Safieh Tours & travel Agency Established 1963 In the Footsteps of Jesus Tracing the way of Blessed Fra Gerard, Founder of the Order of Malta Pilgrimage to the Holy Land from the 19th until the 27th of January 2019 You are in for a tremendous journey. You will never be the same! Tour Leader and Organizer Ambassador Michele Bowe Pilgrimage Chaplain, Rev. Msgr. Richard Cramblitt, Conventual Chaplain, Federal Association $1900 per pilgrim $400 single room supplement Airfare & Insurance to be booked separately Day 1 - Saturday, 19 th of January 2019 11:05 PM Depart on United Airlines Flight #90 from Newark, NJ to Tel Aviv Day 2 - Sunday, 20 th of January 2019 Arrival to Tiberias. Check in to Pilgerhaus. Welcome Dinner. Sunday Mass. Day 3 - Monday, 21 st of January 2019 MOUNT OF BEATITUDES TABGHA CAPERNAUM BOAT RIDE MT. TABOR MORNING: After breakfast we start our journey to the northern area of the Sea of Galilee where some of the most important Holy Places are located. Visit Tabgha, the site of the multiplication, drive to Capernaum, the town in which Jesus started to preach the Good News. Visit the house of Peter and the synagogue from the first century, then drive to Mount Beatitudes where Jesus gave the famous Sermon on the Mount and end the morning with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Lunch at Tanoureen.
AFTERNOON: Drive to Mount Tabor and visit the Basilica of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. Celebrate mass in the Basilica. Drive back to the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight at the Pilgerhaus. Day 4 - Tuesday, 22 nd of January 2019 CANA NAZARETH - HAIFA MORNING: After Breakfast and checkout from Pilgerhaus, drive to Kafr Kanna, where Jesus started his public ministry. Here couples can renew their matrimonial vows. Continue to Nazareth and visit the Basilica of the Annunciation (Angelus at the Basilica). Free lunch in Nazareth. AFTERNOON: Visit the Church of St. Joseph, then leave for Haifa, the port city of the North on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Arriving to the top of Mount Carmel we will have an outside view on the Baha i Gardens. We then reach the Carmelite Monastery of Stella Maris; this is the cradle of the Order of the Carmelites where we will check in at the guest house for the night and celebrate mass at Stella Maris. Dinner at Calamari s restaurant with a view of Haifa Bay. Day 5 - Wednesday, 23 rd of January 2019 ACRE (AKKO) MORNING: After breakfast checkout from Stella Maris and drive 22 kilometers to the North of Haifa to arrive at Acre, the best natural harbor on the coast of the Holy Land. Tour the site of one of the Order of Malta s first hospitals. Free lunch in Akko. AFTERNOON: After lunch drive along the Mediterranean, passing through Caesarea. Continue to Bethlehem and check in for the night at St. Vincent Guest House. Celebrate mass at the Sister s Chapel. Dinner in Bethlehem near St. Vincent at Arabesque restaurant. Back to St. Vincent. Day 6 - Thursday, 24 th of January 2019 BEIT SAHOUR BETHLEHEM - JERICHO MORNING: We start with a visit to the Church at the Shepherds Field in Beit Sahour to celebrate mass. After mass we will have one hour for shopping in one of the souvenir shops in front of the Shepherd Field, then we drive to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem to visit the Birthplace of Our Lord Jesus. We visit the Grotto of the Nativity and St. Jerome s Grotto where he translated the Bible from Hebrew into Latin, a translation called the Vulgate. Lunch at a local falafel restaurant. AFTERNOON: Drive to Jericho visit the Baptismal site and continue on to the city of Jericho. View the Qarantal Monastery (Mount of Temptation), the traditional site where Jesus was tempted by the devil. Pass by
