A great day today!
Mass this morning in St. Peter's Basilica, in the Polish chapel (Cappella Polocca) under the main altar, in the grottoes of the Vatican. It was very neat to have our own mass there, with Father Parham presiding. He has been going through a series of consistent messages in his homilies during this trip, and since today was our last mass, he tied everything together very nicely! He has been talking about the 3 most important words in the scriptures: covenant, remembering, and returning.
Next we took a tour of the Vatican Museum. We walked for the longest time to get to the entrance and then stood in line for a long time, then 2-3 hour tour of the museum. We had a good 20 minutes of guided tour with explanations and plenty of time to look around in the Sistine Chapel. We were pooped, but we saw lots of wonderful things!
Afterward, we recuperated over lunch. I had gnocchi and Kathleen had fettucine with mushrooms. Yum!
Next, a taxi ride to St. John Lateran, the papal basilica prior to St. Peter's becoming the home of the pope. This church dates back to Constantine around 300 AD. It has been damaged many times over the subsequent years (fire, earthquake, etc.) but unlike many of the other churches we have seen, they kept to the original design and preserved the original church. Also saw the "sacred steps" across the street in another church. These were brought back by St. Helena from Jerusalem and are thought to be the steps that Jesus climbed toward Pontius Pilate.
A going away celebration dinner tonight, an early morning tomorrow, and then traveling home. See you soon!
- Jill
Thursday, March 22, 2012
St. Peter's Basilica, Rome
Kathleen touching the foot of the St. Peter statue - a common activity for pilgrims here.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
March 21, 2012 - Rome
We had a lovely day today in Rome. The weather was clear and sunny, with spring-like temperatures. And we saw and did lots of wonderful things!
We had a free morning, so we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then headed for St. Peter's square, which is just a few blocks away. We enjoyed looking around the square. I remembered from a previous trip that there was a great Vatican City bookstore and gift shop just outside of St. Peter's, so we spent some time in there. I bought a bible and cathechism for myself. What a great place to get them from. And Kathleen and I found some other things there that we were tickled with.
After a long shopping excursion, we bought some sandwiches from a nearby food vendor, and some gelato, and sat on some steps in the shade in St. Peter's Square, to eat our lunch. We had a great view of St. Peter's, and it was a nice spot to relax.
We met back with our group and local tour guides (Francesca and Monica) for a combination afternoon walking tour and bus tour around the Roman Forum, Maritime Prison (where St Peter and St. Paul were held before they were killed), Colosseum, and nearby areas. Kathleen and I had been to some of these areas before, but not all, and I didn't mind some repeats when it comes to ancient Rome. This is an area I have very much enjoyed visiting. My 3rd time, Kathleen's 2nd time. But I have to admit that it is tiring and hard on the old feet to tromp around on the stones all afternoon!
At 5:00 pm, we had mass at San Onofrio (St. Humphey's). There was a beautiful fresco behind the altar. There is also a convent here. The outside looks sort of run down, but there is some stunning art inside!
After a lovely Italian dinner of bruschetta, pasta and veal, we are stuffed and pretty worn out! Tomorrow we meet at 7:15 am, then Father Parham gets to hold a special mass at St. Peter's at 8:00 am! I think it is going to be in the grottoes - not sure - stay tuned - should be very special. And then we are going to tour the Vatican museum afterward. Tomorrow is essentially the last day of our trip, as Friday we travel back. Should be a long and fun-filled day, as we start at 7:15 am and are scheduled to finish the day at 9:30 pm.
We had a free morning, so we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then headed for St. Peter's square, which is just a few blocks away. We enjoyed looking around the square. I remembered from a previous trip that there was a great Vatican City bookstore and gift shop just outside of St. Peter's, so we spent some time in there. I bought a bible and cathechism for myself. What a great place to get them from. And Kathleen and I found some other things there that we were tickled with.
After a long shopping excursion, we bought some sandwiches from a nearby food vendor, and some gelato, and sat on some steps in the shade in St. Peter's Square, to eat our lunch. We had a great view of St. Peter's, and it was a nice spot to relax.
We met back with our group and local tour guides (Francesca and Monica) for a combination afternoon walking tour and bus tour around the Roman Forum, Maritime Prison (where St Peter and St. Paul were held before they were killed), Colosseum, and nearby areas. Kathleen and I had been to some of these areas before, but not all, and I didn't mind some repeats when it comes to ancient Rome. This is an area I have very much enjoyed visiting. My 3rd time, Kathleen's 2nd time. But I have to admit that it is tiring and hard on the old feet to tromp around on the stones all afternoon!
At 5:00 pm, we had mass at San Onofrio (St. Humphey's). There was a beautiful fresco behind the altar. There is also a convent here. The outside looks sort of run down, but there is some stunning art inside!
