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Holy Land Pilgrimage
June 2013

Cana
 Travel to Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle at the
request of His mother (John 2:1-11). We renewed our
wedding vows in the Franciscan chapel.

Brant holy land pilgrimage june 2013

Mt. Precipice
 On the way to Nazareth, we stopped at Mt. Precipice which is
believed to be the steep hill from which the townspeople wanted
to throw Jesus down after he spoke at the synagogue. (Luke 4:
14-30).
 At the top of this mountain, you can see a fantastic view of
Nazareth to the North, Samaria, the Jordan valley, and Mount
Tabor, as well as other sights in the distance. Every such site
has a biblical story attached to it. Seeing these from the
perspective of the top of Mt. Precipice offered a great way to
appreciate the patterns of movement from North to South which
would be done regularly during the Jewish holy days. The
quickest way to get from Galilee to Jerusalem (about 100 miles)
was via Samaria — and this fact is plainly visible from the top of
the mountain — but this was seldom the route chosen because
of hostilities between the Jewish and Samaritan people.

Nazareth
 The old town of Nazareth was located underneath the current
site of the Church of the Annunciation. Nazareth, the site of
Joseph and Mary’s home and the town where Jesus played
as a child, learned a trade, and grew to manhood. We
celebrated Mass in the St. Joseph Church of the
Annunciation in Nazareth.
 Surrounding the church were a collection of mosaic paintings
of Mary gathered from countries around the world.

 For fun we had all the Mary’s and Joseph’s in our group
stand together at the Church of Annunciation

Peter’s Primacy
 Peter’s Primacy – After His resurrection Jesus met with His
disciples and told Peter to: ―feed my lambs; feed my sheep‖
(John 21:9)
 There was a small chapel right near the shore where we
prayed and sang and then we were invited to spend some
time there at the shore, reflecting on the sacred place we
were privileged to visit, touching the water or wading in
it. There was real beauty to be experienced and
savored, both in the place itself and the moments we had to
be there and appreciate it.

Capernaum
 Capernaum – Where Jesus began His Galilean ministry. We
saw the remains of the synagogue that Jesus taught in and
the Apostle Peter’s home. Inside St. Peter Memorial Church
which is constructed over the excavated ruins of Peter’s
house, there is a glass floor that looks down onto the ruins.

 The stone looking pots in this picture were surprising to us.
In the Bible it refers to the large stone jars that Jesus used to
turn water into wine. These large excavated stone pots are
what the ―jars‖ actually looked like.

Mount of Beatitudes
 Mass was in a garden on the grounds of the Mount of the
Beatitudes. Right before mass, we had the chance to tour
through a chapel built in the 1960’s with mosaic artwork and
unique architecture.

Tabgha – Church of the Loaves
and the Fishes
 This church commemorates where Jesus fed the crowd of
5,000.

 At lunch we went to a nearby restaurant which kept with the
theme of the loaves and fishes. It offered a full fish — deep-
fried, Peter-style. Laurie wants everyone to know that this
means every bit of the fish, including the tail and fins and
eyeballs, bones, lips. etc. was deep-fried and served up on a
plate. I opted for the filet instead. Laurie had chicken - no
pun intended.

Sea of Galilee
 We went on a boat ride on the sea of Galilee, which recalled
the various encounters of Our Lord with His disciples on and
around the body of water. It gave us a sense of what it was
like to be out on the sea for Jesus and the apostles in the first
century.
 The boat itself was a replica of one found in the 1980’s at the
bottom of the Sea of Galilee and believed to be actually from
the first century.

The River Jordan
 At the Jordan River we renewed our baptismal vows and had
the opportunity to put our feet in the water. It was fun to see
Father Brendan and Father Joe have a genuinely light-
hearted and fun time with this.
 The way it is set up is that there are successive
amphitheaters that have gated sections where groups go
to be baptized and watch the event. It was amusing to see
people not in our group cutting in line and asking our priests
to baptize them.

Mount Tabor
 Mt. Tabor was our last site in Galilee, the site of the
Transfiguration of Jesus before Peter, James, and
John. Jesus took his three top apostles up the mountain
and his face appeared as bright as the sun and his clothes
dazzling white together with Moses and Elijah. Our bus took
us only part way up the mountain where we had to stop to
take smaller vans to get to the top. (Luke 9:28-36)
 At the top, there was a beautiful church where we had
Mass. In the gospel story, Peter was so taken aback by what
he saw, that he didn’t know what to say and blurted out
something about building tents for each of them –
Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. I was surprised to find out that the
current church actually has a separate small chapel for
Moses and one for Elijah, so in a sense Peter actually got
what he asked for.