an old Sycamore Tree, a reminder of the story of Zacchaeus conversion. Drive back to Bethlehem and join the annual thank you reception for Holy Family Hospital staff. Dinner at Limoncello and back to St. Vincent. Day 7 - Friday, 25 th of January 2019 EIN KAREM ABOU GHOSH MORNING: Visit Holy Family Hospital, then travel to Ein Karem, the town of St. John the Baptist, Patron Saint of the Order of Malta. Visit the Church of St. John and continue on foot to the Church of the Visitation commemorating the visit of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth and her joyous song of the Magnificat. Mass at St. John in the Mountains Church. Lunch at the St. Joseph convent in Kiryat Yearim near Abou Gosh. Kiryat Yearim sits along the road leading to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem The Ark of the Covenant passed through here before arriving definitively in Jerusalem, according to the Old Testament. The convent of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant, built in 1924 on an ancient Christian area, reminds us of this event. AFTERNOON: Visit Abou Ghosh, ancient church of the Order of Malta, then drive back to Bethlehem to visit Aida Camp and meet with Dr. Abed Al Fatah abou Srour. Dinner at Palace Casanova. Day 8 - Saturday, 26 th of January 2019 MOUNT OF OLIVES - GALLICANTU MORNING: Drive to the Mount of Olives which reminds us of many important events in the life of Jesus Christ. We start by visiting the Church and Monastery of the Pater Noster, which is built on the site where Jesus taught his disciples the Prayer of Our Father. While descending the slope of the Mount we stop at the Dominus Flevit, the site of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Further down visit the Basilica of the Agony of Jesus which is built close to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus agonized in prayer prior to His betrayal. Lunch at La Maison d Abraham. https://hcef.org/790799800-a-new-beginning-for-maison-dabraham-a-house-of-the-poor-in-the-holy-city/ AFTERNOON: After lunch drive to St. Peter in Gallicantu, the site where the trial of Jesus took place and the site of the Grand Priest s house where the cock crowed thrice as Peter denied Jesus. Then on to Mount Zion, visit the Dormition Abbey commemorating the passing away of the Virgin Mary. Visit the Upper Room or the Cenacle, the hall of the last Supper and the site where Jesus celebrated his last Passover. Celebrate mass at the Franciscan Chapel. Drive back to Bethlehem.
Farewell dinner in Bethlehem or Beit Sahour (will decide later depending on best available). Day 9 - Sunday, 27 th of January 2019 VIA DOLOROSA THE BASILICA OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER MORNING: After breakfast checkout from guest house and drive to Jerusalem. Visit the Church of St. Anne and the Pools of Bethesda where Jesus healed the paralytic on a Sabbath. We continue to the Franciscan Compound where we visit the Church of the Flagellation and Condemnation and visit the museum. We walk along the Via Dolorosa visiting the Stations of the Cross and ending by the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, which enshrines the Tomb of Jesus and the site of crucifixion. Visit the Muristan, the site where the Order of Malta was founded. Free lunch in Jerusalem old city cafés around the Muristan area. AFTERNOON: Drive to Jaffa and visit the Church of St. Peter. Early dinner in Jaffa, then on to the Tel Aviv Airport for departure flight. 11:10 PM Depart on United Airlines Flight #91 from to Tel Aviv to Newark, NJ. Day 10 - Monday, 28 th of January 2019 Arrival in Newark, NJ at 4:30 AM. What an opportunity to experience Christ and the Bible! Reading the Bible will never be the same again. Passport and Travel Documents A valid passport is required for international travel. All passports must be valid for at least six (6) months after the return date or you can be denied boarding at the airport. It is a good idea to make copies of important documents in case of loss. The most important pages of your passport and any credit cards you take with you should be copied and kept separately. Carry a duplicate with you and leave one copy with someone at home along with a copy of the hotel accommodation information. Included in the price: - Breakfast, Lunches, and Dinners as per the program - Transportation by air-conditioned motor coach. Free Wi-Fi on motor coach - Assistance of a professional local Christian guide - Sightseeing and admissions fees as per itinerary - Headphones for the entire duration of the trip - Luggage handling, tips to hotel staff, restaurants Not Included: - Airfare from USA
- Travel insurance, drinks - Personal donations for churches or speakers - If not arriving or departing with the group transfers from airport to join group