Meet at Heathrow airport at 19.00 to take the 22.30 (10.30 pm) BA Flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.
05.25 Arrive at Tel Aviv (Israel 2 hrs ahead GMT) Coach to Bethlehem (1 hour) check in to Franciscan Pilgrim House at Manger Square. Breakfast.
11.00 am join Bethlehem parish for Sunday Mass at St Catherine's (next to Church of the Nativity). Meet for lunch.
18.30 Introduction to the Holy Land - key factors since the first Christian converts.
Morning at the Shepherd's Fields, Beit Sahour - the Latin, Orthodox and YMCA sites.
Lunch in the Shepherds' Tent restaurant.
Afternoon Tour of the Church of the Nativity, the Grotto and the cave complex. Celebrate Mass in the caves.
Tantur Ecumenical Institute - Desert Spirituality
Through the desert to Jericho and the Mount of Temptation. Lunch. Qumran (the Dead Sea Scrolls), 'float' in the Dead Sea at En Gedi.
Before dawn - drive (¾hr) into the Judaean desert to celebrate Mass at sunrise. To St George's (Orthodox) monastery. Return to Bethlehem via Bethany and the tomb of Lazarus.
Tantur Ecumenical Institute - The Life and Times of Jesus.
Return to Bethlehem for dinner.
Centre of Cultural Heritage Preservation - The Social and Architectural Development of Bethlehem.
Tour of the ancient quarters of the town.
Invitation lunch at the Star Hotel, in its fifth floor restaurant, with stunning views of Bethlehem and the surrounding hills.
To the Mount of Olives, panoramic view of Jerusalem. Walk down the Mount to the Garden of Gethsemane. Lunch.
To St Stephen's Gate and the Muslim quarter, St Anne's convent and the Pools of Bethesda. Walk to the Western Wall.
To the Cenacle (celebrated as the place of the Last Supper), across the Kidron valley to Gethsemane. To Caiphas' house, scene of Jesus' trial and imprisonment in the pit. Church of St Peter's denial.
Midday office at the Benedictine Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem.
Return to Bethlehem via the monastery of Cremisan (Salesians of Don Bosco) to visit their winery, cellars and shop.
Wide choice in Bethlehem and Jerusalem for the celebration of Mass or Sunday Worship; also many suggestions for trips to the countryside and to biblical and cultural sites.
The Stations of the Cross (the Via Dolorosa) and Mass at the Holy Sepulchre (site of the crucifixion and tomb).
Coach to Emmaus to celebrate the Resurrection, and on to the monastery and beautiful countryside of Beit Gemal, where St Stephen's body was brought after his death by stoning
Travel north to the Galilee via the Jordan valley, to Mount Tabor, Nazareth and Cana. Arrive at the Pilgrim House on the Sea of Galilee to stay for the next four nights.
By boat to Caphernaum on the Sea of Galilee. Lunch by the Sea, visit the church of the Beatitudes, the church of Peter's Primacy and the Benedictine Monastery (site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes).
By coach and by foot, explore Corazim, Bethsaida, Banyas and Kursi.
Guided coach tour around the Sea of Galilee. Opportunity to renew Baptismal Vows.
An opportunity to visit one or two of: Caesarea Philippi, Haifa, Sepphoris, Tiberias, to spend more time in Nazareth, or simply rest and reflect (and swim) at the Sea of Galilee.
Closing the Retreat-Pilgrimage - Final Reflections, Blessings and Prayers.
Leave for Tel Aviv airport (lunch en route) 17.05 flight (5.05 pm.) Arrive Heathrow 20.30 (8.30 pm) local London time.