Spiritual Director: Fr. John Hopkins, LC

Pilgrimage Coordinator: Cris Tallent

For Information contact Cris Tallent at

rcholylandspex@gmail.com or 301-365-0612 www.ourladyofbethesda.org

For Bookings contact: Minerva Dibildox at minerva@elitetravelct.com or 1-203-271-0623

*All Inclusive Land Portion only FLIGHT NOT INCLUDED.

Based on double occupancy, Single room supplement $880 Minimum Participation 20 Pax*** Group Flight Price $1290 USA-Tel-Aviv direct flight, lower fares may be available online.

Optional Group Flight

$1,290** UA4161 DCA– EWR UA 84 TLV 9:25+1 UA85 TLV-EWR; UA 4312 EWR-DCA 21:00 **Lower Fares May Be Available online

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ACCEPTANCE OF INVITATION - DEADLINE 30 NOVEMBER 2016

By Submitting in this registration form I agree to Elite Travel’s terms and conditions of the Holy Land Pilgrimage

Prices based on double occupancy rooms, single room supplement $880, limited number of single rooms available

*The quoted rate includes:

10 Nights accommodation with breakfast & 10 dinners

Daily lunches as per program

One group farewell dinner at a local restaurant

English speaking guide & Deluxe transportation

All entrance fees in the itinerary & Porterage fees at hotels

Tips for guide, driver, restaurant & hotel staff & Audio guiding system

The above rate does not include:

Any personal expenses such as telephone calls; bottled beverages, laundry; Internet fees

Excess baggage, Single room supplement $880;

Trip cancellation/Trip interruption/Medical Insurance;

Optional Stipends for Priests or additional personal tips

Flight (optional Group Flight $1290) As much as possible we support Christian owned businesses

Air &Hotel Accommodations Air: United Economy Group Rate+ $1,290 Washington (DCA, Newark, Tel-Aviv; Tel-Aviv, Newark, DCA) Hotels: Tiberias: Ron Beach Hotel March 7-11 Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center March 5-7; 11-15

OUR LADY OF BETHESDA

PRINT LEGIBLY ALL DETAILS PAYMENTS CC OR CHECK (PAYABLE TO): Elite Travel.

Payments: $500 Non-Refundable Deposit due at booking. Final payment due 9 January 2017 Mail form and payment to Elite Travel 445 West Main St. Cheshire, CT 06410 Attn: Minerva

A Christ Centered Pilgrimage And Spiritual Exercises

Daily: there will be Mass, Rosary, Guided Meditation, time for private silent prayer at each of the pilgrimage sites, time and traffic permitting.

We have planned our days to begin early and end early in the evening to allow ample time for prayer and rest. We will pray at practical moments; especially during traveling periods in the bus.

Day 1 Sunday 5 March: Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, we meet our local guide Sami and driver Nael and board our Deluxe Motor Coach towards Jerusalem. Provided that there are no deplaning delays, we proceed to the town of Eim Karen, the site of the Visitation. After Mass we continue on to the Notre Dame Center - “the Pope’s Guest House in the Holy Land” and “the place to stay” while in Jerusalem for dinner and early to bed.

Day 2 Monday 6 March: To begin our footsteps in the life of Jesus, we drive to Bethlehem, the site of his birth, then to Shepherd’s Field and Milk Grotto. Mass in the Cave of St. Jerome, beneath the Bethlehem Basilica.

Day 3 Tuesday 7 March: Today we experience the desert. We renew our Baptismal Promises at the Qaser El Yahud Baptismal site, visit the Mt. of Temptations and set out into the desert, walking along the Wadi Qelt to the Monastery of St. George, Mar Jaris.

Day 4 Wednesday 8 March: is dedicated to the early life of Jesus. We begin in Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood home, St. Joseph’s Workshop, and Mary’s Well; followed by a visit to the once thriving city of Sepphoris, “an hour’s walk from Nazareth that employed the skilled craftsmen from Nazareth.” We end our day in Cana, site of Jesus’ first miracle.

Day 5 Thursday 9 March: Today we are on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. We start in Tabgha, site of the multiplication of fish & loaves. Our prayers continue at the site where the Apostles washed their nets and on to the Church of the Primacy. We end the

day at the newly excavated town of Mary Magdalene, the Magadala Center with Mass & Holy Hour.

Day 6 Friday 10 March: Once again, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, we experience Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes. Then onto Caesarea Philippi, the site of Peter’s affirmation of Jesus. Weather permitting, we end the day with a sunset cruise on the Sea of Galilee.

Day 7 Saturday 11 March: Our day begins with Mass at Mt. Tabor, site of the Transfiguration. En route to Jerusalem, we’ll stop where Jesus met the Samaritan woman, Jacobo’s Well.* Upon our arrival in Jerusalem we will pray the Stations of the Cross.

Day 8 Sunday 12 March: In the morning we retrace Jesus’ steps at the Mount of Olives. We begin at the site of the Ascension; then on to the Church of Pater Noster - amidst the caves and rocks where Jesus’ taught his disciples to pray the Our Father, followed by prayers in the chapel of Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Continuing our walk down the Palm Sunday Road we end in the Garden of Gethsemane where we will have Mass in the Grotto of the Betrayal, followed by a walk through the Garden and visit to the Church of All Nations. After lunch, we set out to Mt. Zion, first to the house of Caiaphas and then to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, the site of Peter’s denial and the holding cells where Jesus was taken after his arrest. We continue our journey with a visit to the Dormition Abbey which commemorates Our Lady’s Dormition. We conclude the day with a visit to the Upper Room, site of the Last Supper and Pentecost.

