Aid to the Church in Need’s Pilgrimage to The Holy Land
We hope you will join us on this wonderful opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Our Lord. We will not only visit Holy sites, but we will have the chance to visit ACN projects, as well as meeting with local Church leaders and Christian families.
The pilgrimage will be led by Father Dominic Robinson SJ, ACN UK’s National Ecclesiastical Assistant and Neville Kyrke-Smith, National Director of ACN UK.
The nine-day itinerary will take in locations of important religious and historical importance: Bethlehem, Mount of Olives, Mount Zion, Old City Jerusalem, Qumran, Dead Sea, Galilee, Cana, Nazareth and Tiberias.
How to book
Itinerary
The itinerary is a guide and subject to change
Day One – Friday 9th November
We shall depart from London Heathrow to Tel Aviv, where we shall transfer to Casa Nova Hotel in Bethlehem where dinner will be served.
Day Two – Saturday 10th November
In the morning there will be Mass at the Basilica in Bethlehem. After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit Manger Square, the Basilica and the Cave of the Nativity. Lunch will be at the seminary.
Afterwards we will transfer to Manger Square in Bethlehem, where we will have a presentation given by the Pontifical Mission of Palestine. We shall then travel to the Solidarity Village Housing project in Beit Safafa and return for dinner at the hotel.
Day Three – Sunday 11th November
After breakfast at the Hotel, Mass will be celebrated at the Big Grotto (1st Altar) at Beit Sahour in the Shepherds’ Fields. After we have returned to the Hotel for lunch, we shall meet with Fr. Butros Nimeh at the Syrian Orthodox Church.
In the afternoon, we visit local Christian families in Bethlehem and return for dinner at the hotel.
Day Four – Monday 12th November
We shall travel to the birthplace of John the Baptist. Afterwards, we shall depart for Jerusalem, where we will have a panoramic view over ancient and modern Jerusalem, and visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
After lunch we shall travel to Mount Zion. Mass will be celebrated at the Chapel of Dominus Flevit. Once we return to Bethlehem, we will meet Ian Knowles, Director of the Bethlehem Icon School, and visit the Icon School in Star Street. Dinner will be served back at the hotel.
Day Five – Tuesday 13th November
We shall travel to Jerusalem to visit St Anne’s Church and the Pool of Bethesda before we walk the Via Dolorosa.
Afterwards, we visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
There will be a presentation by Most Rev. Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator, at the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Mass will be celebrated in the Cathedral at the Latin Patriarchate, and after lunch, we shall then return to Bethlehem. Dinner will be served back at the hotel.
Day Six – Wednesday 14th November
We shall travel to Jerusalem, where we will visit the Church of All Nations, the Garden of Gethsemane and Mary’s Tomb.
We shall also visit the Church of the Ascension and the Church of Mary Magdalene and afterwards celebrate Mass in the desert. After lunch we visit Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. From here we drive to the Dead Sea.
We then drive to Jericho after which we continue to the baptismal site where Jesus is said to have been baptised in the River Jordan. Afterwards, we check into the Hotel in Tiberias where dinner will be served.
Day Seven – Thursday 15th November
We travel to the lakeside for a short journey on the Sea of Galilee. We will then continue to the Mount of Beatitudes where we visit the church and gardens.
We then continue to Capernaum where we will celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Memorial.
After Mass we will visit Tabgha (site of the loaves and fishes), The Primacy of Peter. After lunch we will ascend Mount Tabor, the Mount of Transfiguration, and visit the church. We then return to the hotel where dinner will be served.
Day Eight – Friday 16th November
After breakfast at the hotel, we travel to Cana and visit the Church dedicated to Jesus’ first miracle. We then travel to Nazareth, where we will visit the Basilica of Annunciation, the house of St. Joseph and Mary’s Well.
After lunch, Mass will be celebrated in the Upper Basilica at the Basilica of Annunciation in Nazareth. Dinner will be back at the hotel.
Day Nine – Saturday 17th November
We shall travel by coach to Ben Gurion Airport and fly back to London Heathrow.
Booking your place on Aid to the Church in Need’s Pilgrimage to The Holy Land
Pax Travel will be taking all bookings on behalf of Aid to the Church in Need. Please contact them on 020 7485 3003 or by emailing [email protected] for more information and to book your place.
Price £1,298 includes:
- Half-board accommodations
- Gratuities
- All transfers
- All entrance fees
(This will be subject to fuel surcharges)