Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

Arrive in Tel Aviv and transfer to Netanya for a welcome meeting, dinner, and overnight. 

Visit the Franciscan Wedding Chapel in Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle. Visit Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home. Continue to the Church of the Annunciation that stands over the cave that tradition holds to be the home of the Virgin Mary. In modern day Nablus (ancient Shechem), see where the Samaritan woman encountered Christ (John 4) at Jacob’s Well.  Enjoy the views of the Galilee from Mount Arbel and pass through the Valley of the Doves, a major pathway in the time of Christ. He and his disciples passed through this valley as they walked the Galilee.  

Enjoy a lecture at Magdala, once home to Mary Magdalene. View a recently discovered first-century synagogue there. Take time to meditate in the hall dedicated to women of the Bible. Visit Kibbutz Nof Ginosar and learn about the ancient boat, a rare and excellent example of the kind of boat in which Jesus would have sailed. Afterward, sail across the Sea of Galilee.  Enjoy beautiful Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry, where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:30-31), and visit the synagogue located on the site where Jesus taught (Matthew 4:13, 23; John 6). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt. 5-7).  Visit the Church of the Loaves and Fish in Tabgha, the traditional location of the feeding of the multitudes (Luke 9:10-17; Matthew 14:13-21). Walk down to the shore of the Sea of Galilee at the Primacy of Peter Chapel.  This evening, enjoy a Shabbat dinner.

Pass through the Jordan Valley to Qasr al Yahud, the traditional place of the baptism of Jesus. Visit Ein Gedi, where David hid from Saul and his forces.  Visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered.  Enjoy a Bedouin dinner and hospitality in the Judean Wilderness.   Continue to Jerusalem for overnight. 

In Bethlehem, visit the cave where Jesus was born and the church that has been constructed on the site (Matthew 1: 18-25; Luke 2: 1-7). Nearby, you will view Shepherds’ Field, where the Good News was first heard. Be inspired by the breathtaking beauty of Jerusalem (“the Golden City”) as you stand on the Mount of Olives, the place from which Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-12). Walk to the Garden of Gethsemane and pray beneath the ancient olive trees (Matthew 26:36-44). Visit both the Church of All Nations and the private garden area across the road for a time of contemplation. Today will also include a session with a representative from The Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue. 

Travel to Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist and where Mary visited Elizabeth (Luke 1:26-40). Stop to visit the Pool of Siloam Excavation Site. Explore the Davidson Center and the Southern Wall Excavations, including a lecture at the Teaching Steps. You will have time to pray at the Western Wall.  Walk through the Jewish  Quarter and visit the Cardo, the ancient shopping district still lined with boutiques.

This morning, partake in a lecture session, then the remainder of the day is yours to explore Jerusalem on your own. Those wishing to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, can enjoy a half-day trip there. This evening, you’ll wrap up the week with a final lecture.

Walk the Temple Mount (conditions permitting). View the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle (John 5: 1-31).  Sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne, renowned for its beautiful acoustics. Walk the Via Dolorosa, “the Way of the Cross." Share communion together at the Garden Tomb in celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection.