Holy Land Report #9

Day 6 - Our tour guide decided that the best way to prepare for our 8am Holy Mass today was to walk the Via Dolorosa before and end up at the site of Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - so he arranged a 6:15am wake up call! Wake up we did and in the early hours before most of Old Jerusalem was out and about - we were walking the Via Dolorosa. To walk in the steps of Jesus as He carried His cross to Calvary in the same location as He did is very emotional and a powerful experience.

 Old Jerusalem

 A City Built On A Hill Will Have Stairs

 Did I Mention It Was Very Early Morning

Station 1 - The Church of The Flagellation 

  

 Station  2 - Ecce Homo Convent

 Station 3 - Armenian Church

 Station 4 - Armenian Orthodox Oratory

 Station 5 - Where Simon of Cyrene Carried the Cross for Jesus.

 

Station 6 - Veil of Veronica

Station 7 - Franciscan Chapel

 Station 8 - Adjacent to Orthodox Monastery of Saint Charalampus

 Station 9 - Entrance to Church of Holy Sepulchre

 Stations 10 - 11 - 12 -13 - Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

 Annointing Slab to Prepare Body for Burial

 Stairs to Calvary

 Station 14 - The Rock of Calvary 

Immediately entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre the group proceeded to the 14th Station - the Rock of Calvary where Jesus' Cross Stood. The spot was marked by a large metallic star under the altar. The group took time to reverently venerate this spot - then moved a few feet to the side of Calvary to Celebrate Holy Mass.

 Father Matt - Deacon Jerry

Following Holy Mass my wife and I separated from the group - as I was not feeling well - our intent was to return to our hotel via the Western Wall.  Walking together through the streets of Jerusalem is an experience that one should not avoid.  At the Western Wall we were met by security gates where they scanned our backpacks - keeping this Holy place safe for all visitors.

Approaching the Western Wall

Western Wall

Orthodox Jews separate the men from the women in worship - at the Western Wall they are also separated. In photo below Arlene is approaching the Womens section of the Wall

Womens' Section of Western Wall

Before approaching the Wall - I had an opportunity to stop and write out a prayer request which I later inserted into one of the cracks in the Wall

Men Writing Prayer Requests

Approaching the Wall (Yellow Shirt)

Praying At The Wall

The day that we visited the Western Wall was a day of celebration for many youths who were celebrating their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. It was a true celebration of coming of faith complete with horns and music.

Bar Mitzva Procession

Thus ended Day #6 of the pilgrimage for my wife and I. In the next post I will review the few sites we missed today - which I had seen previously - so I was not upset that I had to leave the group that day - they were in good hands with Deacon Jerry and Father Matt and Nader, our guide.

Deacon Dale 

Holy Land Report #8

Day 5 - Today we journey to Bethany - Qumran - Masada and the Dead Sea. Bethany was an unexpected blessing - today we had scheduled an optional visit to Masada and the Dead Sea rather than have a "free" day and we had been told we would have Holy Mass at "some" church in Jerusalem. Imagine our excitement when we learned that instead of just any church we would be going to Bethany to St. Lazarus Church for Holy Mass! Bethany is a short ride outside Jerusalem so 8am Holy Mass here we come.

Facade of the Sanctuary at Bethany

Bethany Church

Wish Our Churches Had Exterior Artwork Like This

Deacon Jerry - Father Matt - Deacon Dale

Homily at Bethany

It was at Bethany that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead - for us to be here when it was not on our itinerary was truly a blessing.

Lazarus Tomb

We were surprised by a gentleman offering camel rides so Arlene - always the adventurous one - first let the camel give her a kiss - then took a short ride. 

Camel Kisses

Deacon Dale & Arlene

Departing Bethany we then headed to the desert to visit Masada which can be reached either by cable car or on foot - cable car - 3 minutes - on foot - better than an hour walking up the side of the mountain - guess which we took

Walkway From Cable Car to Massada

Massada Ruins

Massada Ruins

Originally Masada was a winter home/fortress built by King Herod set atop the mountain with a view of the desert and the Dead Sea below. On the day of our visit the temperature was 115 degrees - slightly warm.

Massada

Masada is greatly respected by the Jewish people as the site of the final battle of the First Jewish-Roman War in which the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels.

Nader Explaining Massada

Leaving Masada we next ventured to Qumran - the site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The ruins of the community that lived here are still visible and archaeologists love this site.  Current speculation considers this site as either a fortress or small community dwelling. The makeup of the rock is so soft that using any strong blunt tool a person would be able to carve out a two or three room cave in a single day.

Cave Where Dead Sea Scrolls Were Discovered

Our final stop for today was a visit to the Dead Sea - the lowest point on Earth at 1388 feet below sea level. It is the deepest hypersaline (salty) lake in the world. With 33.7% salinity it is one of the saltiest bodies of water - it is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean - the salinity creates a harsh environment in which animals cannot flourish - thus its name. Most of our pilgrims were willing to brave the salt water - floating in the Dead Sea. You can only float because trying to swim would splash water in your face and burn your eyes. Many people also bath in the mud of the sea which is rich in minerals and reportedly has curative affects.

Pilgrims In Salt Water & Mud

Drying off and returning to our bus we head back to the hotel - thus ending another day filled with God's blessings.

Deacon Dale 

Holy Land Report #7

Reunion! 

Calling all Holy Land Pilgrims, their families and those interested in our recently completed pilgrimage. DeaconTravel Ministries is sponsoring an evening reunion at Saint Patrick Church - 406 Walnut - Yorkville, IL on this Tuesday - August 21, 2012 at 7:00pm in the Church. Deacon Jerry Heitschmidt, Deacon Dale Metcalfe and Father Matt Lamoureux, MIC will lead our pilgrims in an Evening of Reflection with Vespers, Sharing and a  Video - Slideshow highlighting our July 26th - August 4th, 2012 pilgrimage. Refreshments will be served in the Parish Center after the presentation at which pilgrims will be showing some of the religious articles and Olive Wood carvings they acquired while in the Holy Land.  Open to the public!

Caesarea Maritima - King Herod's Fortress

It is amazing how our God works through many different and diverse peoples to accomplish His works. Come and join us Tuesday evening as we view the many wonders created by all God's people.

Deacon Dale 

Holy Land Report #6

Day #4 of our pilgrimage - today our agenda includes the Mount of Olives, Pater Noster, Holy Mass in the Garden of Gethsemane, Tomb of the Virgin Mary, Mount Zion, the House of Caiaphas, the Upper Room and the Church of the Dormition of Mary. We started at the Church of Pater Noster - Named for the "Our Father" prayer (Latin: Pater Noster), the Church of the Pater Noster stands on the traditional site in Jerusalem where Jesus taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer. Emperor Constantine built a church over a cave here in 4th century, and this has been partially reconstructed. Plaques in the cloister bear the Lord's Prayer in 62 different languages.

Church of the Pater Noster

 Paster Noster Grotto 

"Our Father" Plaques Line The Walls

From the Pater Noster we headed to the Mount of Olives. Here we met up with a man offering rides on his camel. Although there are different places to ride a camel the best place to go camel riding in Jerusalem is on the Mount of Olives.  Every morning you can normally find 12-year-old Shushi (and his owner Ali) looking for riders, right next to the panoramic view of the Holy City.  Shushi is in fact, not a camel (which has two humps) but a dromedary with one hump.  All the “camels” in the Holy Land are dromedaries. Many of our pilgrims were adventurous enough to ride Shushi starting with our Spiritual Director - Father Matt.

Father Matt

Sam & Mary

Pat & Karen 

From this viewpoint you can see the Temple Mount with the Golden Dome clearly visible. In between us and the Dome is the Kidron Valley. Jewish, Muslim and Christian burial sites are easily seen here.

Over looking the Burial Sites

We then proceeded to the Tomb of Mary - At the base of the Mount of Olives is a Crusader church said to mark the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Centered around a quarried-out tomb that may well date from the first century, the cave church is festooned with hanging lamps and highly atmospheric.

Descending To The Grotto

Tomb of Virgin Mary

After viewing the tomb and saying some prayers we headed into the Garden of Gethsemane for Holy Mass which we celebrated in the natural grotto, about 190 square meters in area, is basically unchanged from the time of Jesus. It is believed to be where the disciples slept while Jesus prayed, and where Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested. It may also be the location of Jesus’ night-time meeting with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21). Over the main altar is a representation of Jesus Praying among the Apostles. The grotto is also known as the Cave of the Olive Press.

 Deacon Dale - Father Matt - Deacon Jerry

After Holy Mass we wandered in the Garden viewing the different settings and asking ourselves "is this where Jesus wept" - that rock was to be discovered next...

Garden of Gethsemane

Garden of Gethsemane

Garden of Gethsemane

Garden of Gethsemane

In the Garden is another church - the Church of All Nations standing near the foot of the Mount of Olives and is built over the rock on which Jesus is believed to have prayed in agony the night before he was crucified. The church and the adjacent Garden of Gethsemane, with its eight ancient olive trees, provide an evocative place for meditation, especially when visited at night. The church is also known as the Basilica of the Agony. Completed in 1924, it is the third church on the site.

Church of All Nations

Inside Church of All Nations

Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem, is the broad hill south of the Old City’s Armenian Quarter. Also called Sion, its name in Old Testament times became projected into a metaphoric symbol for the whole city and the Promised Land. Several important events in the early Christian Church are likely to have taken place on Mount Zion:

• The Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples • The appearance of Jesus before the high priest Caiaphas • The “falling asleep” of the Virgin Mary • The Council of Jerusalem, around AD 50, in which the early Church debated the status of converted gentiles (Acts 15:1-29)

Heading To Dormition Abbey

Happy Pilgrims Walking In Old Jerusalem

Walking to the Church of Dormition

The hill of Mount Zion, the highest point in ancient Jerusalem, is dominated by the Church of the Dormition. The location is identified in Christian tradition as the place where the Virgin Mary died — or “fell asleep”, as the name suggests. The fortress-like building, with a conical roof and four corner towers, stands south of the Old City’s Zion Gate. 

Church of the Dormition

Church of the Dormition

Life Size Statue of Virgin Mary

Our next stop on Mount Zion was the Upper Room where Jesus would have eaten the Last Supper with his disciples. 

The Upper Room

The Upper Room

Close by was the site of the Tomb of King David. This site has been undergoing renovation for quite some time - the only thing we could see was an empty coffin representing King David's Tomb - covered by plastic to protect it from construction dust. Still we were separated - men and women - as it the Jewish custom and men wearing a kippa - entered one side while the women the other. Although the tomb is empty - it is held in high regard by the Jewish people. Nearby male Jews were reading the Torah and praying.

Tomb of King David

Continuing our walking tour we headed to the House of Caiaphas where one of the most striking churches in Jerusalem commemorates the apostle Peter’s triple denial of his Master, his immediate repentance and his reconciliation with Christ after the Resurrection. Built on an almost sheer hillside, the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu stands on the eastern slope of Mount Zion. On its roof rises a golden rooster atop a black cross — recalling Christ’s prophesy that Peter would deny him three times “before the cock crows”. Galli-cantu means cockcrow in Latin.

Walking to House of Caiaphas on Left

Click Picture & Zoom To See Rooster On Top Of Cross

Caiaphas' House

St. Peter in Gallicantu

St Peter in Gallicantu

Inside Holding Cell Below Caiaphas House Where Jesus Was Possibly Held Overnight

Grounds Around Caiaphas House

Stone Pathway To City of David Below

Thus ended this day contemplating what Jesus experienced at this location and His time spent in the dark cold cell under the house of Caiaphas. Though without sin He became sin for us that we might have life and live it to the fullest. We owe it to Our Lord to live this life of ours with honesty and integrity.

Deacon Dale