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Bishop Zubik leading pilgrimage to the Holy Land
archived from: 2013-03-08
by: William Cone, Editor

Pilgrims are invited to walk in Jesus’ footsteps Oct. 2-11

Celebrate Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Walk and pray the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem. Take a dip in the Dead Sea.

Those are just three memorable items on the itinerary of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land being led by Bishop David Zubik from Oct. 2-11.

Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Catholic, the Year of Faith pilgrimage will feature overnight stays in Tel Aviv, Tiberias and Jerusalem. Professional guides will be provided by Unitours Inc., the tour operator.

The plans include:

• Arrival in Tel Aviv Oct. 3 and Mass at the Church of St. Peter in Jaffa, the city of Jonah.

• Visit Caesarea along the Mediterranean Sea on Oct. 4, continue to Mount Carmel and Nazareth for Mass at the Church of the Annunciation. Married couples renew their vows during a stop in Cana.

• A boat ride the next day on the Sea of Galilee, then on to Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus gave his sermon on the mount. Following Mass, the pilgrims will see the Franciscan Church of St. Peter’s Primacy, the location where Jesus appeared after his resurrection, the Benedictine Basilica of the Loaves and Fishes, and Mount Tabor, site of the Transfiguration.

• On Oct. 6, members of the Pittsburgh group renew their baptismal promises in the Jordan River. On the way to Judea, the pilgrims visit Jericho and Bethany (tour the tomb of Lazarus), and celebrate the Eucharist in the Church of Martha and Mary. They head to their hotel in Jerusalem.

• After viewing the city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, the Pittsburghers move to the Garden of Gethsemane and Mass at the Church of All Nations. They view the Dead Sea Scrolls and visit Ein Karem, where St. John the Baptist was born and Mary spoke the words of the Magnificat.

• The group returns to the Judean wilderness Oct. 8 to see Masada, the mountaintop fortress of King Herod, and excavations at Qumran. Depending on the weather, pilgrims will swim in the salty waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Then to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, where Mass is celebrated.

• A stop Oct. 9 at St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Jesus was held in the house of the high priest Caiaphas. They enter Jerusalem’s Old City and visit the Church of St. Ann and the convent of the Sisters of Zion, then pray the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa. Mass is celebrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

• The pilgrims visit the tomb of King David and the Church of Dormition, then re-enter the Old City to pray at the Western Wall. They celebrate their final Holy Land Mass at Abu Gosh, one of the traditional sites of Emmaus, where the apostles encountered the risen Christ. A farewell dinner is enjoyed before heading to the airport for return flights.

An optional three-day extension is available to see sites in Jordan, including Mount Nebo and Petra, the famous city carved into a mountain that was chosen by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the “28 places to see before you die.”

It is an honor to have Bishop Zubik lead another pilgrimage for us, said William Cone, editor of the Pittsburgh Catholic.

“Our journey to Italy last October was amazing and full of remarkable experiences,” he said, “and we’re sure that this one will be doubly so in the Holy Land. What a privilege to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.”

Joining Bishop Zubik as spiritual guides will be Father Daniele Vallecorsa, pastor of St. Regis Parish in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood and chaplain to the Latino Catholic Community, and Father Michael Roche, parochial vicar at St. Paul Cathedral and chaplain at Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic high schools.

The cost for the pilgrimage will be $4,099, based on flights from Pittsburgh International Airport, with two people per room (single supplement is $537) in first-class hotels. All prices are subject to change.

A $50 early booking discount is available if reserved by April 8.

A more detailed itinerary is available by calling Unitours at 800-777-7432 or going to www.unitours.com/client/PittsburghCatholicHL.pdf. Call today to reserve your spot on this Holy Land pilgrimage.

See future Pittsburgh Catholic articles for updates.

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