13 SAINT VINCENT’S HOSPITAL DAYS Teaching & Healing Ministry of Jesus WITH OPTIONAL WONDERS OF PETRA EXTENSION Watch the Gospels come alive on this most authentic faith journey live on location in the Holy Land of Israel. Take the chronological road of Jesus’ life from Bethlehem to Nazareth and Galilee to Jerusalem as we prepare for a powerful encounter into the heart of His passion. 10 Nights / 13 Days Fri 24 Apr – Wed 6 May 2020 Accompanied by: Dead Sea (1) / Mt Nebo / Bethlehem (2) / Nazareth / Cana / Sea Fr Darryl Mackie of Galilee (3) / Mt Tabor / Mt Carmel / Haifa / Masada / Jericho / Jerusalem (4) Post Pilgrimage Option: Wonders of Petra – 2 Nights Ruins of the great synagogue, Capernaum Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem (B) = Breakfast (L) = Lunch (D) = Dinner = Time Out - Planned site for extended opportunity for prayer & reflection DAY 1: FRIDAY 24TH APRIL 2020 - DEPART within the grounds. To cap off our visit, the passage in Isaiah 61 “The Spirit of the Lord is AUSTRALIA students from the Hotel Management Institute upon me”... will prepare and host a special home cooked Travel on to the village of Cana this DAY 2: SATURDAY 25TH APRIL - ARRIVE meal for lunch. afternoon where Jesus, at the request of AMMAN – DEAD SEA (D) Continue to Shepherd’s Field to celebrate our His Mother, performed his first miracle Arrive today into Jordan’s capital Amman. liturgy in a local cave to commemorate the transforming the water into wine at the Travel by coach west to ascend Biblical Mt appearance of the angels to the shepherds on wedding feast (Jn 2:1-11). Here, married Nebo for our inaugural group Mass. Here, at that first Christmas night (Lk 2:8–16). couples may take the opportunity to renew the site where the Old Testament opened its Our day will culminate at the Church of the their wedding vows, and single and widowed door to the land of the New, Moses looked Nativity, the oldest complete church in the pilgrims will receive a special blessing. over into the Promised Land and blessed Christian world (6th century) and birthplace of Joshua who was to lead the Israelites under Journey east to Tiberias on the shores of Lake Jesus. Bow low and enter the grotto through God’s protection (Joshua 1:6-9). It has been Galilee … “Go to Galilee and you will find him the Door of Humility as we descend to the Holy possible for archaeologists to identify this there” (Mt 28:7). Manger where a silver star in the floor marks sanctuary, thanks to the records left by two Sea of Galilee overnight the actual spot where Jesus was born. The pilgrim-visitors of the 4th & 5th centuries of star’s inscription reads in Latin: Hic de Virgine DAY 6: WEDNESDAY 29TH APRIL - SEA OF their travels in this region. Maria Jesus Christus Natus Est (Here of the Virgin GALILEE (BLD) We continue to our hotel on the shores of the Mary Jesus Christ was born). Finally we come Theme: The Public Ministry of Jesus Dead Sea. Here we will unwind and take the to St Jerome’s Cave where in 386 AD the saint Arise and set out on a spectacular day of optional opportunity to float in the salty waters spent 30 years translating the scriptures from pilgrimage as we set off toCapernaum , the said to have healing qualities. The experience Hebrew into Greek and Latin producing the once fishing village of the first apostles Peter, is quite uplifting!! first vernacular version of the Bible! Andrew, James & John which also became the Dead Sea overnight We will then visit the Milk Grotto, under the home town of Jesus and the scene of many of custody of the Franciscans in the Holy Land. DAY 3: SUNDAY 26TH APRIL - DEAD his miracles. Here he worshipped and taught in The legend recalls how Mary spilt some milk SEA / BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN / the synagogue where he promised the Eucharist while breast feeding baby Jesus in the cave BETHLEHEM (BD) by saying: ‘I am the bread of life … unless you and this is the reason for the “white” stone of eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his We make a visit to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the cave. Tradition also tells us that this site is blood, you have no life in you’ (John 6:48-53). one of the most recent archaeological and the burial place of the innocent victims killed Continue on to Nof Ginosar Kibbutz, within religious discoveries. The five springs here form by Herod the Great after the birth of Jesus. a tributary of the Jordan River, believed to be which is preserved the 1st century ‘Jesus boat’ the Baptismal site of Jesus by John the Baptist. Bethlehem overnight painstakingly raised and restored from the Here we