Skip to main content

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
It’s official.  I will be the chaplain for a group going to the Holy Land this fall. I’ve been looking at different trips for a while and decided to go with this Catholic Company based on my impression and advice from a brother priest who has known this company and the priest that has run it for years.  He assures me that Proximo will be a first class experience and that we will be well taken care of, from the travel, to the hotels, to the food, and some say the chaplain is pretty darn good too!  Really, I’m very excited about this trip and would love for you to join me for the first time I will see the Holy Land.  I can only imagine what Scriptures, Prayer, and the Mass will be like after walking in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. 
I would love for you to join me,
 
11 Days October 29 – November 8th 2012
Jerusalem • Bethlehem
Nazareth • Galilee • Via Crucis • Last Supper
Gethsemane • Dormition • Nativity Church • Capernaum
Trip Includes
    Flights can originate from anywhere in the U.S. where published. (same price)
    Daily Mass is available but not mandatory. Proximo Travel has always one or more Catholic Priests accompanying the group as chaplain(s).
    Airport Taxes, Security Fees & Fuel Surcharges
    Transfers as per itinerary
    4 or 5 star Hotels in Downtown Areas
    Transportation with Luxury Bus
    All Breakfasts and all Dinners. Wine included with all dinners
    All Tips to Driver, Hotel, and Tour Guide
    Guided Tours and Tour Fees
    Luggage handling (1 piece per person)
Remember: Our trips are not more expensive during high season ~  Passengers will never be expected to pay extra for anything while on the trip ~ Our group size is small to medium ~ We always wait for passengers and never leave anyone behind ~ There are no extra charges if a passenger would like to depart from overseas at a later date
Trip Itinerary
    Day 1: Depart from USA. Arrival next day.
    Day 2: Arrive Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport. We will meet our guide and head to our hotel by deluxe motorcoach. We will have a brief orientation meeting, enjoy a meal, and acclimate to our new surroundings. Dinner and over night in Jerusalem.
    Day 3: After breakfast we shall view the Place of the Ascension before we descend by foot and visit the Pater Noster Church commemorating Jesus’ teaching His disciples the Lord’s Prayer. Then we will walk down to the church of Dominus Flevit; here Jesus wept over the City of Jerusalem and foretold its destruction (Luke 19:4144). We shall then visit the Garden of the Gethsemane, the scene of Jesus’ agony, betrayal and arrest (Luke 22:2254). Also visit the Church of All Nations containing the rock where Jesus is believed to have prayed before His betrayal and arrest, after lunch, visit the Upper Room, the site of the last supper. Then continue to visit the Dormition Abbey, built over the site where the Virgin Mary was laid to rest its name meaning “eternal sleep”. Proceed to the Church of St. Peter in Galli Cantu, which is built over the site of the house of the High Priest Caiaphas and the dungeon where Our Lord was imprisoned before his trial. It is also here that Peter denied knowing Jesus thrice (Luke 22: 5462).
    Day 4: After breakfast we will visit Bethlehem starting with the Basilica of the Nativity and the Grotto, venerated as the birthplace of Jesus (Luke 2:17). Also visit the Church of St. Catherine, the Crusaders’ Cloister, the Chapel of St. Jerome, and the Grotto of the Holy Innocents and the Milk Grotto. Continue to visit the Shepherds’ Fields (Luke 2:820). After lunch in Bethlehem we shall drive to Ein Karem, home of St. Elizabeth, and mother of John the Baptist to visit the Church of the Visitation and the Church of St. John the Baptist. Enjoy a night tour of Jerusalem.
    Day 5: Today we shall drive to Jericho to view the Old City and the Mount of Temptation. We shall also view Zacchaeus’ tree. Proceed to Qumran – ruins of the ancient Essene settlement in whose nearby caves the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered; take the cable-car to the top of Masada – the scene of the epic stand by the Jewish Rebels at the end of the Great Revolt against Rome nearly 2,000 years ago; and enjoy a relaxing float in the Dead Sea.
    Day 6: After breakfast we will drive to St. Steven’s gate where we shall enter the Old City and start our morning tour at the Crusaders’ Church of St. Anne and the Pool of Bethesda. Continue to the Tower of Antonia where Jesus was tried and the Church of the Flagellation from where we will follow the Stations of the Cross ending inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. After lunch in Jerusalem visit the Wailing Wall and Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are hosted.
    Day 7: Travel at a slow pace to the Jordan River and to the tourist Place of Baptism (Yardenit) for a visit and for renewal of Baptismal vows if desired.
    Day 8: After breakfast we will leave the hotel and take a cruise across the Sea of Galilee from Tiberias to Capharnaum. We shall first visit Capharnaum “The Town of Jesus” where He carried out the major part of His Ministry. Jesus told Peter and Andrew “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:1222), and here Jesus made the promise of the Eucharist (John 6:2271). We will visit the excavations and St. Peter’s Church before we continue to visit the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter (John 21:114) followed by Tabgha, the site where Christ fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish (John 6:113). Proceed to visit the Mount of Beatitudes which commemorates the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:112). We shall then view the site Magdala before we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. After dinner, enjoy a night show right on the lake of Galilee.
    Day 9: After breakfast drive to Cana of Galilee; here we will visit the Franciscan Church of the Wedding Feast. Enjoy a wine tasting in Cana (especially the pomegranate wine). Continue to Nazareth where the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to bear the Son of God (Luke 1:2638). It was also here that Jesus grew up. Visit the Basilica of the Annunciation. We shall also visit the Chapel of St. Joseph and the Old Synagogue which tradition holds that this simple building stands on the site of the synagogue of Jesus. Next visit the Church of St. Gabriel (Mary’s Well), which is built over the only freshwater spring in Nazareth. After lunch we will drive to Mount Tabor, the place where Jesus was transfigured. Ascend by taxis to the summit to visit the Basilica of Transfiguration, and to see the magnificent view across the plain of Jezreel.
    Day 10: Visit the City Haifa to Mount Carmel to visit the Mother Church of the Carmelite Order and Elijah’s Cave. Then off to see the amazing Acquaduct in Caesarea Maritima. We shall then proceed to Tiberia for dinner and possible over night (some flights require midnight departure in order to ensure arrival in USA on designated day).
Day 11: Back to USA from the Holy Land
Dates 2012:
    $3,999 11 Days
    Airfare included
Trip Information and Itinerary
Trip Registration for Fr. Michael Denk’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land