FOOTSTEPS OF OUR LORD, I

FOOTSTEPS OF OUR LORD, ISRAEL


DAY 1   DEPARTURE FROM THE USA

DAY 2   WELCOME TO THE HOLY LAND

You will be met by your tour guide and transferred to Jerusalem.

First observation of the city from Mt. Scopus.

Overnight in Jerusalem (B – D)

DAY 3   MT. OF OLIVE / MT. ZION

Enjoy the unforgettable view from atop of the Mount of Olive.  Visit the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension.  Walk down the Palm Sunday Road, stopping at the Chapel of Dominus Flevit (the tear drop) before continuing to the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Descend across the Kidron Valley to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where the Apostle denied Christ three times.  Continue on to Mt. Zion to visit the Room of the Last Supper and King David's Tomb.

From here we travel to the Church of the Dormition, where the Holy Mother fell into eternal sleep.  

Overnight in Jerusalem (B - D)

DAY 4   BETHLEHEM / EIN KAREN / NEW CITY

Start the day by visiting Bethlehem and Shepherd's Field and Grotto.  See the Church of Nativity which was built over the birthplace of Our Lord, and the Cathedral of St. Catherine's built over the tomb of St. Jerome.  Also visit the shepherd’s fields and Rachel’s Tomb.  On the way back to Jerusalem we will stop at the village of Ein Karem; the birthplace of St. John the Baptist, and see the Church of Visitation where Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth.  Back in Jerusalem you will have a panoramic tour of the new city passing by the Knesset – the Israeli Parliament, where we will see the giant Menorah (the official emblem of the modern state of Israel), the Israel Museum, the Government offices and more.

Overnight:  Jerusalem (B - D)

DAY 5   JERUSALEM / OLD CITY

Enter the Old City via Zion Gate, to see the Wailing Wall, the Temple Mount, the Pool of Bethesda, St. Anne's Church (birthplace of Mary), the Chapel of Flagellation, Ecco Home Arch, and onto Visa Dolorosa, the Way of the Cross to the Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Later we will walk through the colorful Bazaar until we reach the Jaffa gate.

Overnight:  Jerusalem (B - D).  In the afternoon we will offer a visit to Yad Vashem the central memorial and museum dedicated to the Holocaust.

DAY 6   DEAD SEA AND MASSADA  

Our day begins driving by the Good Samaritan Inn.  Stop in Qumran, site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Continuing on to the south, we will take a cable car ride to the mountain top fortress of Massada. Here our guide will treat us to the history of the famous zealot stand.  We'll visit the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.  Afterwards we will proceed to Ein Gedi, "Spring of the Goat," an oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea.  Because of its warm climate and abundant supply of water, the site developed a reputation for its fragrant plants and date palm groves.  This is where King David hid from Saul, and where God defeated the enemies of the Israelites by praise and worship led by King Jehoshaphat. (1 Sam 23:29; 24 Song of Songs 1:14).

Return to Jerusalem. 

DAY 7   THE ROAD TO THE GALILEE

Today we depart from Jerusalem on our way to Galilee.  Drive along the ancient pilgrims route heading towards Jericho, the oldest known inhabited city in the world.  To the south is the Dead Sea and to the west is the Mount of Temptation and the Judean wilderness.  We will drive north along the Jordan Valley road pass by biblical Gilgal and the ancient city of Beth Shean (Skitopolis).  We will then arrive in the Galilee region.  Here, our Lord spent the first 30 years of His life.  We will visit Nazareth and see Mary's well where the angel Gabriel told Mary she will give birth to Our Lord Jesus Christ.   We will see St. Joseph's Church and continue to Cana to visit the Wedding Church, site of Jesus' first miracle. There will also be an opportunity for couples to renew their marriage vows. 

Dinner and overnight hotel in Tiberias.

DAY 8   GALILEE

Today spend the day literally in His footsteps.  We will visit Yardenit on the river Jordan, the traditional baptismal site and sail across the Sea of Galilee.   We will see the "Jesus Boat" uncovered in 1986.  We will explore Capernaum and see the new church built on St. Peter's house. We will also visit Chorazim which was cursed by Our Lord because the people did not follow His teaching.  We will then drive to Mount of Beatitudes where Our Lord preached the Sermon on the Mount, then to Tabgha which is Greek for Seven Springs, the Church of the Multiplication of Fishes, and the Church of St. Peter's Primacy.  There will be an opportunity to taste St. Peter's fish for lunch (optional, not included in the package).

Dinner and overnight hotel in Tiberias

DAY 9   THE ROAD TO JOPPA

Today we will leave Galilee and drive south towards Tel Aviv and Joppa.  We will drive by Mount Tabor where the Church of Transfiguration is located.   We then continue to Mount Carmel to visit the Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris.   There we will see Elijah's grotto, and home of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  We will also visit Muchraka, the site where Elijah confronted the 400 false Baal prophets and proved to all who is the true God.  We will stop to enjoy the breathtaking view of the Haifa Bay before continuing up the coastline to the ancient Roman city of Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea.  We will view the Roman aqueduct and port, Crusader’s Moat, and the famous Roman Theater.   It was there in Caesarea that Paul was imprisoned.  From there we will continue to Tel Aviv, and on to old Jaffa on the Mediterranean shores.   Jaffa was the port city used by King Solomon to import cedar trees from Lebanon when he built the first Temple in Jerusalem (II Chronicles 2:15).  From here Jonah would have boarded the ship to his journey ending in a whale’s belly.  We will walk through the narrow streets, visit the house of Simon, and the Tanner where St. Peter had his vision.  We will have our farewell dinner nearby and to the hotel for the last night in the Holy Land.

DAY 10 RETURN TO USA

Departure transfer to USA.