Day 9 Monday 13 March: Our day begins very early with 6:30 a.m. Mass at Calvary. After breakfast, we begin our walking

experience of the Old City of Jerusalem, starting with a visit to the Western Wall, including the tunnel and temple steps, the Ophel. We continue along the Via Dolorosa praying at the Station chapels and visiting subterranean First Century sites, such as the

Lithostrotos and the holding jail cells of the Antonia Fortress. In the Armenian quarter, we will visit the house of St. Mark, continuing on to the Pool of Bethesda and onto the home of Sts. Joaquin and Ann, Mary’s birth place. FAREWELL DINNER.

Day 10 Tuesday 14 March: Early morning visit to Temple Mount* fol-lowed by Mass at the Crusader chapel in Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, including a visit to the tomb of Lazarus. Optional afternoon at leisure or optional Dead Sea swim. Evening Holy Hour at the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Day 11 Wednesday 15 March: Mass & USA Departures.

*If time and security permit.

****Itinerary is tentative and subject to change to adapt for crowds, weather, time limitations and Mass

assignments or unforeseen circumstances.

Health Requirements & Practical Information

Pilgrims must be medically and physically fit to participate. This Pilgrimage requires significant walking on steep and uneven terrain. Motor coaches are not permitted to pick up and drop off in front of many of the sites.

The Pilgrimage is not wheelchair accessible. Any special medical conditions or equipment usage must be reported at the time of booking. Should any special assistance be required, traveler agrees to bring a companion capable and willing to assist traveler.

A Pilgrimage notebook will be provided for each participant. Prior to departure you will receive further trip

information with helpful hints and suggestions. Sturdy or light hiking shoes highly recommended.

The Pilgrimage is open to both men and women. Minimum age of participants is 17 yrs. of age. We try to adhere as much as possible to the printed itinerary but please note that there might be circumstances beyond our control that could alter the order of the day’s itinerary.

All Masses have been requested at stated place and times; however, the Mass schedule is determined by the Franciscan Holy Land Custody which assigns the Masses a month prior to arrival.

For further pilgrimage and itinerary details contact: Cris Tallent at: rcholylandspex@gmail.com. or at 301-365-0612.

Our Lady of Bethesda Retreat Center 7007 Bradley Blvd. Bethesda, MD 20817

Tour Operated by

Elite Travel & Shepherds Tours & Travel Co, Ltd.

Info/Pilgrimage Coordinator: Cristina Tallent rcholylandspex@gmail.com / 301-365-0612

Booking Inquiries: Minerva Dibildox Minerva@elitetravelct.com / 203-271-0623

Elite Travel 445 West Main St. Cheshire, CT 06410

Fr. John Hopkins, LC, Retreat Master and Spiritual Director TBD Fr. Edward Hopkins, LC

Cris Tallent, Tour Coordinator Sami, Local Catholic Christian Guide

Nael, Catholic Christian Driver Holy Land pictures by Cris Tallent

REQUIREMENTS FOR TRAVEL

Valid US Passport. Non-US passport holders please check with Israeli consulates; most nationalities do not require visas. Passport must be valid for six months after return date.

If your passport has a stamp from other Arab countries (other than Jordan and Egypt), Iran, Venezuela or Indonesia, it is advisable to obtain a new passport.

Is it safe to Travel to Israel now? Over 5 million tourists visited Israel in 2013-15; all came home safe and sound! It’s a tourism environment with a high safety record; we must not be discouraged from visiting the Cradle of Christianity and supporting our persecuted Christian brethren. It is also an important time to show solidarity to our Christian brethren.

Pilgrimage team

Payment Information $500 Non-refundable Deposit due at time of booking Balance payment of $2340 due by 9 January 2017 Minimum required number of participants 20*** Optional Group Flight $1290 Minimum spaces available with group flight 10 Payment by Check made payable to: Elite Travel 445 West Main St., Cheshire, CT 06410 Credit Card payments telephone Elite (203) 271-0623 ***If less than 20 participants option to agree to new price adjusted to reflect number of participants. Current price calculated at 20 passengers.

LAND CANCELLATION POLICY: $500 non refundable deposit. 60-46 days prior to departure 10%, 45-31 days 50%; 30 days prior to day of departure cancellation or no shows no refunds. ++

TRIP CANCELLATION / TRIP INTERRUPTION/ MEDICAL INSURANCE COVERAGE IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

For Cost: Ask Minerva for specific insurance details at time of booking

GROUP AIR FARE & LAND PORTION INFO

Land Portion cost of Pilgrimage is $2,840. payable by check or CC Land Portion Payment Schedule: $500 Non-refundable deposit at time of booking. Full payment of $2340 due by 9 January 2017.

+Please Note: United Airlines Economy Group Air Fare rate is calculated and offered at a different rate than those offered on Internet travel web sites (rates may be lower or higher). You are free to make your own flight arrangements but must meet group at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel-Aviv, on 5 March by 9:25a.m. local Israeli time.

Group Flight Information: $1,290: USA Departure: DCA United Flight 4161, March 4, 1:10p.m., UA Flt 84 EWR (Newark) TLV 4:05p.m. Arrive Tel-Aviv 9:25a.m 5 March. Return Flights: March 15: TLV UA 85 10:25a.m.; UA 4312 EWR-DCA 7:45p.m. Arr 9:04p.m. Flight payable by Credit Card. Group Flights must be booked by 9 January 2017. UA Reserves the right to change the return flight departure time.

Taxes and International Surcharges are subject to change on date of ticketing. Price includes Elite Ticketing fee. ++Before booking, please read Full Elite Travel Terms and Conditions at : http://www.ourladyofbethesda.org/retreats-events/holy-land-pilgrimage/