HOLY LAND - FR. JOHN HOPKINS, L.C.

November 11 – Saturday: – Los Angeles, CA – Tel Aviv, Israel

Depart from Los Angeles International Airport, Turkish Airlines Flight No. 10 at 19:25 pm.

November 12 – Sunday: Tel Aviv – Magdala Center

Arrives in Istanbul at 18:35 pm, connecting flight Turkish flight No. 864 at 19:25 pm, arriving into Tel Aviv at 19:25 pm. 

Meet our private bus and tour guide to travel directly to Magdala Center. Dinner and overnight at Magdala Center.

November 13 – Monday: Nazareth

Following breakfast, we visit the church of the Annunciation and the church of St Joseph, which tradition finds it with the workshop of Joseph and the house of the Holy family. We will continue with a visit of the Church of the Incarnation, viewing at Grotto the remains of the house of the Blessed Virgin where the Angel appeared and announced the good news. Following Pilgrims path, we visit Mary is well, where often the Virgin Mary would have walked to draw water from the spring. Vigil at the Basilica of the Annunciation. Dinner and overnight in Magdala Center.

November 14 – Tuesday: Cana in Galilee – Haifa – Mount Tabor

After breakfast, we will travel to Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed the miracle of transforming water into wine. Couples will have the opportunity to take part in a ceremony to renew their wedding vows. After Cana, we will travel to the beautiful city of Haifa to visit Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal, and where the Church of "Stella Maris" holds the Scapulary of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. In the afternoon, we drive to the site of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor. Celebrate Mass at the Basilica of the Transfiguration. Dinner and overnight in Haifa.

November 15 –Wednesday: The Ministry of Christ in Galilee 

Breakfast and then visit the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus proclaimed His great Sermon on the Mount. Nearby is Tabgha, where Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 people from five loaves of bread and two fish. We will also visit St. Peter’s Primacy where Jesus bestowed church leadership upon Peter. We will visit the birthplace of Mary Magdalene in Magdala, and Capernaum, the launching place of Jesus’ ministry. In Capernaum, we will visit the Synagogue where Jesus taught and gave His sermon on the Bread of Life. After lunch, we will have the opportunity to view the remains of a boat that dates to the time of Jesus, found on the shores of the lake at the height of the ancient city of Magdala. At dusk, we will take a boat ride on the Sea of ​​Galilee and celebrate Mass at sunset. Dinner and overnight in Haifa. 

Nomvember 16 – Thursday: Bethlehem – Ein Karem - Jerusalem

After breakfast, travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. We will view the Shepherd’s Fields, where the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus, and tour the Manger Square, which stands in front of the Church of the Nativity, and continue down to the Grotto of the Nativity, which marks the spot of Our Savior’s birth. We will celebrate Mass in this Sacred space.

In the afternoon, we travel to the nearby town of Ein Karem, the birthplace of St. John the Baptist. There are two churches in Ein Karem, the two homes of Zechariah and Elizabeth. The first is in a valley, the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The second is on a hill where Elizabeth spent five months in seclusion at the Church of the Visitation, a reminder of the place where Mary came to visit Elizabeth and proclaimed the "Magnificat”. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. 

November 17 – Friday: Introduction to Jerusalem

After breakfast, travel to the Mount of Olives to take in the beautiful, panoramic view of Jerusalem. Historically, the Mount of Olives was a mandatory transit point for Jesus during iconic moments. Visit the Pater Noster Shrine where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer. Stop at Dominus Flevit, which is a Church that commemorates where Jesus wept for Jerusalem. Continue to Gethsemane, a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Jesus brought His disciples here to pray the night before He was crucified. The Garden still holds trees with roots that date back to the time of Jesus. Next, we will stop at the Church of All Nations, built over the “Rock of Agony”. This is where Jesus prayed alone on the night of His arrest. Throughout this time, pilgrims are invited to remain in prayer and to reflect on Christ’s agony that He experienced. Next, we will visit the Upper Room on Mount Zion where Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Last Supper and where Jesus appeared to His disciples after His Death and Resurrection. In addition, we will visit the nearby Benedictine Church of the Dormition. Tradition tells us that this Church is where Mary, the mother of Jesus, “fell asleep.”  We will also visit the Church of St. Peter in Galli Cantu, which commemorates where Saint Peter denies Jesus three times. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. 

November 18 – Saturday: Jerusalem – The last hours of the Passion of Jesus 

Rise early for early Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Return to the hotel to eat breakfast and begin a tour of the ancient city of Jerusalem, including a visit to the Western Wall. Continue with a visit to the Church of St. Anne, the home of Jesus’ maternal grandparents (Anne and Joachim), and the pool of Bethesda, where Jesus cured the crippled man. Begin the Via Dolorosa at the Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. Walk the Via Dolorosa through the narrow streets and markets of the Old City, stopping to pray at the Stations of the Cross. Visit to Calvary and the empty Tomb of Our Lord. Free time for prayer and accompanying Mary at night in the Holy Sepulcher. Night Vigil optional. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

November 19 – Sunday: The desert – Bethany – Qumran – Jordan river – Dead Sea 

After breakfast, we will travel to Jesus’ baptismal site on the Jordan River where we will have the opportunity to renew our baptismal vows. After time at the Jordan River, we will make our way to Bethany to visit the Tomb of Lazarus, the site where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead; celebrate Mass here. Continue south to the oldest inhabited city in the world, Jericho; view the Mount of Temptation, where the Devil tempted Jesus. Travel down the Jordan Valley to Qumran. Qumran was built up of 2,000-year-old ruins from the days of the Second Temple and the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Time and weather allowing, we will have the opportunity to take a float in the Dead Sea, the lowest spot-on earth. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

November 20 – Monday: Jerusalem 

After breakfast, Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Free afternoon to walk in the old city of Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

November 21 – Tuesday: Jerusalem – Tel Aviv – Los Angeles, CA

Transportation to Tel Aviv international airport. Turkish airlines flight No. 811 at 5:05 am– connecting flight in Istanbul, Turkish Flight No. 09 at 13:50 pm, arriving at Los Angeles, CA at 16:45 pm.

• Based on a minimum of 30 people 
• Double/triple room 
• Single room supplement $425.00 

• Flights from LAX to Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv to LAX
• 3 meals in Israel
• English speaking tour guides (radios included)
• Entrance fees. (radios included)
• Private bus
• City taxes
• Tips 

• Personal expenses
• Travel insurance
• Alcohol drinks 

We recommend that you first check with your insurance company if they can offer you some type of travel insurance. Otherwise there are diferents options: Triple AAA, Insured my trip, Travel Guard, etc

In the Holy Land the USD dollar can be used.