Day 1 - DEPART USA – Today, we depart our home airport to connect with our overnight flight to Tel Aviv. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner and breakfast while aloft.

DAY 2 - TEL AVIV – This morning, we arrive in Tel Aviv and are met by our Tour Manager. We transfer to our coach bus for our short ride to our hotel, admiring the city’s modern skyline compared with the surrounding area.  We arrive at our hotel for our “welcome” dinner and overnight.

DAY 3 - TEL AVIV/TIBERIAS – Today, we begin our pilgrimage with a visit to Jaffa (Joppa) the city of Jonah, where Peter had his house-top experience at the home of Simon the tanner.  We then proceed to Caesarea, capital of the Roman Procurators of Judea, before continuing on our journey to Mt. Carmel, where Elijah called on God to defeat the Priests of Baal. This afternoon, following a stop for lunch on our own, we  visit  Cana, the town of Jesus' first miracle.  There, our married couples and have an opportunity to renew their marriage vows . We then proceed to Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus and the place where Mary received the message from the Angel Gabriel that she would conceived and bear a son and call him Jesus.  We celebrate this event with Mass at the beautiful Church of the Annunciation.  Following our visit, we continue to our hotel along the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight.

DAY 4 - TIBERIAS – This morning, we make the exciting drive to the summit of Mt. Tabor for a magnificent view of the plains of Esdralin and celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Transfiguration while on Mt. Tabor. We then travel to Capernaum, the home of Peter and a village Jeses spent a considerable amount of his ministry in. Following a stop for lunch on our own along the way, we then visit Tabgha and the Church of Multiplication and the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter. We pray at the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the beautiful Sea of Galilee. We conclude our travels with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee before we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 – TIBERIAS/AMMAN(JORDAN) – Today, we leave Tiberias and stop at the River Jordan to renew our original Baptismal vows.  We proceed to the border and cross into Jordan, where we are met by our local escorts for the Jordan portion of our pilgrimage.  We visit the beautiful ruins at Jerash, one of the Decapolis Cities, perhaps the best preserved and most complete provincial Roman city anywhere in the world. We enjoy lunch on our own along the way. We also visit the archeological dig at Tel Safut and conclude our day at the Jordan Archaeological Museum. (Pending the remaining time left in the day). Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Amman.

Day 6 - AMMAN/PETRA – This morning, we depart Amman and travel south tracing the steps of Lawrence of Arabia along the famous Kings Highway.  We stop for lunch on our own aong our route. We continue to the wonderful Rose City of Petra, the awesome city the Nabataean Arabs carved out of the rock during the four hundred years before roman rule. It could be defended by a handful of men because access was limited to the narrow fissure known as the ‘sig.’  We will travel that same way and the way Indiana Jones entered in search of the Holy Grail in the Stephen Spielberg classic The Last Crusade. We can either walk or travel part way by horseback (pending availability). Dinner and overnight in Petra.

DAY 7 - PETRA/JERUSALEM –  Today, we drive north and stop at Mt. Nebo*, where Moses viewed the Promised Land but was forbidden entry. We view the rich collection of 3^rd to 7^th century mosaics. We celebrate Mass here before continuing on to the Allenby Bridge as we cross back into Israel. We visit ancient Jericho at the excavated Tel; where we see the ruins of the ancient city, Elisha's Fountain, Mount of Temptation and the Jordan Valley. We make our thrilling entry into Jerusalem as conclude our day at our hotel for dinner and overnight.

* IF THIS DAY FALLS ON FRIDAY OR SATURDAY, BORDER CLOSES EARLY AND VISIT TO MT. NEBO CANNOT BE INCLUDED. 

Day 8 – JERUSALEM /BETHLEHEM/JERUSALEM -This morning, after visiting the place of the Ascension and the Church of the Pater Noster, we view the beautiful City of Jerusalem from the vantage point of the Mt. of Olives.  We then walk down the hill to Dominus Flevit Chapel, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. While here, we celebrate Mass before we continue to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations.

This afternoon, following a stop for lunch on own own, we drive to Bethlehem, The House of Bread, to visit the Church of the Nativity that commemorates the birth of Christ.  We visit the Manger, Crusader's Cloister, and the Grotto of St. Jerome.  We continue to Shepherd’s Field where we celebrate the “Christmas” Mass. While in Bethlehem, we visit an authentic olive wood shop and admire the centuries old artistry of these local craftsmen. Following our visit, we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 9 - JERUSALEM /QUMRAN/ DEAD SEA/JERUSALEM – Today, we start our day with our visit to Ein Karem, where John the Baptist was born and Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth to utter the words of the Magnificat. We celebrate Mass while in in Ein Karem. We then drive to Mt. Zion to the Church of Dormition and pray in the Upper Room. Following our visit we then journey nearby to tomb of King David. We then proceed to the New City, passing by the Knesset and Hebrew University. 

We visit the Model City of Jerusalem as it was in Jesus' time. This afternoon, we stop for lunch on own own along the way as we drive East via the Jordan Valley to Qumran and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were originally found. We conclude our day with a stop at the clear yet salty waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 10 - JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV (AIRPORT) – For our last morning in Jerusalem,we start by entering the Old City via St. Stephen's Gate to visit the Church of St. Ann (Mary’s mother) and the Pool of Bethesda.  We also visit Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostrotos, Arch of Ecce Homo and the Convent of the Sisters of Zion. We prayerfully follow the Stations of The Cross along the Via Dolorosa concluding at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We celebrate our closing Holy Land Mass while here. We stop for lunch on our own before proceeding to the Cardo and the remains of Hezekiah's wall, on to the Western”Wailing” Wall. We celebrate our “farewell” dinner nearby before transferring to Ben Gurion Airport for our overnight flight home.

DAY 11 - USA - We arrive home with the unforgettable memories to cherish always.  Knowing that we have walked in the footsteps of Jesus and the early Christians bringing new meaning to our Scripture reading because of such a memorable  and vivid pilgrimage.