Day 1—March 10, Depart USA—overnight flight to
Tel Aviv.

Day 2 – March 11:
Arrive Tel Aviv  

After arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv we will be met by our local guide who will arrange the schedules of our visits and make the scripture come alive as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Drive to our hotel for check-in.

Day 3 – March 12: Tel Aviv/ Tiberias

Following breakfast we will check-out from our hotel and drive north along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea, the capital of the ancient Roman Procurators of Judea where St. Peter preached and St. Paul was imprisoned for two years before being taken to Rome for trial. Here we will visit the Roman Theater, Crusader’s Moat, and the Byzantine Churches. We will then continue our drive north to the sparkling port city of Haifa and ascend Mt. Carmel, home of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, for a scenic view of the city and the port. After celebrating Mass at the Stella Maris Convent we will proceed to our hotel located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in the town of Tiberias.

Day 4 – March 13: Tiberias

This morning we will enjoy a scenic boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Then visit Capernaum, home of Our Lord during his ministry. After visiting the Synagogue where He taught, drive to Tabgha which marks the site of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The Church of St. Peter’s Primacy will be our next stop, followed by a visit to the Mt. of the Beatitudes for Mass at the site of the Sermon on the Mount.

We will conclude the day with a stop at Magdaia, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, where we will visit an ancient synagogue where experts say Jesus may well have taught.

Day 5 – March 14: Tiberias

Following breakfast we will drive to Cana of Galilee where Our Lord performed the first miracle – changing water into wine at the wedding feast. Here, we’ll invite couples to renew their marriage vows. We will then
proceed to Nazareth to visit the Basilica of the
Annunciation where we will celebrate Mass. After Mass visit the Cave of the Annunciation, Joseph’s Workshop, the Church of St. Joseph, the Church of the Holy Family, the House of Mary & Joseph, and Mary’s Well. Then
proceed to Mount Tabor where we will take a thrilling van ride up the mountain to visit the site of the
Transfiguration of Jesus before returning to Tiberias.

Day 6 – March 15: Tiberias / Jerusalem

Depart Tiberias and drive south through the Jordan Valley to the traditional Baptismal Site on the Jordan River where we will have an opportunity to renew our baptismal vows in a prayer service. Afterwards we will make a stop in nearby Jericho, the oldest known city in the Western World where we will view the ancient “tel”, Elisha’s Fountain and the Sycamore tree to remind us of the story of Zaccheus. A cable car will then take us up to the Mt. of Temptation where we will see the caves where Christ lived, fasted and prayed for forty days and nights and where he was tempted by the devil. The view of Old Jericho from the upper station is breath-taking. From here drive through the Judean Wilderness to Jerusalem where we will spend the next six nights.

Day 7 – March 16: Jerusalem

This morning we will drive to Bethlehem to visit and celebrate Mass at the Nativity Church which was built by the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century above the traditional Grotto of Jesus’ birth. Also tour the Manger, the Grotto of St. Jerome, the Church of St. Catherine, the Milk Grotto and the Shepherd’s Fields.

Day 8 – March 17: Jerusalem

This morning we will drive to the top of the Mt. of Olives for a spectacular view of Jerusalem. Visit the Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught the Lord’s prayer to his Disciples and the Chapel of Ascension where Jesus ascended into Heaven forty days after his resurrection. Then walk along the “Palm Sunday Road” to Dominus Flevit where Our Lord wept over Jerusalem.

Continue to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations where we will celebrate Mass. We will then view the Temple Area of the Old City of Jerusalem featuring the Dome of the Rock, el Aqsa Mosque and the Wailing Wall.

Day 9 – March 18: Jerusalem

This morning, enter the Old City of Jerusalem through St. Stephen’s Gate. Visit the Church of St. Anne where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the paralytic man, the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostrotos, and Arch of the “Ecce Homo”. Then follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to visit Golgotha and the Tomb of the Risen Savior. This afternoon proceed to Mt. Zion to visit the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, Dormition Abbey where Mary fell into eternal sleep, and St. Peter in Gallicantu where Peter denied Jesus three times.

Day 10 – March 19: Jerusalem

This morning we will drive to Ein Karem to see the Visitation Church where Mary proclaimed her famous “Magnificat” and the Church of St. John the Baptist where St. John the Baptist was born. We will then proceed to the Israel Museum in the New City of Jerusalem where we will see a scale model of Jerusalem as it appeared 2,000 years ago. Next we will visit Yad Vashem, the museum and memorial dedicated to the Jewish Holocaust.

Day 11 – March 20: Jerusalem

Following breakfast we will drive to Bethany to visit the site of the home of Mary, Martha & Lazarus and the Tomb of Lazarus where we will celebrate Mass. Then continue through the Judean Wilderness to and along the shores of the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth) to Qumran to see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Continue on to Masada, the fortress stronghold built by Herod the Great and later the scene of the final siege of the Great Jewish Revolt in 73 C.E. After visiting Masada we will have an opportunity to take a swim in the salty, mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea before returning to
Jerusalem.

Day 12 – March 21: Jerusalem/ Tel Aviv/ USA

Early this morning we will check-out from our hotel and transfer to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to catch our return flight home.

$3599  includes  round trip  air,  4-star hotel
accommodations,  breakfast & dinner  daily,  deluxe
motor coach,  all  transfers  &  baggage  handling,
sightseeing  with  professional  Christian  guide,

all  entrance  fees,  Daily  Mass,   gratuities—all
included in this life changing pilgrimage.
Ely 310.944.3355  ElyMorningStar@yahoo.com