Holy Land, Petra Pilgrimage Fr. Binoy April 2024

Your pilgrimage begins by meeting at the airport and boarding your flight to Amman, Jordan.

Upon arrival in Amman, meet the local Catholic Jordanian guide and transfer by private motorcoach to the hotel. Amman is the capital and largest city in the country of Jordan.  In the Bible, the city of Amman is referred to as Philadelphia or one of the cities of The Decapolis.  Dinner and overnight.

Departure for Petra, stopping in Kerak, a city mentioned in the Bible as Kir or Charac Moaba. Kerak has the largest castle in the area, built by the crusader King Fulk of Jerusalem.  Construction of this Crusader Castle started in 1140 AD.  The picture on the right is of the castle wall.

Next, we drive down the King’s Highway to Petra, the Rose City, the capital of the Nabateans, carved out of the red rock of the mountain. Walk through the Siq, a narrow passage to the first monument – the Treasury Temple. Visit also the Monastery, House of Justice, the Royal Tombs, and the Theater. The walk includes a visit to the Petra Museum. The Museum holds numerous artifacts from the Neolithic period of Nabataean history. The museum also contains architecture from the Romans as well as, a Byzantine chapel. Petra was immortalized in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  Lunch at the archaeological site. Dinner and overnight in Petra.

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Mount Nebo from which Moses saw the Promised Land.  This mountain was mentioned in Deuteronomy 34, “Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah.” While here, you will tour the Holy site where Moses died and was buried.

Continuation to Madaba, a city famous for its Byzantine mosaics, for a visit to the St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church where the ancient map of the Holy Land is kept. Lunch. Visit the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist along the Jordan River for the renewal of the baptismal promises. Free time for bathing in the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight along the Dead Sea.

Breakfast at the hotel. We Depart for Jerash which is mentioned in the Bible as Gerasa.  It was one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis.  Visit the best preserved Hellenistic-Roman city in the whole Middle East.  The remains include Hadrian’s Arch, the Hippodrome, the Oval Plaza as well as the Theatre, and the Cardo.  Lunch in the restaurant.

In the afternoon we travel to Israel.  We drive to Cana, where according to St. John, Jesus performed his first miracle, changing water into wine at the wedding.  This is also where we remember the vocation of the apostle Bartholomew aka Nathanael of Cana, of whom Jesus said, admiringly, “Here is a true Israelite.”We celebrate Mass here at the Wedding Church, and married couples will have the opportunity to renew their wedding vows.  Overnight in Nazareth.

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning visit Nazareth: Fountain of the Virgin, Basilica of the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary and announced she would bear God’s son.

We will visit the Church of San Giuseppe, aka St. Joseph.  Ancient Village, and Synagogue.  We will celebrate mass in the Basilica of the Annunciation. Lunch. In the afternoon climb Mount Tabor. Visit the sanctuary of the Transfiguration where Jesus was transfigured and conversed with Moses and Elijah. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight.

A full day will be spent around the lake of Tiberias, referred to in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee, starting with Capernaum where Jesus lived and started his ministry. Then Tabgha, the site where the miracle of the multiplication of fish and bread took place.  Magdala is the hometown of Mary Magdalene.  The Mount of Beatitudes is the location of the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be the children of God.”   We will enjoy a boat ride on the lake.  Lunch in a restaurant around the lake. Overnight in Nazareth.

Transfer to Bethlehem to visit the Church of Nativity, the Milk Grotto, and Sheperds’ field. Lunch in Bethlehem. In the afternoon, visit the Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the memorial to the Holocaust. It is the second most visited site in Israel.  Overnight in Bethlehem.

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning dedicated to visits to Mount Zion: Saint Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied our Lord three times, the Dormition, and the Last Supper. Lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Mount of Olives.  Here we visit the Aedicule of the Ascension where Jesus ascended into heaven after the resurrection.  The Church and Grotto of the Pater Noster where Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer.  See the Basilica of Gethsemane, Mount of Olives, and Tomb of the Virgin Mary. Overnight in Bethlehem.

An entire day spent in the old city: Western Wall of the Temple, Temple Mount, Church of Saint Anne, the Mother of the Virgin Mary, Pool of Bethesda, Church of the Flagellation, Litostroto.  We will walk the Via Dolorosa also known as the Via Crucis or Stations of the Cross ending with arrival at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Return to the hotel in Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Jaffa and visit the ancient Port.  Over 4,000 years old, this port is one of the oldest in the world and is part of the Prophet Jonah and the Whale biblical story.   We will also visit the church of Saint Peter with an overview and Farewell Dinner in Tel Aviv. St. Peter’s Church in Jaffa is where St. Peter raised Tabitha from the dead in the Acts of the Apostles.  Transfer to Ben Gurion airport for overnight return flights to the USA.

Day 12 Return to USA