Join Father Louis Faust on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land January 17 - 27, 2012  This unique pilgrimage is designed to inspire participants of all ages. Roman Catholic Mass will be celebrated daily.

Tour Highlights:
Spiritually nourishing! A journey of a lifetime!
This package includes: Round trip air EWR (Newark, N.J.) - Tel Aviv - EWR, 8 Nights First Class Hotels, 3 Nights Royal Plaza Hotel, Tiberius and 5 Nights Notre Dame Guest House, Jerusalem. 8 Days of touring with licensed top notch Holy Land Tour Guide, Deluxe Air Conditioned Motor Coach, Daily "Israeli" buffet breakfasts and dinners (as per Itinerary)

Welcome orientation, Caesarea Maritima, Mount Carmel, Druze Villages, Sea of Galilee, Nof Ginnosar, Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Capernaum, Ancient Capernaum Synagogue, Golan Heights, Caesarea Philippi, Jordan River, Nazareth, Beit Shearim, Zippori, marriage vows renewal at Cana, Church of Annunciation, St. Joseph's Grotto, Mt. Tabor Transfiguration site, Yardenit - Baptism vows renewal at Jordan River, Gideon Springs, Ancient Jericho, Bethany, Church of Raising of Lazrus, Chapel of Ascension, Pool of Siloam, Palm Sunday Road, Mt. of Olives, Chapel of Dominus Flevit, Garden of Gethsemane, Church of (Agony) All Nations, Kidron Valley, Church Cave of Dormition, Crusader built Saint Ann's Church, Pool of Bethesda, Old City of Jerusalem, Western Wall, Via Dolorosa, Lithrostrotos - Ecce Homo convent, Holy Sepulcher Church, St. Peter in Gallicantu Church, Room of the Last Supper, Ein Karem - birth place of John the Baptist, Hadassah Hospital - Marc Chagall Windows, Bethlehem, Church of Nativity, Cave Chapel of St. Jerome, Herodium, Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Inn of the Good Samaritan, Masada, Dead Sea Swim, Qumran - (Dead Sea Scrolls found).

  Itinerary

Day 1, Tuesday, Jan 17th
Depart USA on EL Al Israel Airlines for nonstop overnight flight to the Holy Land.

Day 2, Wednesday, Jan 18th Caesarea/Mount Carmel/Druze Village
Early arrival at Ben Gurion Airport , Tel Aviv, Israel , to be met by a CHT Representative and escorted to deluxe touring bus. Drive North to Caesarea Maritima. Visit the Roman theatre, Herod's Palace, the palace of the Roman Procurator (Acts 23:23, 24, 33 and Acts 25:23), amphitheater, crusader's city and harbor. Proceed to Mount Carmel to visit Monastery of Muhraka, where Elijah challenged the Baal priests (1Kings 18:20-40); from roof of this Monastery, wonderful view of Jezreel plain. On through Druze Villages to Haifa for panoramic view of city and harbor. Proceed to Tiberius.
Dinner and overnight: Royal Plaza Hotel.

Day 3, Thursday, Jan 19th Galilee
After breakfast, boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to place where Jesus walked on water, (Matt 14:25-32) and calmed the wind and Sea. Boating excursion ends at sea-side museum housing ancient fishing boat dating from time of Jesus. Drive up to Mount of Beatitudes. Admire the view. Hear the "Sermon on the Mount" proclaimed. Continue to nearby Tabgha; setting for the loaves and fishes miracle (Matt 14:19-21). "St. Peter's fish" lunch at Kibbutz Ein Gev fish restaurant. On to Capernaum , where Jesus taught and lived. See the house of St. Peter (Matt 8:14) and the synagogue where Jesus ministered (Matt 12:9-14). Drive thru Golan Heights to Caesarea Philippi, head waters of Jordan River (Matt 16:13-20).
Dinner and overnight Royal Plaza Hotel, Tiberius.

Day 4, Friday, Jan 20th Nazareth /Beit Shearim / Zippori
After breakfast visit Cana - (John 2:1-11) - Marriage vows renewal. Drive to Nazareth to tour Annunciation site, Basilica of the Annunciation (Lk1:26-38). Explore St. Joseph 's grotto/workshop site. Visit Mary's well for a drink of water. (Optional) Native style lunch at a typical street "falafel" stand. Onto Mount Tabor Church of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-10). Visit Beit Shearim to see Jewish Sanhedrin cemetery, then archeological dig at Zippori to see gorgeous ancient mosaics. Dinner and overnight Royal Plaza Hotel, Tiberius.

