airport for departure with renewed joy and understating of our faith (B)
* Itinerary is subject to changes pending final flight arrangements and site availability.
YOUR JOURNEY
CLOTHING
We strongly advise that you pack clothes according to the season in which you visit Israel. For summers, pack light weight clothing, preferably short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts with shorts, and sandals. For winter tours, pack a coat and a raincoat with shoes that fully cover your feet, an umbrella, gloves, a scarf, and other warm items. Beach shoes and a bathing suit are a plus if your trip includes a visit to Eilat or the Dead Sea. Even in summer, pack a sweater or jacket for the chilly nights in the mountains and desert
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
Pack your personal appliances as you would for any international trip. Note that the power grid in Israel offers single-phase 220 Volts at 50 Hertz. Most sockets in the walls there have threepinholes, butbringing an adaptor plug will solve that problem. If you or somebody in your group intends to use shavers, traveling irons, or any other small appliances, it would be wise to pack a transformer as well
PASSPORTS & VISAS
All visitors to Israel must carry a passport that does not expire for at least six months after they intend to depart from the country. Visitors to Israel must check if they need a prearranged tourist visa depending on their nationality
CURRENCY
The Israeli currency is the New Israeli Shekel. On arrival in Israel, use your bank-card to withdraw some Shekels from the ATM in the arrival-halls at Ben Gurion or change a small amount of dollars at a bank or your hotel. There are ATM machines all over Israel and credit cards are widely accepted.
INCLUDED WITH EVERY LUXURY SMALL GROUP JOURNEY
- Your preferred choice of accommodation: Deluxe, First Class, Superior Class Hotels Kibbutz and religious guest houses.
- Breakfast & dinner buffets daily at hotel
- Porterage service at hotels
- Meet and assist at border and crossing points
- Carefree travel with arrangement that include border taxes and visas
- Professional and Licensed guides that speak your language
- Entrance fees
- Transportation in a modern, comfortable WI-FI equipped coaches
- Maps & Hats
- Daily bottles of water
- Israel Ministry of tourism certificates
- Franciscan pilgrim certificate
- Daily masses reservation
- Headsets during the tour in Israel
OTHER JOURNEYS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN
LET US KEEP IN TOUCH
CONTACT US
Give us a call or drop us a line
SEND A MESSAGE
You can contact us also by:
Overseas Travel Bureau O.T.B (ltd)
Your Partner in the Holy land
Phone: +972 (0) 2 6287090 [email protected]
44 Ragheb Al Nashashibi St. – P.O.BOX 24091 Jerusalem, Israel
CONTACT US
Give us a call or drop us a line
SEND A MESSAGE
You can contact us also by:
Overseas Travel Beureu (O.T.B)
Your partner in the Holy land
Phone: +972 (0) 2 6287090 | [email protected]
44 Raghed Nashashibi St.-P.O.Box 51013 Jerusalem, Israel