February 3, 2012
Atlanta, GA: Archpriest John Townsend will lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in June

On June 12-23, 2012, with the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Archpriest John Townsend (rector of St. Mary of Egypt Church in Atlanta, GA) will lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The pilgrimage will include visits to the major holy places there as well as to Constantinople and St. Katherine’s Monastery at Mt. Sinai.

"We will walk where our God and Savior walked, taught and performed countless miracles and where He wrought our salvation by His death on the Cross, His rising from the dead and His ascent into the heavens,," said Fr. John. "We will go to Bethlehem to venerate the place where He was born in the flesh, and we will venerate the tomb from which He took the most holy body and soul of His Mother to heaven."

Only a few open spots remain on the pilgrimage, and those who are interested in joining should contact Fr. John or Yael Travel Agency.

YAEL ADVENTURES
www.yaeladventures.com
Phone: (706) 494-8818 Fax: (706) 478-5612 
Mailing Address:
2910 North Druid Hills Road, Suite H
Atlanta, Georgia 30329

Itinerary of Holy Land Pilgrimage

Hosted and led by Fr. John Townsend (rector of St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church in Roswell, GA)
and coordinator Mrs. Ecaterini Galloway.

Tuesday, June 12: Depart for Constantinople

We depart from New York for Constantinople. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight.

Wednesday, June 13: Arrive in Constantinople

Arrive in Constantinople, travel to the hotel. Cruise on the waters of the Bosporus. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Thursday, June 14: Constantinople

After breakfast, we will visit and be awed by Agia Sophia, the cathedral of the Greek Orthodox world for nearly a millennium. Then a visit to the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora (famous for its beautiful Byzantine mosaics and frescoes). Visit the Church of Panagia Vlacherna where the Akathist Hymn was written and continue to Zoodochos Pigi Monastery with the underground shrine and the Agiasma Holy Spring. We will visit the Greek Orthodox Baloukli Home for the Aged. Overnight at hotel.

Friday, June 15: Constantinople

Flight from Constantinople to Tel Aviv. Transfer to the hotel in Tiberias, visiting Lydda and the Church of St. George on the way. Dinner at hotel in Haifa.

Saturday, June 16: Mount Tabor, Cana, Nazareth

We will drive to Mount Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. From Mount Tabor, we will drive to Cana and the Greek Orthodox Church where our Lord preformed his first public miracle at the marriage feast. We continue to Nazareth to the Church of the Annunciation, where we will see the Virgin Mary’s well, the place where the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin that she would give birth to our Lord Jesus Christ. Overnight in Tiberias.

Sunday, June 17: The Sea of Galilee

This day will be dedicated to the Sea of Galilee. We will sail on the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, and visit St. Peter’s House and the Synagogue, the center of the Lord’s ministry. Drive on to the Church of Multiplication, where the Lord performed the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. We’ll continue on to Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord’s Prayer was said for the first time. Proceed to the church of the Holy Apostles. Lunch in Tiberias. Overnight in Eilat.

Monday, June 18: St. Catherine’s Monastery

Early in the morning drive from Eilat through the Arava valley to the city of Eilat and cross the border to Taba in Egypt. Arrive at St. Catherine’s Monastery for vespers and venerate the Holy Relics of St. Catherine. Visit the monastery’s famous collection of icons and their library. Dinner and overnight stay at St. Catherine Plaza Hotel. At about 11:00 PM you will have the option to climb the holy mountain of Moses by foot or on a camel where a cameleer is guiding you to watch the sunrise or go to the monastery for the early morning Liturgy.

Tuesday, June 19: Dead Sea

After the service, we will go to the hotel for breakfast and return to Israel. Stop for lunch in Eilat and drive to Dead Sea for swimming or floating (if the weather permits). Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Jericho.

Wednesday, June 20: Mount of Temptation, Bethany

Visit Jericho and visit the Monastery of St. George Hozevitis and the Mount of Temptation where Jesus was tempted for 40 days. Our tour will continue to Jericho, Elisha's Fountain and Zaccheus' Tree. Visit St. Gerasimos Monastery where St Mary of Egypt and other saints have walked on its grounds and where the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus stayed there upon returning from Egypt. Lunch in Jericho. In Bethany, we will visit the Monastery of Martha and Mary on our way to Jerusalem. Stay at hotel in Jerusalem.

Thursday, June 21: Bethlehem, Jerusalem

We will start the day by visiting the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, the site where Jesus was born and continue to Shepherds’ Fields and visit the monasteries of St. Saba, St. Theodosius, and St. Elias. In the afternoon, we will tour Jerusalem, visit the monastery St. Symeon, and visit the Monastery of the Holy Cross where, according to Tradition, the tree of the Holy Cross was planted. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Friday, June 22: Jerusalem

We will start the day with a breathtaking, panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Visit the Chapel of the Ascension. From the Church of Pater Noster (Our Father) walk the Gardens of Gethsemane where Jesus is said to have prayed the night of his arrest. Visit the tomb of the Virgin Mary, and St. Stephan’s Church. Continue to St. Anne’s Church, the birthplace of the Theotokos. Visit the Pool of Bethesda, the Prison of Christ, the Praetorium, the fortress of Antonia, the Lithostrotos, the "Ecce Homo" Arch (Idou o anthropos – Behold the Man). We will walk the Via Dolorosa ‒ "Way of the Cross" ‒ to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Nao tis Anastaseos) which contains Golgotha, the site of Crucifixion, and the holy Tomb of Christ. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. This night we will attend midnight Liturgy at the Holy Sepulcher.

Saturday, June 23: Jerusalem, Flight Home

On this day, we will visit the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and have a private audience with the Patriarch His Beatitude, Theophilos III (subject to confirmation). On Mount Zion, we will visit the Tomb of King David, and the room of the Last Supper, the site that commemorates Jesus’ last meal with His disciples and the place where God sent the Holy Spirit on the disciples at Pentecost. We will visit the house of St. John the Theologian and the site where the Theotokos is said to have fallen asleep. Dinner at the hotel in Jerusalem, then travel to the airport in Tel Aviv for our late night departure back home.

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