October 20 Wednesday
It was a long and tedious plane ride, but after more than 15 hours of travel we landed at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. During our four hours stopover at Zurich airport in Switzerland, some of us used the computer terminals to email messages home. After going through Israeli Immigration at around 12:30 a.m., Dicko, our Holy Land guide took us to the Christmas Hotel in Jerusalem after for a much-needed rest.

October 22 Friday
The first activity of the day was to go to the Mt of Olives and to walk down the Hosanna way. This was the same route Jesus used in his triumphal entry to the Holy City some time before his crucifixion. On the grounds of the chapel of Dominus Flevit the group stopped to enjoy the panoramic view of the Holy City. Dicko pointed out the important sites in the Holy City - the Golden gate, the Holy Sepulchre, the temple mount, Peter in Gallicantu church and Mt. Zion. Then we headed for the open-air chapel in the Garden of Gethsemane area to celebrate the liturgy. Lunch was at the Haas Park and from there we too the bus to Ein Karem to visit the Church of St. John the Baptist. The Canticle of Zachariah is written on the wall in several languages of the world. Then it was time to go up the beautiful church of the Visitation. The steep climb led the pilgrims to one of the beautiful churches of the Holy Land.

October 23 Saturday
Today we drove to Bethlehem to visit and pray at the traditional site of Jesus' birth. Bethlehem was in the midst of major road repairs. Every effort seemed to have been made to provide maximum discomfort for pedestrians who had to walk through unsafe sidewalks to reach the basilica. Fr. Joe Prendergast was the main concelebrant at St. Helena's chapel. We visited the Shepherds' Field chapel after Mass.

We had our lunch and did shopping for religious articles in Bethlehem. We then proceeded to visit the Church of Peter in Gallicantu in Jerusalem. This church commemorates Peter's denial of Jesus in the courtyard of the house of the high priest Caiphas. Going down to the dungeon gave us a sense of the isolation and cruel punishment that Jesus suffered. From that church we visited the Cenacle, the chapel of the Dormition and St. Anne's Church. It was a full day in spite of the usual inconvenience pilgrims or any traveler find in the city.

October 24 Sunday
Wake up call was at 5:45 in the morning! The first stop of the journey was the temple mount where we visited the El Aqsa mosque, once a basilica. Rules are quick strict when one visits the temple. Holding hands even for married couples is prohibited in the El Aqsa mosque as well as the Dome of the Rock. All had to remove their shoes when entering the mosques.

Fr. Lim was the main concelebrant at the chapel of the Scourging of the Pillars. We started the Stations of the Cross from the chapel of the Scourging at the Pillars. It was difficult to do the stations since hawkers would offer their wares as we moved from one station to the other. However, making the Stations of the Cross gave us a sense of the awful mental and physical torture that Christ experienced as He carried His cross through the narrow streets of the Holy City. One of the blessed moments of the Stations was to be able to place one's hand in the hole where the soldiers place the Cross of Christ.

After lunch at a restaurant overlooking Mt. Zion we went to Bethany to visit the tomb of Lazarus and prayed at the basilica dedicated in his honor. The rest of the afternoon was free for the group.

October 25 Monday
Today was travel time from Jerusalem to Tiberias. We stopped at the ancient site of Jericho, one of the oldest continuous living cities in the world. The oasis of Jericho stands in great contrast to the harsh Judean desert. Then it was time to head for Tiberias. After two hours of the bus ride we got off at Yardenit (beginning of the Jordan River) to renew our baptismal vows. The Jordan is really a large creek, rather than a river.

After lunch it was time to board the Jesus boat, a replica of a 2000-year-old boat discovered when the level of the Lake of Galilee went way below normal. The boat took us to Capernaum, Peter's hometown and the favorite town of Jesus. The remains of a fifth century synagogue stand on an earlier temple where Jesus taught. After Capernaum we proceeded to the Mt of Beatitudes where Fr. Jerry McCourt celebrated Mass for the pilgrims. Today was Fr. Jerry's birthday.

Then it was time to head for Tabgha to visit the Church of Primacy and the Benedictine chapel of the Loaves and Fishes. A good number of the pilgrims went to touch the water of Lake Galilee made sacred by Jesus walking on it. Back at the hotel the group surprised Fr. Jerry with a birthday cake during the meal.

October 26 Tuesday
This day took us to Cana of Galilee, the basilica of the Annunciation and Mt. Tabor. At Cana of Galilee Fr. Joe presided at the renewal of vows of the married couples. During the ceremony he instructed the couples to look lovingly on one another as they renewed their vows.

At the basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, much time was spent admiring the paintings and frescoes of Mary on the wall done by artists from all over the world. The most attractive of them all was Our Lady of Japan. The artists decorated the outer section of Mary's dress with pure pearls. Mary certainly deserves all the praises of all generations.

Mt Tabor was quite an experience. The acoustics of the basilica of the transfiguration were excellent. We sang hymns of joy at that sacred mountain where Jesus invited his beloved disciples to experience the transfiguration.

