From June 8-20, my four classmates, myself, and Fr. Earl Fernandes became pilgrims to the Holy Land. As mentioned, this is an annual part of our program at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West. Every year, the class that has just finished internship is blessed to have this opportunity.
For the sake of this blog, I’ll post pictures and descriptions of some of the many highlights of this trip. The first region of the country that we saw was the northern part of Israel, including the Mediterranean coast and Galilee.
After seeing Caesarea and Mount Carmel in our first couple of days, we drove (rather, “were driven,” as we had a guide and driver for this whole trip) east to the Sea of Galilee. Our home base was the city of Tiberias, and from here we took smaller trips to the Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha (and the Church of the Multiplication), Capernaum, Mount Tabor, Nazareth, Cana, and the Sea of Galilee itself.
Quite a list… and it’s no less incredible to me as I type it out today.
So, here are some photos and descriptions of our visits:

The Church of the Beatitudes
Galilee is a lush, verdant area, in sharp contrast to the desert in southern Israel. This mount, where Christ preached to the masses on the hillside below, forms a natural amphitheater where his teaching could have been heard by all. This 20th century church is simply stunning, and it was a great blessing to spend time here in reflection and prayer.

The Shore of Galilee: “The Church of the Primacy of Peter”
It is said that it is on this spot, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the Risen Lord prepared a fire and meal for his Apostles. Peter, upon seeing the Lord, rushed to the shore. It was here, too, that Peter was reconciled with Christ after his threefold denial, and here Christ commissioned Peter to “feed my sheep.” (John 21)
We were blessed to be able to celebrate daily Mass at so many holy sites. Fr. Fernandes always had a striking homily that incorporated both the readings and the pilgrimage site. This was one of my favorite spots; we were at an outdoor altar very close to the Sea. To hear him speak of Jesus encountering the apostles on the shores of Galilee… with those very shores right behind him… was very powerful.

Capernaum was a key town during Jesus’ Galilean ministry. The ruins of Peter’s home were central in the town. This picture, however, is of the Synagogue in Capernaum. It was here that Jesus proclaimed his “I am the bread of life” discourse. (John 6:48) While a number of the holy locations in Israel are “traditional” or approximate, we know this is exactly where Jesus walked and preached.

Mount Tabor is the location of the Transfiguration. We had a beautiful Mass and time to reflect on the dramatic revelation of Christ’s glory. Another highlight of the trip for many.

The Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth
Okay, I keep saying that these sites were highlights… but this was surely one of my favorites. The mammoth Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth was completed in 1967. Unfortunately, Israel was not immune to the architectural fads of the time. The upper church is certainly a product of the era. However, the lower church (or grotto) is the true highlight. Here we have the excavations of Mary’s childhood home and the spot honored as the location of the Annunciation (and, thus, the Incarnation). I loved praying here and could have stayed for ages.
So… there’s the first part of our trip in condensed “blog” form. In running through the destinations, it might seem as if we were on a mere whirlwind tour of a series of stops. Thankfully, though, we were able to keep it a true “pilgrimage.” Especially as the trip went on, we made sure to take time for a Holy Hour or just time for quiet prayer at the key stops. Celebrating Mass, as mentioned above, was central to at least one of the locations each day. In short, it remained a prayerful and focused trip.
More of the pilgrimage, with more pictures, forthcoming.