 This is where we celebrated Mass. Definitely the most
beautiful church I have ever been inside.

 These are the nuns who celebrated Mass before us at Mt.
Tabor (click on bottom of picture)

Church of John the Baptist
 Our first stop once in Jerusalem was at the Church of John
the Baptist, which contains the site believed to be where he
was born.

Church of the Visitation
 We then hiked up a steep, windy cobblestone path to stairs
which led to the church of the Visitation where Mary met her
cousin Elizabeth when she was six months pregnant. The
words Elizabeth spoke to Mary are form the first part of our
Catholic prayer known as the ―Hail Mary‖.

Saint Vincent Ain
Karem Home for
Children with
Special Needs
 On the way back down the
cobblestone path, we stopped at the
Saint Vincent Ain Karem Home for
Children with Special Needs. Run by
the Sisters of Charity, this place was
beyond what could be described in
words, other than to say it is the
single most vivid and clear place
where we have experienced Christ’s
work and presence on this trip. The
Sister who greeted us and showed
us the center was overflowing with
the love and compassion of Christ in
a way that came through
immediately, before we even got up
from our chairs to see the facility and
the children themselves. I won’t
attempt to describe the
children. Their needs are basic and
their plight is heavy. This was a
deeply moving experience for both of
us.

Bethlehem
 Today’s pilgrimage agenda brought us 8 miles south from
Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The first
place we visited was Shepherd’s Field, where it is believed
the shepherd’s would likely have been the night Christ was
born. The church was built over top of the cave where we
celebrated Mass. We sang Christmas carols about the
shepherd’s waiting. Afterwards, we entered the main chapel
and sang the Alleluia and the acoustics were beyond
beautiful!

Church of the Nativity
 In the afternoon we went to the Church of the Nativity. This is
the oldest church in the Holy Land and dates back to 610
AD. You can still see the faint markings of paintings of the
Saints on each of the pillars which date back to 1100
AD. This holy place is shared by three denominations: the
Greek Orthodox Church has control of the main altar; the
Roman Catholic Church has control of the birth place and
manger; the Armenian Church has control over a worship
space when you leave the birth place. The experience was
unbelievable. We entered through a stone pathway and an
extremely small doorway which surprisingly opened up into
the large main area of the Greek Church. Tons of ornamental
lanterns hung from the ceilings, and there was a huge
decorated altar.

Church of the Nativity (Continued)
 We stood in line to enter a cave below the altar. We traveled
down a number of marble steps and there beneath the altar
was the star which revealed to the earth where Jesus was
born. The feeling was indescribable. Tom and I held hands
and knelt together to touch this holy place. Across from this
area, and down a few steps was the manger which was fully
lit with candles. Our whole parish waited until everyone had
the same opportunity. Then, together we prayed and sang
Silent Night. It was extremely moving.

Chapel of St. Joseph and Chapel
of St. Jerome
 Located inside the Church of the Nativity are two chapels for
St. Joseph and St. Jerome. St. Jerome is known to be the
person who translated the Bible from Ariamaic and Greek to
Latin.

Upper Room
 We entered the walls of Jerusalem and walked through the
Zion Gate. The inner city is a maze of high walls and
buildings. We came upon a small metal door which was
opened by a Friar and were invited to celebrate Mass at the
church where the Upper Room was located. The Upper
Room was not only the place of the Last Super but also the
appearance of Jesus after the Resurrection to the
Apostles, including Tom’s favorite, doubting Thomas. The
Upper Room also was where the Holy Spirit came upon the
Apostles at Pentecost. This was a very moving Mass and at
the end of the service our Priests, Father Brendan and
Father Joe renewed their priestly vows.

King David’s Tomb
 Interestingly, holy places for the Jews still require men and
women to be separated and men had to cover their heads
with paper Yamakas.

Church of the Dormition
Click on photos

St. Peter in Galicantu (Crowing
Rooster)
 This is the place where Peter denied knowing Jesus for the third
time.
 This was also the place where Jesus was led up to the house of
Caiaphas, the high priest, who held Jesus in a pit/cave overnight
after interrogating him. We were led down a long path of stairs
to enter the pit area. While the pit is a clean and well lit place
now, it was very easy to imagine how dark, dirty and scary it
must have been for our Lord.
 As we ascended, out of the pit into the garden area of Caiaphas
house, we could see the original set of stairs, which are over
2,000 years old. Jesus took these very steps down from the
Upper Room to get to the Garden of Gethsemane and then was
led up the same steps after being arrested to get to the High
Priest’s palace.

