Celebrate Mass While on Catholic Bible Tours
Mass celebrations will be included throughout trip according to the group organizer’s (priest/deacon) preferences. The following locations are available for mass.
GALILEE:
- Tabgha: Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish
- St. Peter’s House, Capernaum
- Heptapegon: Primacy of Peter
- Mount of the Beatitudes
- Mount Tabor
- Nazareth
JUDEA / JERUSALEM:
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Calvary (First Mass in Jerusalem, if possible)
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Tomb of Christ
- Bethlehem – Church of the Nativity
- Church of All Nations
- Shepherds’ Field
- Cenacle (At church adjacent to Cenacle)
Visit the Holy City during Bible Tours
Once we arrive in Tel Aviv, we will meet our tour guide who will assist us during our entire Catholic Tour of Israel. Then we will visit Jaffa, the ancient port city on the Mediterranean Sea, St. Peter’s Church, Simon the Tanner’s House (Acts 10:6) and the port of Jaffa where we will have a magnificent view of the nearby city of Tel Aviv. Next, we will drive up to the Holy City of Jerusalem. After breakfast the following day, we celebrate Sunday Mass. Then we drive to the Mt. of Olives for the spectacular view of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. After visiting the place of the Ascension and the Church of Pater Noster (Acts 1:9), we walk down the hill to Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). From there we move on to the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32) and the Church of All Nations. Next, we visit the Church of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. We will see the Kidron Valley and the Tombs of Absalom, Zachariah and James. In the afternoon, we drive to nearby Bethlehem of Judea (The House of Bread), birthplace of Jesus (Matthew 2:1). Then we visit the Church of the Nativity. Afterwards, we will see the Milk Grotto and the Cave of St. Jerome, where the 3rd century monk translated the Bible into Latin (Latin Vulgate). Also, we will visit the Shepherds’ Field, where the Angel proclaimed the Good News: “Jesus is born” (Luke 2:8).
The following day we enter the Old City through the Dung Gate to visit the Western Wailing Wall, the only remaining ruins for the Jewish People after the destruction of the Second Temple. Then we ascend and enter the Temple Mount to see the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque, which is the third Holiest Site for the Moslems. We continue on to the Pool of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church. We walk to the Antonia Fortress to start the Via Dolorosa, walking the 14 Stations of the Cross, ending at the Holy Sepulcher Church. We continue on to Mount Zion, to the Church of the Dormition, the Room of the Last Supper (Luke 22:17), and King David’s Tomb. We then visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, (The Cock Crows-Mark 14:30).
Explore Ancient Ruins and Caves
Today we enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then cross the Judean desert driving by bus to get to the Dead Sea region (the lowest point on earth). Our first stop will be at The Fortress of Masada. There we will ascend by a cable car to the top for the magnificent view of the desert. We will see the ruins of the fortress built by King Herod the Great, and we will hear the story of the Zealots who made their last stand against the Romans. Then we drive north to visit the Qumran Caves (Dead Sea Scrolls). We will then head back for our visit to Jericho, the oldest city in the world and view the Mount of Temptation, the Sycamore Tree and Tel Jericho. On our way back to Jerusalem, we will stop at Bethany to visit St. Lazarus Church built over the house of Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha (John 11:43). While on our Catholic Tour of Israel, we will also travel to Ein Karem to visit the Church of the Visitation and celebrate Communion Service (Magnificate-Luke 1:41). Then we go on to the birthplace of St. John the Baptist. We visit the Israel Museum, see the Shrine of the Book and the Model City of Ancient Jerusalem as it was in the Lord’s day. We include a stop at Emmaus where Jesus appeared to his followers, following his Resurrection (Luke 24:30-31).
Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus and the Disciples
We depart Jerusalem and head to Caesarea Maritima, where St. Peter baptized Cornelius (Acts 10:24). Then we visit the Roman Theater, the aqueduct, and Herodian Port. Next, we continue to Mt. Carmel, overlooking the city of Haifa and Stella Maris Monastery, which was built over the site where the prophet Elijah confronted the priests of Baal and where you can see the beautiful statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We will celebrate Communion Service, and then continue on to Acre to visit the Crusaders Halls & the Underground City. Once arriving in the Galilee area, we sail on the Sea of Galilee from Tiberias to Kibbutz Ginossar and visit the site of recently discovered 2,000-year-old boat. We drive on to the village of Capernaum and visit the ruins of St. Peter’s House where Jesus stayed while he was preaching in the local synagogue (Mark 1:29-34). Then we visit the fourth century synagogue and proceed to Tabgha. Here we will visit the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy where Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection. We then visit Yardenit, the traditional baptismal site on the Jordan River. Next, we visit the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (Mark 6:44). We proceed to the Mt. of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. There we will celebrate Communion (Matthew 5:1). We continue on to the ancient town of Magdala (home of St. Mary Magdalene) to view the recent excavations (conditions permitting).
On the last full day of our Catholic Tour of Israel, we begin in Cana, site of Jesus’ first miracle, and celebrate Communion (John 2:1). We then visit Nazareth, the boyhood town of Jesus, the Church of Annunciation (Luke 1:46), the Church of Mary’s Well, and the House of St. Joseph. Next, we travel via the Valley of Armageddon to see the excavation at Tel Megiddo. We then proceed to Mt. Tabor to site of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2). Prior to transferring to the airport for our late evening flight home, we will ascend the mountain to the Church of the Transfiguration before heading south to Tel Aviv for our Farewell Dinner.