Holy Land & Jordan Pilgrimage- Under the Spiritual Direction of Fr. Jonathan Fioramonti

Depart for your overnight flights to Amman. Dinner on-board, relax, and anticipate your arrival tomorrow morning.

Upon arrival in Amman, we are met by our representative who will remain with us for the duration of the tour. We continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Overnight: Amman (D*)

After breakfast, we depart through the “King’s Highway” to ancient city of Petra. We enjoy a walking tour of Petra. It begins with a walk through the Siq to the Treasury. Continue through the main street with the magnificent structures on each side carved into the mountains, to the colonnaded street, ending at the Petra museum. Lose yourself in the history of the Nabateans who meticulously carved massive structures out of the rose colored sandstone. See the influence of the people that followed including the architecture of the mighty Romans and a beautiful Byzantine chapel decorated with ancient, stunning mosaics that have been carefully preserved.

Overnight: Amman (B, D)

This morning we leave Amman and head to Mt. Nebo, where Moses was laid to rest, and where the late Pope John Paul II tread on his first pilgrimage of the millennium. Visit the Sanctuary at Nebo: the memorial of Moses, the presumed site of his death and burial place, and a center for the pilgrimages since early Christian times. You’ll be inspired by the biblical feel from start to finish as you experience this divine tour. Mount Nebo is one of the most revered holy sites of Jordan, for this is where Moses was buried. The site’s association with the last days of Moses is described in moving words in Deuteronomy. After we celebrate Mass, we continue to our resort on the Dead Sea for a swim (or rather a float!) in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea, renowned for its healing properties.

Overnight: Dead Sea (B, D)

This morning we cross the Jordanian / Israeli border and head to Mt Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus. Later we visit Cana where Jesus preformed his first miracle, turning water into wine; here we have a chance to renew wedding vows.  This evening we continue to Galilee for dinner and overnight.

Overnight: Nazareth (B, D)

TIBERIAS, BOAT RIDE ON SEA OF GALILEE, CAPERNAUM, MT.  OF BEATITUDES:  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 the Mount of the Beatitudes where the Sermon on the Mount was given, to Tabgha to see 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.” There will be an unforgettable Mass near the shores of the Sea of Galilee at the Primacy or Mt Beatitudes.

Overnight: Nazareth (B, D)

MT CARMEL, STELLA MARIS, NAZARETH, BASILICA OF THE ANNUNCIATION:  We start our morning with a visit to the Basilica of Annunciation in Nazareth where we will celebrate Mass and visit Mary’s well and the Church of the Angel Gabriel. We then drive through the Carmel Mountains heading to Haifa, where we visit Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery with the Madonna of Mt Carmel. Visit the Roman and Crusader ruins. Continue to Muhraka where Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal and where the Carmelite Order was started. Next we head to the nearby city of Jaffa where we will visit the old historic port of Jaffa and the Church of St. Peter. We continue to Bethlehem for dinner and overnight.

Overnight: Bethlehem (B, D)

MT OLIVES, CHURCH OF VISITATION, SHEPHERD’S FIELDS, CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY: Today we begin with a dramatic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives, revealing a city with 4000 years of history. From this vantage point, we see much of what makes Jerusalem such a unique city to the three major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We then head to the village of Ein Karem, the birthplace of St John the Baptist and to the C vhurch of Visitation where the Blessed Virgin Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth, and proclaimed the ‘Magnificat’. In the afternoon, we drive to the Shepherd’s Fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus. Then we visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem that stands upon the site where Jesus was born. Mass in Bethlehem or the Shepherds Fields.

Overnight: Bethlehem (B, D)

MT OLIVES, PALM SUNDAY, DOMINUS FLEVIT, GETHSEMANE, CAVE OF BETRAYAL, CAVE OF ASSUMPTION, PATER NOSTER: We begin our day visiting the Mt. of Olives to walk the Palm Sunday route stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Then to Gethsemane, 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. Back on the Mt. of Olives we visit the Pater Noster with the Lord’s Prayer in many languages, and the Ascension from where He ascended to Heaven.

Overnight: Bethlehem (B, D)

VIA DOLOROSA, ST ANNE’S CHURCH, ECCE HOMO, CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER, WAILING WALL, UPPER ROOM, DORMITION: Early in the morning we retrace the last steps of Jesus. As we walk along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow), through the markets of the Old City praying the Stations of the Cross, we reflect on the greatness of His sacrifice. Finally we arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Mass. We return to the Old City of Jerusalem to visit St. Anne’s Church, the home of the Virgin Mary and her parents Saints Joachim and Anne. We pass the Ecce Homo where Pilate proclaimed “Behold the man”; then the Wailing Wall, the most holy place for Jews. Nearby is the Dome of the Rock and the Temple Mount. We exit at Mt Zion. At the Cenacle we visit the Upper Room of the Last Supper. Next, we go to Dormition Abbey where we believe the Blessed Mary died. We end the day at St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied Him thrice.

Overnight: Bethlehem (B, D)

BETHANY, JERICHO, MT TEMPTATION, JORDAN RIVER, QUMRAN: We begin our day with a visit to Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. 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. We then visit the Jordan River and the authentic baptismal site of Our Lord. Next at Qumran you will look, literally only a stones throw away, into the cave where the original Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We return to our hotel for our farewell dinner and restful overnight.

Overnight: Bethlehem (B, D)

We bid farewell to the Holy Land and will remember our pilgrimage for a lifetime.