Holy Land Pilgrimage with Jordan and Petra Tour – 12 day

Your Holy Land 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.

After breakfast at our hotel, depart for Kerak, a city mentioned in the Bible as Kir or Charac Moaba. Kerak has the largest castle in Jordan, built by the orders of Crusader King Fulk of Jerusalem.  Construction of this Crusader Castle started in 1140 AD by King Fulk’s butler Paganus the Lord of Oultrejordain in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.  The castle features several towers, walls, courtyards, and stunning views of the surrounding area including Jordan’s countryside and desert landscape from its vantage point on a hilltop overlooking Wadi Mujib Valley. From here it’s also possible to see nearby villages, mountains, and other landmarks.

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.  Visit 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 Roman architecture and 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.  It rises more than 4,000 feet above the Dead Sea and is located on the east side of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho.  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.  The Franciscans bought the site in 1932 and were responsible for excavating most of the church and monastery’s ruins and reconstructing much of the basilica.  Today, Mount Nebo is an active Franciscan monastery and the headquarters of the Franciscan Archaeological Institute.  In 2,000, Pope John Paul II visited the summit of Mount Nebo during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During his visit, he planted an olive tree next to the Byzantine chapel, as a symbol of peace.  Pope Benedict XVI visited Mt. Nebo in 2009.  Don’t miss the Staff of Moses!

Continuation to Madaba, a city famous for its Byzantine mosaics, for a visit to St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba where the ancient map of the Holy Land is kept.  The famed sixth-century “Madaba Map,” is the oldest surviving mosaic map of the Holy Land.  You will view this stunning map on the floor of the Orthodox Church of St. George.  This map was originally part of the floor of an earlier Byzantine church, built during the reign of emperor Justinian, AD 527-565. It is the oldest map of the Holy Land that still exists.   Five other Byzantine churches have been discovered in Madaba, all with mosaics. This has led to Madaba’s designation as “the city of mosaics.”We will then have lunch.

Visit the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist along the Jordan River for the renewal of the baptismal promises.

Travel to the shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth.  It is called the Dead Sea because of its high salinity, no fish or plants live here.  Free time for floating in the Dead Sea.  Did you know there are health benefits of Dead Sea Salt?  Dinner and overnight along the Dead Sea.

Breakfast at the hotel.  We depart for Jerash, which the Bible mentions as Gerasa.  It was one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis mentioned in the Bible.  Jerash is often known as the “Pompeii of the Middle East” and is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient cities in the world.  The remains include Hadrian’s Arch, the Hippodrome, the Oval Plaza, 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.  Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Breakfast at the hotel.  In the morning, visit Nazareth: Fountain of the Virgin and Basilica of the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary and announces she will bear God’s son.  We will celebrate mass in the Basilica of the Annunciation.  Next, we will see the Church of San Giuseppe, also known as St. Joseph.  The site is sacred because it marks where the Holy Family lived, where Jesus grew up and was raised to adulthood.  Ancient Village and Synagogue.   Enjoy lunch.

In the afternoon, we will climb Mount Tabor.  Visit the sanctuary of the Transfiguration, where Jesus was transfigured and conversed with Moses and Elijah.  A golden mosaic of the Transfiguration is centered high above the altar, and a glass panel was placed to reflect sunlight, illuminating the mosaic on the Feast of the Transfiguration on August 6th.  Return to the hotel.  Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel for 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 began his ministry.  Then Tabgha,  the site where the miracle of the multiplication of fish and bread took place and the fourth resurrection appearance of Jesus (John 21:1-24) after his Crucifixion.  We will visit the Church of the Multiplication of loaves and fishes.  

Magdala is the hometown of Saint 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 visit the Church of the Beatitudes.  The octagonal floorplan represents the eight beatitudes.  There is a monastery of Franciscan Sisters who live here.

We will enjoy a boat ride on the lake, lunch in a restaurant around the lake, and overnight in Nazareth.

Breakfast at the hotel and then transfer to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity.  The grotto is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major church in the Holy Land.  The church was originally commissioned by Constantine the Great a short time after his mother Helena‘s visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 325–326, on the site traditionally considered the birthplace of Jesus.

Next, we visit the Chapel of the Milk Grotto of Our Lady, as tradition says, where the Holy Family found refuge during the Massacre of the Innocents before they could flee to Egypt.  The name comes from the story of a drop of milk from the Virgin Mary that fell on the floor and changed its color to white.  We will also visit the Chapel of the Sheperds’ Field.  The chapel commemorates the annunciation of Jesus‘ birth to the shepherds.  The chapel has five apses that mimic the structure of a nomadic tent in gray.  The words of the angel to the shepherds are inscribed in gold.  An image depicting Jesus’s birth and the shepherds’ adoration can be seen.  Lunch in Bethlehem.

In the afternoon, visit the Yad Vashem memorial to the Holocaust in Jerusalem.  It is the second most visited site in Israel.  See some of its online exhibits.  Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Breakfast at the hotel.  The morning is dedicated to visits to Mount Zion: Saint Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied our Lord three times, the Dormition, and the Last Supper.  Enjoy lunch.

In the afternoon, visit the Mount of Olives.  Here, we see the Chapel of the Ascension, where Jesus ascended into heaven after the resurrection.  We will also visit the Church of the Pater Noster, where Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer.  See the Basilica of Gethsemane, also known as the Church of All Nations, Mount of Olives, and Tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Breakfast at the hotel, then 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 Stations of the Cross, nine of which are outside, in the streets, with the remaining five stations inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  Just inside the entrance to the church is the Stone of Anointing.  The rotunda is the larger domed building on the far west side.  In the center of the rotunda is a small chapel called the Aedicule.   The Aedicule has two rooms: the first holds a relic called the Angel’s Stone, a fragment of the large stone that sealed the tomb; the second, smaller room contains the tomb of Jesus.  Return to the hotel in Bethlehem.  Dinner and overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Jaffa and visit the ancient Jaffa 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.  According to the biblical book of Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell its inhabitants that they had sinned. But Jonah refused and instead, boarded a ship in the Jaffa port.  After being swallowed by a fish at sea, Jonah later went to Nineveh.

We will also visit the church of Saint Peter run by the Franciscans.  St. Peter’s Church in Jaffa is where St. Peter raised Tabitha from the dead in the Acts of the Apostles.   Enjoy a farewell Dinner in Tel Aviv.  Transfer to Ben Gurion airport for overnight return flights home.  

Arrive home after your international flights.