From our Friends at St. Pauls:

I am thrilled to announce that I will be leading, with my good friend the Rev. Tom Mousin, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in January of next year. Over the course of 10 days we will travel, pray, eat and learn together at some of our scripture's most sacred sites. The draft itinerary is below. Prior to the trip there will be reading lists to digest and two in-person meetings to plan for the trip. We'll be traveling in a group of 25-35 with people from other parishes and the Diocese of Maine, where Tom lives.

Details follow. If you are interested, or have questions, please let me know at jmello@stpaulsbrookline.org. A non-refundable deposit will be due at the end of August.

Tom and I are excited to lead this trip. We hope you will join us!

Peace,

Jeff+

Cost and Itinerary

The cost is somewhere in the $4,000 pp range, based on double occupancy.

This includes:

Airfare, lodging, three meals each day, our guide's services, three lectures, all entrance fees and a small contribution to the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem.

This does not include:

Alcoholic beverages, souvenir purchases, upgrade to single occupancy, or upgrade to business class on the flight.

A Journey to The Holy Land

Under the Direction of The Rev. Jeffrey Mello, The Rev. Tom Mousin and Local Guide Canon Iyad Qumri

12-Days: January 18-29, 2020

Tentative Itinerary

Jan 19-22 Saint George's Guest House

Jan 22-25 Sisters of Nazareth

Jan 25-29 Saint George's Guest House

SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, DAY 1: DEPART USA On our way to the Holy Land

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, DAY 2: ARRIVE BEN GURION AIRPORT / TRANSFER TO JERUSALEM Arrival to Tel Aviv, you will be met by your guide, Canon Iyad Qumri, transfer to our accommodation in Jerusalem Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House

MONDAY, JANUARY 20, DAY 3: HORIZONS OF JERUSALEM / HERODIUM Introductions, In the morning we will drive to Mt. Scopus where we will look at the different dramatic settings of the Scripture. Then we will look at the many different Jerusalem, visit Herodium some 12 km. south of Jerusalem, on a hill shaped like a truncated cone that rises 758 m. above sea level, stood Herodium, the palace-fortress built by King Herod. It had a breathtaking view, overlooking the Judean Desert and the mountains of Moab to the east, and the Judean Hills to the west. Guest Speaker: Contemporary Issues - A Palestinian Perspective Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, DAY 4: SHEPHERD'S FIELD / BETHLEHEM We depart Jerusalem for Bethlehem and the Shepherds' Field, visit a 1st century cave dwelling, Lunch is in Beit Sahour (Shepherds' Field), 'And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night', Church of the Nativity located in Manger Square. It is the oldest church in Christendom, constructed by Constantine in AD 326 and the traditional site of the Nativity Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, DAY 5: JERICHO / NAZARETH Wadi Qelt, early morning to get the feel for the desert, depart for Jericho to hike up Mt. of Temptation and view Tell Jericho, 20-minute meditation on Mt of Temptation, Lunch in Jericho,drive through the Rift Valley to Nazareth. In Nazareth we will visit Mary's Well, the site of the only spring-fed fountain in the city, and most likely the place where Mary would have gone to draw water. We then visit the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation where we will have an opportunity to have an introduction to the Icon, we then follow on foot the path to the Latin Church of the Annunciation, the traditional site of the Angel Gabriel's appearance to Mary, telling her she would conceive Jesus, the Emmanuel Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth

THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, DAY 6: JORDAN RIVER / CAPERNAUM / BEATITUDES / TABGHA Today we depart for the Sea of Galilee-Lake Kinnereth. Stop at the Jordan River for the renewal of Baptismal vows, Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, we then visit Capernaum where we see the Ancient Synagogue and St. Peter's House. We continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, Lunch, visit to Tabgha (Heptapegon), The Loaves and Fishes Church and the Chapel of St. Peter's Primacy, Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, DAY 7: SEPPHORIS / CAESAREA PHILIPPI Sepphori, where we explore the excavations of the Roman / Byzantine city, the capital of Galilee at the time of Jesus. Lunch, depart for Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and Jesus went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" Meet with Fr. Nael Abu Rahmoun at Christ Church in Nazareth Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth A treat you will not want to miss!!!!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, DAY 8: BURQIN / NABLUS / TAYBEH Depart for Burqin. Jesus had passed through Burqin on his way to Jerusalem from Nazareth, and as he was passing by the village he heard cries for help from ten lepers who were isolated in quarantine in a cave, Nablus to visit (St. Photini the Greek Orthodox Monastery), St. Photini lived in first century Palestine, she was the Samaritan woman who Christ visited at the well asking her for water, the church built over Jacob's well where will tour the church and drink from the Well, Lunch in Taybeh, visit Taybeh, the only 100% Christian town in the Palestinian Authority, in the fourth century the Emperor Constantine and his mother St. Helena built the church of St. George in the village, the ruins of the Church are still found on a hill in the town. Taybeh is also the home of the only Palestinian brewery in the Middle East. Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House Guest Speaker: Lecture on Islam Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, DAY 9: WESTERN WALL / DOME OF THE ROCK / WORSHIP AT SAINT GEORGE'S CATHEDRAL / ISRAEL MUSEUM We depart for the Western Wall near Elharam Esh Sharif (The Dome of the Rock and the Al- A Aqsa Mosque), St. Anne's Church and the pools of Bethesda. Sunday Eucharist at Saint George's Cathedral, the liturgy will be celebrated in English and Arabic, the language of our Arabic Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land and the whole Middle East. Lunch. Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. We will also visit a scale model of the Old City of Jerusalem, describing the city as it would have been during Jesus' time. Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House Guest Speaker: Contemporary Issues - An Israeli Perspective

MONDAY, JANUARY 27, DAY 10: OLD CITY / CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER GROUP PHOTO, Walk the Cardo to the Constantinian Entrance to the Church of the Resurrection to the Holy Sepulcher, Lunch, afternoon Holy Sepulcher (Cont.) walk to the Armenian quarter where we will be able to observe the Armenian Vespers. Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, DAY11: BETH-PHAGE / DOMINUS FLEVIT / GETHSEMANE / DEAD SEA Depart for Beth-phage and Mt. of Olives walk down the Palm Sundayday Road ending at the Garden of Gethsemane. Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, this church was built over the palace of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Peter denied Jesus three times. Lunch at the Qumris in Jericho. Dead Sea, where you will have the option to swim - or really, float (Rocky Beach) Dinner and overnight at Saint George's Guest House

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, DAY 12: WAY OF THE CROSS / EMMAUS Stations of the Cross, Silent reflections at the Empty Tomb, Later in the morning we will depart for Emmaus Nicopolis. We celebrate the Eucharist at the ruins of the Byzantine Church. Lunch.

Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport

The Reverend Jeffrey W. Mello
Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Dean, The Charles River Deanery
15 St. Paul St.
Brookline, MA 02446
617-566-4953
jmello@stpaulsbrookline.org
www.stpaulsbrookline.org