Blog

Today is always a favorite for a lot of our pilgrims. At 8 o’clock we drive through the “security fence“ into Bethlehem. It’s really not a fence, but a 30 foot wall. Israel built that wall to protect themselves from terrorists who came into Jerusalem from Bethlehem — and since they built the wall, the terrorism attacks with bombs have stopped. It’s been over 10 years. We arrive at the olivewood store where people love

Today was the big move from our hotel in Tiberias to Jerusalem. We started the day getting everything loaded up on the bus and we headed to Capernaum for Mass at the House of St. Peter. Very unique glass floor looking down into the area where Jesus lived for three years with Peter. I gave my talk “Defending the Eucharist“. We took a boat ride out on the sea of Galilee, which is a favorite

Busy day today in northern Israel and around the Sea of Galilee. Beatitudes for Mass, up to Caesarea Philippi where I give my talk in titled “Peter: the Rock, the Keys and the Chair.“ Druze Bread Sandwiches in the Golan Heights, then overlooking the border with Syria, explaining the situation here in the Middle East, then down to the Sea of Galilee for the Primacy of Peter and the Multiplication of loaves at Tabgha. Some

Mount Tabor rises 1900 feet above the Jezreel Valley below. It has a unique hump of a mountain rising up in the plain. On Many times people had asked me how long it would take Jesus and the disciples to get to the top. So back on ways, I drove over to the mountain, parked at the base, and I scrambled straight up to the top through the trees and over rocks. It took me

One thing that’s always exciting about a pilgrimage is when you see families come with their youngsters. These young folks are so profoundly impacted by the gospel as it’s presented in the land where it actually happened. We had a wonderful start, everybody’s accounted for, no lost luggage, and we had a great Mass and dinner on the shore of Galilee.

It has been a great pilgrimage, and it finally has come to an end, though it seem to go very fast. I had a few people wanted to share their comments and thoughts on the trips and their farewells.