will celebrate Mass and have the DAY 5: TUESDAY 28TH APRIL - VIA muddy lakebed in 1986. opportunity to renew our baptismal promises. NAZARETH TO THE SEA OF GALILEE (BLD) Set off from here on a traditional sailing vessel We then cross the border into the Holy Land of Theme: The Formative Years of Jesus for a spectacular Harvest highlight – a Private Israel known as the land of the “fifth Gospel”. boat ride on Lake Galilee. Here we will float in We farewell Bethlehem this morning and Continue to Bethlehem, the City of David. quiet tranquillity and reflect upon the miracles journey directly north to Nazareth, the town of Jesus calming the storm and appearing to the Bethlehem overnight of Jesus’ childhood. Firstly come to nearby apostles walking on this very water. Nazareth Village, an authentic non-profit DAY 4: MONDAY 27TH APRIL - BETHLEHEM & re-creation of the village life of Nazareth as in Continue back to the shore to enjoy SURROUNDS (BLD) the days of Jesus. Here we will take a parable- a traditional ‘St Peter’s fish’ lunch to Theme: The Birth of Jesus rich walk back in time along the path which commemorate our Galilee experience. We firstly travel out toEin Karem, the brings to life the environment and atmosphere Journey north around the lake to remember birthplace of St John the Baptist and Church of which shaped Jesus’ early years and ministry. the Galilean cities of Bethsaida and Korazim the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth “Why should Complete our memorable visit with a cursed by Jesus. These two cities along with I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my fascinating first-century meal in a stone- Capernaum became known as the ‘evangelical Lord?” (Lk 1:43). Pilgrims may choose to pray dining area typical of the days of Christ. triangle’ because most of Jesus’ teachings and a mystery of the Rosary here as we walk up to Back in Nazareth township, enter inside miracles occurred there. In Korazim we will this church dedicated to ‘The Magnificat’ – ‘My the Basilica of the Annunciation where a enter the 3rd century synagogue constructed soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord’ (Lk traditional cave becomes the focal point as of local black basalt stone. 1:46). From here we come to the Church of we ponder Mary’s response “Let it be done to Visit Tabgha, site of the multiplication of St John the Baptist, built over a natural grotto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). After the loaves and fishes (Mt 14:20) and pray identified as the saint’s actual birthplace. celebrating Mass we will visit the nearby within the 4th century church displaying Returning to Bethlehem, we enjoy a fascinating Church of St Joseph before entering the Byzantine mosaics considered to be some of visit to Bethlehem University to engage with nearby Synagogue Church, a Crusader the best in the Holy Land. Beneath the altar is local students in discussion before visiting the structure said to be built on the site of the the rock believed to be where Jesus placed the beautiful chapel and Cultural Heritage Centre synagogue where Jesus read the Messianic loaves and fish before blessing them. Finally Lake Galilee Garden of Gethsemane we come to the Church of the Primacy of Stop by the famous Sycamore tree used to of the Agony containing the rock upon which Peter down by the shores of the lake. Here commemorate the story of the tax collector Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest. Jesus challenged Peter and each one of us ‘Do Zacchaeus who climbed the tree to see Jesus, only Prepare then for a memorable pilgrim you really love me, feed my sheep’. to be singled out above the crowds. (Lk 19:1-10). highlight as we move to the private garden for a secluded time of prayer and reflection Sea of Galilee overnight Across the valley we view the Mt of Temptation, where Christ was tempted by the surrounded by ancient olive trees. DAY 7: THURSDAY 30TH APRIL - MT devil during his 40 day fast. From here we set out by coach across town to BEATITUDES / HAIFA / MT TABOR (BLD) Travelling west through the dry rocky the Israel Museum for a lunch break. Continue Theme: Mountains of Grace landscape of the Judean Desert there are then on a fascinating outdoor orientation viewing of the We begin our day at the Mount of Beatitudes enough stones to illustrate Satan’s words “If Second Temple Scale Model of Jerusalem as it was in the time of Jesus. In the as we take time in this special place to ponder you are the son of God, tell these stones to turn adjacent Shrine of the Book Museum we view Jesus’ message of happiness – the Sermon into loaves” (Mt 4:3).