Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Israel trip itinerary

After confirmation of interest in this trip to the Holy Land, I received the following trip itinerary from the government of Israel.
On Feb. 26, our group departs for Israel via El Al airlines. Arrive in Israel on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Ben Gurian International Airport. From there our group transfers to a hotel in Tel Aviv. Time permitting, we will receive a short tour of Tel Aviv, followed by a welcome dinner with various folks from the Israel Ministry of Tourism.
On Feb. 28, we visit ancient Jaffa, incuding St. Peter's Church and the house of Simon the Tanner. From there we continue to Nazareth, with its Basilica of the Annunciation, consecrated in 1964 by Pope Paul VI. We visit Cana, and then travel to Tiberias for dinner and overnight.
On March 1, we visit Tabgha, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitues and then climb Mount Tabor. A second night is scheduled for Tiberias. The afternoon is free for interviews I've set up from the States.
On March 2 we visit Bet Shean (the Roman City of Scythopolis), then continue to the Dead Sea. Following Dead Sea visit, we ascend to Jerusalem, where we have dinner and overnight.
On March 3, we visit the Mount of Olives, walk down to the Garden of Gethsemane and enter the Old City at St. Stephen's Gate. We'll visit the Temple Mount and follow the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Also scheduled is a visit to the Old City bazaars and the David's Tower Museum. The afternoon is free for interviews I've set up from the States. Overnight in Jerusalem.
On March 4 we start the day with Mass, then visit Bethlehem; see the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We'll stop at the birthplace of John the Baptist. Time for one interview I've set up from the States. Overnight in Jerusalem.
On March 5 it's off to visit the Western Wall as dozens of 13-year-olds celebrate their Bar Mitzvahs, then continue on to Yad Vashem, museum and memorial of the Holocaust. The rest of the day is free for interviews I've set up from the States. Overnight in Jerusalem.
On March 6, return home via El Al.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Welcome to this web log

Welcome to Dennis O'Connor's Catholic Telegraph web log. I've created this blog specifically for the readers of The Catholic Telegraph to follow my journey through Israel and the Holy Land in Late February and early March 2007.