Day 5, Saturday, Jan 21st Galilee / Beit Shean
After breakfast, drive to southern shore of Sea of Galilee to Yardenit - Baptismal site for renewal of Baptismal Vows. Onto ancient Beit Shean, walk thru elaborate excavations dating from Roman and Byzantine periods. Then we head toward Jerusalem , stopping enroute (as we drive thru the Jordan River Valley ) at a typical commercial flower growing farm Kibbutz. We'll learn about drip method irrigation and greenhouse horticulture. Truly, the dessert does bloom like the rose! Short stop next in Jericho , where Jesus healed (Mk 10:46-52, Luke 19:1-8) heads and hearts and the walls came tumbling down! (Joshua 6:1-20).
Dinner and overnight at Notre Dame Guest House, Jerusalem.

Day 6, Sunday, Jan 22nd Jerusalem , the Old City
After breakfast, tour Bethany the home village of Martha , Mary, Lazarus. Visit the Church of Raising of Lazarus (John 11:43, 44), the site of the Ascension (Luke 24:50, 51), Pool of Siloam (John 9:1-7). En route to Mount of Olives, visit Eleona Cave (Luke 11:1-4). From the Mount of Olives we walk down the Palm Sunday Road taken (Mark 11: 1-10) by Jesus. Pause to pray at chapel of Dominus Flevit (Matt 23:37-39, Luke 19:41-44). Continue on to Garden of Gethsemane , the site of Jesus' arrest. (Luke 22: 39-54) Stroll in the garden among ancient Olive Trees. Later, visit underground cave Church of the Dormitian of Blessed Virgin Mary. Pass thru the Dung Gate as we enter the Ancient Walled City of Jerusalem. Visit Crusader Church of St. Ann, famous for its glorious acoustics, and the pool of Bethesda (John 5: 2-15). Pray at the Wailing Wall. Walk the Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross). Visit Ecce Homo Convent excavation where Jesus was mocked and crowned with thorns (John 19:1-5). Visit Jesus' execution site (John 19:17-30) enclosed within Church of the Holy Sepulcher (John 19:40-42) and then St. Peter in Gallicantu Church (Luke 22:54-62). Final stop today is the Cenacle - the Last Supper Room (Luke 22:7-14).
Dinner and overnight at Notre Dame Guest House, Jerusalem .

Day 7, Monday, Jan 23rd J erusalem , the New City/Bethlehem
After breakfast finish visiting any sites missed in yesterday's program. Drive over to Ein Karem, home village of John the Baptist. See famous Marc Chagall Windows in Hadassah Hospital synagogue. Continue on to Bethlehem to Church of the Nativity (Luke 2:1-7), pray at Jesus' birth place. See cave residence of St. Jerome . "Christmas Eve" Mass celebrated in Shepherd's field cave chapel (Luke 2:8-20). See remains of King Herod's fortress/tomb, the Herodium. Finally, visit Yad Vashem Memorial to Holocaust victims.
Dinner and overnight Notre Dame Guest House, Jerusalem .

Day 8, Tuesday, Jan 24 th Masada/Dead Sea
After breakfast, drive to Good Samaritan Inn (Luke 10:29-37) then onto Fortress of Masada, Herod's Dead Sea stronghold. Ascend to fortress entrance by cable car. See palaces of Herod the Great, Roman baths, swimming pools. Finish the day floating in the Dead Sea , the lowest place on earth! Returning to Jerusalem in the late afternoon, stop at Qumran , where Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
Dinner and overnight at Notre Dame Guest House, Jerusalem .

Day 9, Wednesday, Jan 25th Catch Up Day
Modern Jerusalem - Old and New City
Dinner and overnight at Notre Dame Guest House, Jerusalem .

Day 10, Thursday Jan 26th Foot Loose in Jerusalem
Free morning and afternoon to shop and relax.
Farewell dinner early evening.
Late evening transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for post midnight departure non-stop flight to USA .

Day 11, Friday, Jan 27th
Midmorning arrival - EWR/USA

Time to start planning a return trip with family and friends all over again

Note * Catholic Mass celebrated daily.

Itinerary subject to change based on local conditions.