Mount Olives and Patre Noster
Shrine
 Next we went to the Patre Noster Shrine which
commemorates the ―Our Father‖ in languages from around
the world.

Mount of Olives along the Palm
Sunday Path
 We then walked down the Mount of Olives along the Palm
Sunday path, stopping once at the Church of Dominus Flevit
which means ―The Lord Wept‖ and came to the bottom of the
path right at the Garden of Gethsemane. Along the
path, there was a panoramic view of Jerusalem which gave
us a wide perspective on Jesus’s movements during that last
week of his life.
 (Luke 19:41)

 Palm Sunday Walk
Click on photo

 When Jesus wept over Jerusalem this was what he saw.
From this vista point we could easily locate Antonia
Palace, Upper Room, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Garden of Gethsemane and the
Church of Agony
 This is the site where Jesus spent His last few moments
before He was taken to be crucified
 We arrived in the evening after dinner for a special
opportunity which was only afforded to our group. We had
some private time to sit and meditate in the garden during
twilight, right among the same olive trees that were there
2000 years ago. This was a deeply privileged and moving
time which continued as we entered the church for adoration
at the Church of Agony there at the Garden, which surrounds
the rock Jesus prayed at.

Via Dolorosa
 This morning we had to get up very early, at 5:00 am, to begin
our journey through the maze of walkways in old Jerusalem to
the Via Dolorosa. At the beginning of this path is Pilate’s
Fortress where Jesus was condemned to death. From
there, Jesus was forced to carry his own cross to
Golgotha, where he was to be crucified. We journeyed along
the same path. The walkways were made of uneven
cobblestones, periodic stairs and open market places and
shops.
 This is not unlike the experience Jesus had. Our group carried
a large cross that took up to six people to carry at a time through
the Via Dolorosa where we sang and observed the Stations of
the Cross. Talk about bringing a yearly event during the Easter
season to life! One could not help but think about Jesus’
suffering and how Mary must have felt knowing her son was
walking towards his death.

The Way of the Cross
Click on photos

Holy Sepulchre
 We ended our journey at the Holy Sepulchre, which is the
Basilica that was built surrounding the place of crucifixion
and the tomb. We had Mass at the closest physically
possible location to the place of crucifixion inside the Roman
sanctuary which is where he was nailed to the cross.

 Less than 250 feet away, was the tomb that held Jesus’
body. We were allowed to go through both rooms of the
cave, four at a time and say a quick prayer. As a side
note, Tom and I carried a photo of Jessica throughout our
journey in the Holy Land and placed it upon the place of
Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. We held hands and said
a prayer of healing and comfort for our sweet, little girl.

 Interesting fact:
 The Church is shared by six different dominations, Roman
Catholic, Greek
Orthodox, Assyrian, Armenian, Ethiopian, and Coptic. The
division of these factions is great. For example, the Roman
Catholics control the entrance to the tomb from 8-10:00 am
and then the Greek Orthodoxes take over from 10:00-noon
and so on. Another example is that on the outside of the
church, way up high, is a ladder. This ladder is leaning
against the building on a landing going towards a
window. This ladder has been in this location since
1886. The problem? The ladder is located between two
governing areas of the church i.e. one leg is on the Roman
Catholic side and the other on the Armenian side – thereby
not allowing either side to remove the ladder!

 After leaving the Basilica, we took a group picture and this
marked the highlight and pinnacle of the pilgrimage.

Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
 Before ending the day’s formal events, we visited the
Western Wall (Wailing Wall) and were given the opportunity
to offer personal prayers. This is done at the wall, with men
divided from women. The wall is the only remaining piece of
the Temple which was destroyed in 70AD.

Church of Saint Martha, Mary and
Lazarus
 Today, we went to the Church at the home of
Lazarus, Martha and Mary, and celebrated Mass. The
gardens surrounding the church were very lush and
beautiful. The acoustics in the church were great for hymns
but for some made it hard to hear the liturgy. This is another
church built by Antonio Berlucci last century. There were
frescoes depicting the visit Jesus made to Lazarus’ house
with Martha and Mary, and the raising of Lazarus. After
Mass, those who wished to see the tomb of Lazarus were
able to actually go down into it briefly.

