11 days and 10 nights
(with Petra)
Notre Dame can arrange these itineraries
for you through affiliated tour organizers. Whether you want to
come on your own, join a group or bring your
own group, contact us and we will put you in
touch with the organizer closest to you.
Holy Land and Petra
in
Eleven Days and Ten NightsDay 1: Home - Tel Aviv - Galilee
Begin your spiritual journey with an evening departure from your
hometown, on the overnight flight to Tel-Aviv.
Arrival at
Ben Gurion Airport. Exit the terminal and meet your guide.
Transfer to your hotel in Nazareth or Tiberias, with a
stop on the way at Caesarea Maritima, if time permits
(this depends on your flight arrival time). Dinner and lodging
at your hotel.
Day 2: In Mary’s Footsteps
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| Cana of Galilee |
This morning we
drive to Cana to visit the Church commemorating the place
where Jesus transformed water into wine. Then on to Nazareth
to visit the Basilica of Annunciation (Holy Mass at the
Basilica of the Annunciation), Mary´s Well and the Synagogue.
In
the afternoon, we travel on to Haifa and Carmel. Ascending
the Carmel Mountains we will visit the Stella Maris Convent,
and the Prophet Elijah´s Grotto, before returning for dinner and
lodging at your hotel.
Day 3:
In Jesus’ and the Disciples’ Footsteps.
We start the day with a boat ride across the
Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to see St. Peter´s Memorial,
St. Peter´s House and the Synagogue. Then on to Mt.
of Beatitudes where our Lord gave the Sermon on the
Mount.
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| Tabgha |
We proceed to Tabgha,
the site of multiplication of fish and loaves, returning to
celebrate Holy Mass at St. Peter’s Church in Capernaum.
We
then drive to the Jordan River at the southern end
of the Sea of Galilee to renew our Baptismal Vows.
We finish the day with a visit to Mt.Tabor and
the church of the Transfiguration. Then drive back to the
hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day
4: Visiting Ancient Cultures
We leave
Tiberias to cross over to Jordan by the Sheikh Hussein
Bridge where we will
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| Jerash |
be met and
assisted in a visit to the Roman city of Jerash,
including the Cardo Maximus, the street lined by columns and
flanked by temples, churches, theaters and innumerable mosaics. From there
we travel south to Mount Nebo to celebrate Holy Mass
at the mountain-top memorial of Moses with captivating views of
the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, River Jordan and the Holy
Land.
We end the day with the journey to our
hotel in Petra, where have dinner and overnight lodging.
Day 5: Crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land
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| Petra |
In the early morning
we start our visit to Petra, the Rose Red City. The visit will include the main sites
such as the "Siq", a long winding fissure between two
walls of overhanging cliffs, the "Khazneh" referred to as the
Treasury, the Street of Facades, the Court House and the
Amphitheater. If time permits we can also
include visits to the High Place of Sacrifice and the
Monastery. After the visit, we cross back into Israel by
the Allenby Bridge. There we will be met and assisted
in the journey to our hotel in Jerusalem, where we
receive dinner and overnight lodging. Day 6: Bethlehem – Ein Karem
This
morning we drive to Bethlehem to visit the place of
our Lord’s birth in the Basilica of the Nativity, where
we will celebrate Mass.
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| Jerusalem Model |
We will
also see the Chapel of St. Jerome, the Milk Grotto,
and the Shepherds Fields. In the afternoon we drive to
the nearby village of Ein Karem to visit the Church
of St. John the Baptist and the Church of the
Visitation.
If time permits we will stop to visit
the Holy Land Model, before returning to your hotel for
dinner and lodging. Dinner and lodging at your hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 7: Jerusalem, the Passion of
Jesus´ last hours
We start the day
with Holy Mass at the Holy Sepulchre.
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| Ecce Homo |
After Mass we return to the hotel to have
breakfast, before leaving on foot to visit the Old City
of Jerusalem.
We’ll start at the Temple area, where we
will see the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock
and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and then St. Anne’s Church and
the Pools of Bethesda. From there we trace the final
footsteps of Jesus along the Vía Dolorosa, from the Church of Flagellation, the
Ecce Homo Arch and on to the Holy Sepulchre. There
we will visit Calvary and the empty Tomb of our
Lord, and the different sections of the church. We will
have free time at the church for prayers and reflection
before going back to the hotel for dinner and lodging.
Day 8: The Wilderness: Bethany -
Qumran - Dead Sea - Masada
Today we
drive to Bethany, the village of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, where
we celebrate Holy Mass and visit Lazarus’ Tomb.
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| Judean Desert |
Then we travel through the Judean Desert on
our way to Jericho, to visit the ancient city, Elisha’s spring, the
Sycamore tree, the new city, where we will have a
view of the Mount of Temptation. From here we drive
to the Dead Sea area to see the excavations of
the Essene Monastery and the caves where the Dead Sea
Scrolls were hidden.
We continue on to Masada and the
Dead Sea coast, before returning for dinner and lodging at
the hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 9:
Mount of Olives – Mount Zion
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| Dominus Flevit |
After breakfast we drive to the top of
the Mt. of Olives to visit the Chapel of the
Ascension, the Church of Pater Noster where Jesus taught his
disciples how to pray, and then proceed down the Palm
Sunday route to the Church of Dominus Flevit, where our
Lord wept over the city, and then to the Garden
of Gethsemane, where we will celebrate Holy Mass in the
Church of All Nations.
In the afternoon we
go on Mount Zion to visit the Church of the
Dormition Abbey, the Cenacle, and the Church of Saint Peter
In Gallicantu. After this we return to our hotel for
dinner and lodging.
Day 10: Jerusalem, going
around.
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| Calvary |
In the morning
we celebrate Holy Mass on Mount Calvary, after which we
return to the hotel for breakfast. Then we leave again
to visit Mini Israel where you can see miniature models
of some of the sites you visited on this pilgrimage.
After this we will return to the hotel for a special
lunch meal.
Enjoy the afternoon to re-visit the Holy Sites
and do some shopping, before returning to the hotel for
dinner and lodging.
Day
11: Tel Aviv - Home
Transfer
to the airport for your return flight home.
- Please note
that overnight lodging in these itineraries, whether in Galilee or
Jerusalem, is normally arranged in Christian hostels.
- Towards the
end of the pilgrimage there will be a special moment
for the blessing of articles bought in the Holy Land.
- You will be invited to watch the film ´The
Passion of Christ´ by Mel Gibson.
« Please keep in mind...
The Stations
of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa are located in
some very narrow streets in the market area of the
Old City, which is normally full of people going about
their daily life. Don´t be disappointed by this, but remember
that the conditions must have been similar when our Lord
passed on his way to Golgotha, in the midst of
the crowds.
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