It was the fulfillment of a life long dream for many of the 30 pilgrims who visited the homeland of Jesus and Egypt from September 9 to 20, 1997. They sailed briefly on the Lake of Galilee, made the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa, prayed at the site of the Crucifixion and rejoiced at the empty Tomb. After the visit of the sacred sites in the Holy Land they traveled to Cairo - retracing the footsteps of Moses and the people of God as they traversed in the arid desert of the Sinai Peninsula to the Promised Land. In Giza the pilgrims marveled at the pyramids, monuments of the ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians.

The pilgrims flew from San Francisco to London on September 9, 1997. Because of a long lay over the pilgrims had a short, but fruitful tour of the city of London. They saw the flowers placed around Buckingham palace and other Royal sites in honor of the late Princess Diana.

After arrival at Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv on September 11, the bus took the pilgrims to Netanya, a suburb of Tel Aviv where they rested briefly. They then took off for Tiberias in the afternoon that same day and visited the ruins of Caesaria Maritima and the church of the Star of the Sea at Carmel where they celebrated Mass. During their stay in Israel the pilgrims visited Cana, Nazareth, Tagbha, Mt. Tabor, Jericho, the Holy Sepulchre, Bethlehem and Ein Karen. They also ascended Masada by cable car and floated on the Dead Sea before heading for Cairo. One of the highlights of the trip was the renewal of vows for married couple in the Franciscan church at Cana.

Cairo was an interesting place to visit. The pilgrims saw the open museum at Memphis, marveled at the wealth of Tutankhamen displayed in the Egyptian museum, viewed the pyramids of Giza. The day before visiting the museum a crazed man and his brother bombed a German bus killing ten people including the Egyptian driver. But when the 30 pilgrims visited the museum none of the ubiquitous vendors were to be seen. The police simply kept non-tourists from the tourist buses.

On the second night in Cairo a group of pilgrims went on a two-hour dinner cruise of the Nile. It was an evening of music and Egyptian folk dances. While in Cairo the pilgrims celebrated Mass at the chapel of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth, a group of Italian nuns. The pilgrims thank the Lord for a safe journey to the land of Jesus and Moses.

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