Qumran and Dead Sea Scrolls
 After lunch, we visited Qumran to hear about the Dead Sea
scrolls. It was scorching hot. Less than half an hour from
Jerusalem, this is smack dab in the middle of the desert and
it was 104◦ F. It was hard to believe that anyone would
choose to live in such an environment, but the Essenes
did. In 1947, a shepherd accidentally found the cisterns
which contained the scrolls – a truly remarkable find which
contained fragments from each of the Old Testament books
(except Esther) and many other documents.

Dead Sea
 The Dead Sea marks the lowest point on the planet. The water
is so salty that no living thing can survive. Ok, Tom is making
this sound boring! The Dead Sea was super fun! We walked
through a rocky, muddy shore out into the water. Yes, I even
went in! There were warning signs everywhere saying you
could only float on your back and not to submerge your
head, accidently swallow water or get the water into your
eyes. If you did you need to seek medical attention
immediately. They were not kidding; the life guard continually
called out to warn people. Tom and I got into the water and got
about out to our knees. Being as cautious as we are, we
immediately sat down and our legs shot out from underneath us
and we began to float. It was the weirdest thing. You could
barely bring your legs back underneath you! Father Brendan
had a group of us floating at the same time and decided that it
would be fun to do synchronized swimming by sticking our legs
all up in the air at the same time – right then left - Super fun and
light hearted!

Jericho
 Our last visit of the day was a drive through Jericho. We
stopped at place that was thought to be the area where the
Sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed was located. I was a
bit bummed that we didn’t get a chance to get out of the bus
for my picture since Zacchaeus has been one of favorite
people in the Bible. Why? I cannot tell you but I remember
the song well and actually sang it for the whole bus!

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
a wee little man was he;
He climbed up in the Sycamore tree
for the Lord he wanted to see .
And Jesus said ―Zacchaeus, you come down!‖
For I am going to your house today;
I am going to your house today

Emmaus
 The final stop of the pilgrimage portion of our trip was in
Emmaus, where we stopped at a monastery and
church. Emmaus is at the end of the road along which the
risen Christ was encountered, but not immediately
identified, by two disciples within a week after the
resurrection. It was in the breaking of the bread that they
recognized Jesus.
 Father Brendan’s words at the church added a poignant and
powerful punctuation to our spiritual journey during our
pilgrimage. He left us with words to remember about Christ
meeting the two disciples right where they were and the
importance for us to do the same as we share the
recollections and lessons from our journey with our friends
and acquaintances back home.

 A particular painting, in the church which was clearly aging
and in need of restoration, caught my attention as the image
of Christ was clearly obscured, offering a visible metaphor for
the two disciples’ lack of recognition on the Emmaus road.

 Our hotel view and food in Galilee

Israeli/Palestinian
 The history that our tour guide, Johnny, gave us explained in ways that
we could relate to about the factors that led to and are going on
between Israel and the Palestinian state. In order to complete this
journey, we had to drive in and out of the West Bank, through
checkpoints, and into the region where you can actually see a massive
wall erected by the Israeli government which is reminiscent of pictures
we’ve seen of the Berlin wall. These walls surround Palestinian areas
that have been known for their anti-Israeli actions and the holy city of
Bethlehem falls under this category.
 Our guide described it as ―Swiss Cheese.‖ Israel has declared the West
Bank as Israeli territory and therefore currently has control of this
recognized Palestinian area. Due to the walls, the Israeli government
completely controls who can leave the area. Many students have not
been granted permission to continue to attend school in the nearby city
of Jerusalem. Also, Jerusalem is the location of medical services for
which these people also have to ask permission from the government to
exit Bethlehem.
 I think we were all intrigued as we crossed over into the West Bank and
into Bethlehem this morning; however, there was a lot more tension this
evening as we returned and had to cross over the border. The Israeli
soldiers entered our bus with automatic weapons checking for
Bethlehem citizens.

 Sadly, this situation has caused many of the Christian
families to flee the Holy Land of Bethlehem. There is no
industry for these people and we were strongly encouraged
not to buy souvenirs from the Arab people.

 The Israeli police are abundant and well armed.

 Common signage outside of Holy places

Mediterranean Sea
 Port of Joppa, city of Jaffa our last night before heading
home. Must return to the Mediterranean Sea!

 Families sitting next to the walls surrounding Jerusalem

 The Muslim entrance into Jerusalem

 The Friar in-charge of the Garden of Gethsemane

Topography of Israel
Click photos

Laurie’s quirks –
Doors, Gates and Plants
of Israel

Thank you for sharing in our
pilgrimage to the Holy Land!

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Brant holy land pilgrimage june 2013

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Brant holy land pilgrimage june 2013