Holy Land Pilgrimage 2025 with Bethlehem Stay

Begin your pilgrimage to Bethlehem and the Holy Land by departing home for overnight flights to Tel Aviv, Israel. Breakfast and dinner will be served aboard the transatlantic flight.

Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. After clearing Passport Control and collecting your luggage, you will meet your guide in the Arrivals Hall. He will escort you to your waiting motorcoach which will bring you to your hotel located in Nazareth. There will be time to freshen up before gathering for Mass and Welcome dinner. Overnight in Nazareth.

Today you will begin with a visit to Nazareth where the group will celebrate Mass in the Basilica of Annunciation. Walk down to the Grotto, where the remains of the house of the Blessed Mother are visible. Here is where the Angel of the Lord announced the good news to Mary. Visit the museum and archaeological site where you can see the remains of Nazareth at the time of Christ, as well as the workshop of St. Joseph – which is now known as St. Joseph’s Church. Visit Mary’s Well and the Church of the Angel Gabriel and have lunch before driving to Cana, the village of Jesus’ first miracle of changing water into wine. Here couples may renew their wedding vows at the Wedding Church. Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Some of today’s highlights are a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to see the synagogue and St Peter’s house, a visit to Tabgha to see the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes with 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 Gerasene (Kursi) where Jesus exorcised demons out of a man and into a herd of swine, causing them to run down the hill into the Sea of Galilee where they drowned. There will be an unforgettable Mass on the Mount of the Beatitudes where the Sermon on the Mount was given. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Nazareth.

Start the day with a visit to Mount Tabor, the scene of the Transfiguration, where you will have Mass. Take in the views of the Jezreel Valley before driving to Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery to see the Madonna of Mt Carmel, and to Mukhraka, the place where Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal and where the Carmelite Order was started. Continue along the coast to Caesarea, where St. Peter baptized the first gentile convert Cornelius, and where the Romans held Paul prisoner. Visit the Roman and Crusader ruins before continuing on to Emmaus along the way to Jerusalem. It was on the road to Emmaus where Jesus appeared to two disciples after His resurrection on the third day. They did not recognize Him until He sat and broke bread with them. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Bethlehem.

This morning we’ll visit Shepherd’s Fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus and have Mass at the Church of the Nativity, which stands upon the site where Jesus was born. We’ll enjoy lunch in Bethlehem before heading to the village of Ein Karem, the birthplace of St John the Baptist. Here we will pray at the Church of Visitation where the Blessed Virgin Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth, and proclaimed the ‘Magnificat’. We will return to Bethlehem with time for shopping before gathering for dinner. Overnight in Bethlehem.

Begin our day with a visit to the Mount of Olives where you will be presented with an overview for a better understanding of its geography and some of the key sites surrounding the area. This includes a dramatic view of the Old City, 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. Visit the Church of the Pater Noster, which has the Lord’s Prayer in many languages, and the site of the Ascension from where Jesus ascended to Heaven. Walk the Palm Sunday route down the mountain stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Continue to the Garden of Gethsemane, and celebrate Mass at the Rock of Agony where Jesus prayed His last prayer before His arrest. Visit the cave of betrayal then the cave of Assumption of Mary to heaven. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Bethlehem.

The desert east of Jerusalem is rich in the Christian tradition. Begin with a visit to Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Further east, just off the Roman road that Jesus ‘walked’, is Wadi Qelt gorge, the site of the Monastery of St George. 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. Enjoy lunch in Jericho and visit the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist along the Jordan River. Afterward, enjoy a swim. or rather a float in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea, renowned for its healing properties before returning to Bethlehem for dinner and overnight.

Early in the morning, the group will retrace the last steps of Jesus. Then 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. Finally, you will arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Mass. After breakfast at your hotel, return to the Old City of Jerusalem to visit St. Anne’s Church, the home of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and her parents Saints Joachim and Anne. Pass the Ecce Homo where Pilate proclaimed “Behold the man”; then the Western Wall of the Temple, the holiest place for those of the Jewish faith. Nearby is the Dome of the Rock and the Haram al-Sharif or Temple Mount, exit at Mt Zion. At the Cenacle visit the Upper Room of the Last Supper. Next, go to Dormition Abbey where it is believed that the Blessed Mother’s earthly life came to an end. Visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, the House of Caiaphas, where Peter denied Him thrice. Special Farewell Dinner in Jerusalem.   Transfer to Tel Aviv airport for the overnight return flights home.

Arrive home from your international flights.