Day 1 - USA - Tel Aviv - Begin your spiritual journey as we depart for the overnight flights to Tel Aviv.

Day 2 - Tel Aviv - Mediterranean Coast - Arrival where we meet our local guide who will escort us to our hotel in on the coast. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3 – Galilee Caesarea, Mt Carmel, Stella Maris, Carmelites, Cana, Nazareth, Basilica of the Annunciation - We travel via the coast to Caesarea, where the Romans held Paul prisoner. Visit the Roman and Crusader ruins. Drive through the Carmel Mountains heading for the Galilee. In Haifa, visit Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery with the Madonna of Mt Carmel. Continue to Mukhraka where Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal and where the Carmelite Order was started. Drive to Cana, the village of Jesus’ first miracle of changing water into wine; here couples may renew their wedding vows. Continue to the Basilica of Annunciation in Nazareth where we will celebrate Mass and visit Mary’s Well and the Church of the Angel Gabriel. Dinner and overnight in the Galilee.

Day 4 - The Ministry of Christ in the Galilee: Tiberias, Boat ride, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Mt. Beatitudes, Caesarea Philippi - Enjoy a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to see the synagogue and St Peter’s house. Visit the Mount of the Beatitudes and celebrate Mass where the Sermon on the Mount was given. Visit Tabgha to see the splendid mosaic about the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and to the nearby Church of Peter’s Primacy where Peter was told " Feed my lambs, feed my sheep." Visit Caesarea Philippi, location of the testimony of St. Peter and where Jesus answered him "You are the Rock and upon this rock I will build my Church." Dinner and overnight in the Galilee.

Day 5 – Jordan River & Mt Tabor - We start the day by remembering our Baptism at the Jordan River. Continue to Mount Tabor, scene of the Transfiguration, where we will have Mass. Drive down the Jordan Valley and head towards Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 6 – Jerusalem and Bethlehem: Mt Olives, Church of Visitation, Shepherd’s Fields, Church of the Nativity – Emjoy the dramatic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives, revealing a city with 4000 years of history. From this vantage point see much of what makes Jerusalem such a unique city to the three major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We then head to the village of Ein Karem, the birthplace of St John the Baptist and to the Church of Visitation where the Blessed Virgin Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth, and proclaimed the ‘Magnificat’. In the afternoon we drive to the Shepherd’s Fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus. Then we have Mass and visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem which stands upon the site where Jesus was born. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 7 – Jerusalem, The Passion of Jesus’ Last Hours: Mt Olives, Palm Sunday, Dominus Flevit, Gethsemane, Cave of Betrayal, Cave of Assumption, Pater Noster - We begin our day on the Mt. of Olives to visit the Pater Noster, which has the Lords’ Prayer engraved in many languages, and the Ascension, from where Jesus ascended to Heaven. Then we’ll walk the Palm Sunday route stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. In Gethsemane, we’ll see the Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed His last prayer before His arrest. Visit the cave of betrayal and the cave of Assumption of Mary into heaven. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 8 – Stations of the Cross, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, St Anne’s Church, Ecce Homo, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Wailing Wall, Upper Room, Dormition - We retrace the last steps of Jesus as we walk along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow), through the markets of the Old City praying the Stations of the Cross, reflecting on the greatness of His sacrifice. We will finish with Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. While in the Old City of Jerusalem we will visit St. Anne’s Church, the home of the Virgin

Mary and her parents Saints Joachim and Anne. We pass the Ecce Homo where Pilate proclaimed "Behold the man"; then the Wailing Wall, the most holy place for Jews. Nearby is the Dome of the Rock and the Haram al Sharif or Temple Mount. We will visit the Cenacle and the Upper Room of the Last Supper. We will go to Dormition Abbey and to St. Peter in Gallicantu where Peter denied Him thrice. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 9 - The Wilderness: Bethany, Jericho, Mt Temptation, Dead Sea - We begin our day with a visit to Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. 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. 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. In the afternoon, there will be time for you to revisit some of your favorite sites and time for last minute buying of gifts for your loved ones. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 10 - Jerusalem - Tel Aviv – USA (or Rome Extension) - Today we have an early departure for Tel Aviv and our return flights home, (or to Rome for an optional 3 day extension.)

Day 10 - Upon arrival in Rome, we will be met by our Tour Escort. From here we will board our private motorcoach and transfer to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 11 - Rome (Papal Audience and Vatican Museum Tour) - Wake up in Eternal City, one of the greatest centers of Western Civilization and the first truly cosmopolitan city on earth! It is also spiritual capital for all the Catholics around the world. Today is truly a day we will have in our minds for many years to come. This morning we go to Vatican City to attend the weekly Papal Audience or Blessing given by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (pending papal schedule). Following the audience visit of the Vatican Museums, a group of most impressive edifices with hundreds of galleries filled with art treasures. See awe-inspiring relics and works of art donated throughout centuries as tributes of faith. We’ll cover The Tapestry Gallery, The Raphael Rooms and the most overwhelming Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Masterpiece, restored mural of the Last Judgment. Later, enter the largest church in Christendom St Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church, to which pilgrims come from around the world, St Peter’s is the grandest of the world’s churches. Marvel Pieta and Bernini’s amazing bronze canopy. We will also visit the grave of Pope John Paul II located at the Vatican (time permitting). Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Day 12 - Rome - This morning we depart for a sightseeing tour with focus on "Christian Rome" Touring we will see many important cultural and monumental sights around Rome. Stop for a visit at three major Basilicas: St Mary Major, one of the oldest shrines dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, a shrine that contains a relic from the manger of the infant Jesus. The Basilica of the St John in Lateran, is the former residence of the popes prior to their return to Rome in 1377. St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the remains of St Paul under its main altar. We will also see the ancient Baths of Caracalla, Arch of Drusus, Chapel "O’Domine Quo Vadis?" the remains of imperial tombs, Tomb of Celilia Metella, and the catacombs of St Callixtus where the early Christians hid themselves to escape persecution. Dinner and overnight for your last evening in Rome.

Day 13 - Rome - USA - Departure from Rome Airport for our return flights to the USA.

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