0219UA4 - Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 11 days from Boston

Airline Name Baggage Information
United Airlines http://bit.ly/yoafSS

Special Package with this Trip :
International departure taxes of $114 plus current fuel surcharges of $598 are included (subject to change).

Tour Code Departure Date Cost per person
UA0219BF 02/19/2024 $4449.00
Trip Details

Today we depart Boston, Denver or St. Louis to Newark to connect with our overnight flight aboard a wide-bodied jet. We enjoy in-flight movies and dinner aloft.
Upon our arrival, we board our coach and proceed to Caesarea Maritima, Herod the Great’s port city on the Mediterranean. From here we proceed to Mount Carmel. We check in to Stella Maris Haifa, and celebrate Mass either before or after dinner. Dinner and overnight here.
This morning, we ascend Mount Tabor and pray in the Church of the Transfiguration. We continue to the Jezreel Plain to Megiddo - named also Armageddon - the place where the last battle of mankind is due to take place (the Apocalypse of St. John). Where we visit the Museum and this 5,000-year-old city with Gates from the times of King Solomon, the old Canaanite temples, and the water tunnel from the time of King Ahab. We continue to Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation where we celebrate Mass. We drive to Cana site of Jesus’ first miracle and where married couples can renew their wedding vows. Dinner and overnight at our hotel along the Sea of Galilee.
This morning we begin with a lovely ride on our boat on the Sea of Galilee. We disembark and drive to the Mount of Beatitudes to pray in the beautiful gardens and celebrate Mass. From there, we visit the beautiful church at Tabgha, the site where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed the multitudes. After our included lunch of St. Peter’s Fish, we visit the church of Peter’s primacy on the Sea of Galilee, and the village of Capernaum, to see the remains of the village synagogue and St. Peter’s house. We visit the ruins at Bethsaida, the hometown of Simon and Andrew, and the more recently excavated ruins at Magdala where our hotel is located.
Today we leave the region of Galilee and make our way through the Jordan Valley, visiting the Baptismal site near Jericho. From there we visit the city of Jericho, where we take the Cable car to Mt of Temptation. After visiting the Monastery on the Mount of Temptation, we visit Jericho and celebrate Mass at the Church of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Following lunch on our own here in Jericho, we drive by the Monastery of St George (Wadi Quelt) on the way our thrilling entry into Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
This morning we drive to Bethlehem. We begin with a visit to the Church of the Nativity that commemorates the birth of Christ, including the Latin Church of St. Catherine, the Grotto of the Nativity, and St. Jerome’s Grotto, after which we will take a short walk to visit the Milk Grotto. On to visit Shepherd’s fields where we celebrate Mass. We return to Jerusalem, where we drive to the New City, passing by the Knesset and Hebrew University. We visit the Shrine of the Book to view the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Model City of Jerusalem in Jesus' time. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Today we visit the Church of the Pater Noster and view the beautiful City of Jerusalem from Mount of Olives. We walk down the hill to Dominus Flevit Chapel, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. We visit the Garden of Gethsemane, celebrate Mass in the Church of All Nations, and have time for one hour of private prayer in the Garden. Following lunch on our own, we proceed to Mt Zion, stopping at the Upper Room for a time of prayer and followed by the Tomb of David, the Church of the Dormition. We conclude at the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (The Cock Crows), where Jesus was held in the house of the High Priest Caiaphas. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Very early this morning, we go to the Old City and prayerfully walk the Stations of The Cross along the Via Dolorosa concluding at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where we celebrate Mass. We return to the hotel for breakfast. Afterwards, we begin the day with a visit to the Church of St. Ann (Mary’s mother) and the Pool of Bethesda. We also visit Lithostrotos, the Ecce Homo Arch built by the Romans in A.D. 70 and the Convent of the Sisters of Zion. After free time for shopping and lunch on our own in the Christian Quarter, we tour the Jewish Quarter, making our way to the Western (Wailing) Wall for a time of prayer. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
This morning we return to the wilderness of Judea to ascend Masada by cable car. This was the mountaintop fortress of King Herod where from 70-73 AD, the Jewish defenders made the last stand of the Jewish revolt against Rome. Continuing, we tour the excavations at Qumran, the home of the Essenes connected with John the Baptist and the Dead Sea Scrolls. We travel to the Ein Gedi oasis nature reserve to see some of the trees mentioned in the Bible and also view the caves where David hid from King Saul when Saul sought to kill him. We stop at a Dead Sea beach where those who wish to may experience the clear yet salty waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. On our way back to Jerusalem we celebrate Mass at the Church of St. Lazareth in Bethany. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Today we visit Ein Karem, where John the Baptist was born, and Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth to utter the words of the Magnificat and celebrate Mass. We travel to Abu Gosh where Jesus appeared on the road on the first Easter Sunday, where we visit Qiryat Yearim (Our Lady of the Holy Ark). On our way toward the airport, we stop at the Valley of Elah where the boy David slew the giant Goliath. We enjoy our farewell dinner on our way to the airport.
We depart the Holy Land on our midnight flight back to the US, arriving home the same day.