October 27 Wednesday
We left Tiberias this morning for the sparkling port city of Haifa. We ascended Mt. Carmel, home of the prophets Elisha and Elijah. After a panoramic view of the city we proceeded to the Carmelite monastery of Stella Maris where Fr. Gerry McCourt celebrated Mass. After Mass we traveled to the ancient city of Caesaria Maris (by the sea) where St. Peter baptized the Roman centurion and where Paul was imprisoned for two years before he was sent to Rome. Dicko showed the group the remains of the ancient city where Pontius Pilate resided as governor of Palestine. The next stop was Hotel Carmel in Netanya, a resort town on the Mediterranean coastline.

October 28 Thursday
Today was travelling time. After a sumptuous breakfast we left for Ben Gurion airport in Tel Avi where we boarded the almost empty Turkish Airline plane to Izmir, the Turkish name for ancient Smyrna. Kemel, our Turkish guide, met us at the airport and brought us to the hotel in Kusadasi where we stayed for the night.

October 29 Friday
The most important site to visit in Ephesus is a small Byzantine chapel dedicated to our Blessed Mother. It is believed to be the final resting-place of Mary and from where she ascended to Heaven. Pope Paul VI and John Paul II visited this sacred pilgrimage site for Christians. Fr. Joe celebrated Mass at the newly renovated chapel of the Capuchin Fathers.

Following the liturgy it was time to visit the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. It was here that the early Fathers of the Church declared Mary as the Mother of God. We saw the Odeon that Vedius Antonius constructed in the 2nd AD. We walked on Curettes Street, the main streets of ancient Ephesus and marveled at the remains of the library of Celsus. In the great amphitheater we listened to the reading from Acts that described Paul's battle with the followers of Artemis. From Ephesus we took off for Izmir where we stayed for the night.

October 30 Saturday
Today was a long day for the group. The first activity of the day was the liturgy the beautiful church of St. Helena in Izmir. Fr. Alfonso, the kindly Franciscan pastor, gave a moving talk about the work of the Church in the diocese that goes back to apostolic times. He asked the pilgrims to pray for the ministry of silent witness of the presence of Christ in this Moslem City.

From Izmir we went to Sardis, one of the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. We visited the temple of Artemis, walked on the ancient malls of Sardis, saw the altar of Zeus and took our group picture in front of the gymnasium. From there we drove to Assos, modern Behramkale, where Paul visited in one of his missionary journeys. Hotel Eden Garden was a welcome relief after more than ten hours of travel.

Sorry, we couldn't find any grocery store open so we could buy the much sought after Turkish bananas!

October 31 Sunday
In the morning we motored to the ancient city of Assos. The excavation is still going on and restoration of the ancient city is in progress. But from the ancient city of Assos (Behramkale in Turkish) one could see the magnificent view of the Aegean Sea. St. Paul preached continuously for 13 hours in this ancient city. From Assos we drove to the ruins of ancient Troy. It was an important trading post located then at the mouth of the Dardanelles. Homer's Iliad indeed had some foundation in reality.

Then it was time for us to cross the Dardanelles by ferry to the European side of the continent. The delicious Turkish meal and lively conversation left a number of pilgrims stranded on the Asian continent. They had to wait for the next ferryboat to cross the Dardanelles. Thank you Kemal for taking care of the stranded pilgrims. Arrival at Istanbul hotel was at 8:30 p.m.!

November 1, 1999 Monday
This morning, the feast of All Saints, we visited the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi palace in Istanbul and ancient Constantinople. The museum contains priceless artifacts. In the afternoon we cruised on the Bosphorus. This was a wonderful opportunity to view important landmarks as well as luxurious mansions along the shores of the famous strait. After the boat ride it was time to celebrate Mass at the chapel of St. Anthony Church in Istanbul.

November 2, 1999 Tuesday
We visited two religious sites today - the well-known Hagia Sophia and the lesser-known basilica of St. Savior in Chora. Hagia Sophia is filled with history. Two basilicas preceded the present structure. Justinian built the present basilica in 535 AD. The Fathers of the Church preached here. Today it is a museum where one can admire the once largest church in the early Christian centuries. Then it was time to visit the St. Savior basilica, now a museum, but converted to a mosque in the past. The main entrance shows the picture of Christ the Savior of the world. There are frescoes depicting the important elements of the Christian faith. One fresco shows Christ pulling Adam and Eve out of the tomb to bring them to the kingdom of God.

The next stop was the rug factory where we saw young women studying the intricacies of rug making. The day ended with a visit to the Grand Bazaar, the oldest and very large covered market where 4000 shops sell everything from herbs to gold.

November 3, 1999
Quite early in the morning the bus took us to the Istanbul airport for the flight back too San Francisco. The long stop over at Zurich provided the people the opportunity to visit the lovely city of Zurich. It was a cold and muggy day, but the guide Erne showed us the main sights of this Swiss City. It was time to head back home bringing with us wonderful memories of the Holy Land and the places where St. Paul preached to the gospel to the Gentiles.

PICTURES