2010 October 22-31, Holy Land Pilgrimage

Pilgrim Photo Albums

Shanon Caruso’s Picasa Album, featuring “Flat Stanley”.

Pilgrim, Nancy Freeman’s Article published in the Ave Herald Newspaper

Chuck & Tiffany Drollinger’ PowerPoint Presentation of the trip Download HERE (or view as a google doc here)

Pilgrimage Day 1: Arrival and Mass at St. Peter’s

All the pilgrims arrived safely. Great group. Half are at Ron Beach and half are at Scots Hotel. Mass at St. Peter’s on the shore of Galilee. All is well and everything is going great.

Tomorrow the Mount of Transfiguration, Cana for renewal of wedding vows and Mass at the Grotto of Annunciation in Nazareth.

Pilgrimage Day 2: Transfiguration, Cana, Lunch, Primacy & Beatitudes

Pilgrimage Day 3, Parts I and II

Part I: Visiting both hotels, going to Tabgha for the Multiplication of Loaves and fish. Then a drive to the Lebanese border to visit Banias which is Caesarea Philippi in the New Testament where Jesus renamed Simon giving him the name Peter (Rock). Then to lunch at the Druze Restaurant and driving back through the Golan Heights to Nazareth.

Part II: Nazareth, Mass at the Grotto of Annunciation, dinner at Auberge Shulamit.

Pilgrimage Day Four: Boat ride, Capernaum, Fish for Lunch, Up to Jerusalem

All Day in Bethlehem & Hebron

Day 6: Incredible Mass at the Tomb of Christ!

The wake up call came at 4:30 AM. Argh! “You will thank me later,” I told the pilgrims. We left the hotels at 5:00 AM to walk the Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross).

After walking the Way of Sorrows we quickly toured the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before settling into the benches set up for us and Mass began with pipe organ and singing Franciscans.

Everyone was moved by the Mass! You can enjoy a bit of it on my video. Then we had a group picture and then breakfast with two hours free to regroup or nap.

We took off again for Bethesda and St. Ann’s Church, before arriving at the Western Wall for the morning of Bar Mitzpah’s. Everyone then had the afternoon off to scatter through the Old City. Most went back to the Holy Sepulchre to enter the tomb and to touch the top of Calvary.

We ended the day with a marvelous tour of the Notre Dame Holy Shroud Exhibit before dinner.

Day 7: Mount of Olives & Mount Zion

Part I

Part II

Masada, Qumran, Jericho, Dead Sea & Camels; Good-byes too!

All went well and the group is safely on their way home. The only problems are with internet and filters which is giving me a lot of grief trying to get the last two videos up. I will get them soon. Sorry.

Part I
Masada, Qumran, floating in the Dead Sea, lunch and biblical sites in Jericho, riding camels.