After a lovely Italian dinner of bruschetta, pasta and veal, we are stuffed and pretty worn out! Tomorrow we meet at 7:15 am, then Father Parham gets to hold a special mass at St. Peter's at 8:00 am! I think it is going to be in the grottoes - not sure - stay tuned - should be very special. And then we are going to tour the Vatican museum afterward. Tomorrow is essentially the last day of our trip, as Friday we travel back. Should be a long and fun-filled day, as we start at 7:15 am and are scheduled to finish the day at 9:30 pm.
Church of St. Peter, Tiberias, Israel
We had mass in this church before we left Israel. It was built around 1100 AD (crusader period).
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
March 20, 2012
This morning we checked out of our hotel at the Sea of Galilee. We had mass at a St. Peter's church near the hotel. This was a crusader church built around 1100 AD. It had some lovely carved wooden statues which were left in the original wood (not painted) - they were really beautiful.
Most of the rest of the day was spent traveling back to Tel Aviv and then to Rome, for part 2 of our trip. So not much else to say about today, except that our hotel is right next to the Vatican, and we had a wonderful Italian dinner tonight, with veal, pasta and a Napoleon pastry dessert. Kathleen particularly loved it.
But stay tuned - we'll have lots to post about Rome tomorrow!
Most of the rest of the day was spent traveling back to Tel Aviv and then to Rome, for part 2 of our trip. So not much else to say about today, except that our hotel is right next to the Vatican, and we had a wonderful Italian dinner tonight, with veal, pasta and a Napoleon pastry dessert. Kathleen particularly loved it.
But stay tuned - we'll have lots to post about Rome tomorrow!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Basilica of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor
Here Father Parham is giving the homily. Can you see some of the beautiful gold and blue mosaics, and the peacock window (symbol of eternal life) behind the altar? So beautiful!
March 19, 2012
Made an early start to get up to Mount Tabor, a very high and steep conical (possibly volcanic cone) mountain where it is believed that the Transfiguration occurred. It was windy and cold here, and the church was located on the highest part of the mountain. The wind had blown in a lot of sand from the nearby desert, and it was like a fog hanging over the world below the peak of he mountain where we were. We had Mass in the lower church, which is decorated with a gorgeous blue and gold mosaic, and a brilliant purple and multi-colored peacock window behind the altar. Peacocks are a symbol of eternal life. It was hard to stop looking at the mosaic during Mass. Kathleen said it was the most beautiful mosaic she had seen since Lourdes.
Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, at Nof Ginosaur, a Jewish kibbutz village. The boat was a reproduction of the kind used about 2000 years ago. During the boat ride, Father David and Father Parham read from the Gospels set on the Sea of Galilee. Because of the sand in the air (from the desert wind), we could not see very far on the lake, and we did not go out very far. But it was still a very nice experience!
Korsi, land of the Gerasenes, near where Jesus drove demons out of a man and into a herd of swine. There were ancient ruins of a church here with the mosaic floor tiles still intact and still beautiful ! And we hiked up to the remains of the cave where the demoniac was said to live beforehand.
Mount of Beatitudes - There is a small quiet church and a large campus here run by Franciscan sisters, and it is very pastoral here. Easy to imagine Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount to thousands of people here. Many visitors to this spot. It is very special here.
Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, home of Mary Magdalene. They are excavating parts of the ancient city and we visited the archeological sites.
Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, at Nof Ginosaur, a Jewish kibbutz village. The boat was a reproduction of the kind used about 2000 years ago. During the boat ride, Father David and Father Parham read from the Gospels set on the Sea of Galilee. Because of the sand in the air (from the desert wind), we could not see very far on the lake, and we did not go out very far. But it was still a very nice experience!
Korsi, land of the Gerasenes, near where Jesus drove demons out of a man and into a herd of swine. There were ancient ruins of a church here with the mosaic floor tiles still intact and still beautiful ! And we hiked up to the remains of the cave where the demoniac was said to live beforehand.
Mount of Beatitudes - There is a small quiet church and a large campus here run by Franciscan sisters, and it is very pastoral here. Easy to imagine Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount to thousands of people here. Many visitors to this spot. It is very special here.
Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, home of Mary Magdalene. They are excavating parts of the ancient city and we visited the archeological sites.
March 18, 2012
Internet was down last night - sorry for the late post!
Drove to Mediterranean coast to visit Caesarea, an ancient Roman city and seaport built by Herod the Great. Paul was held captive here for 2 years. There are remains of a hippodrome or chariot track which was the setting for Ben Hur's race. Also an amphitheater which is still in use. Would be fun to see a concert here. A very striking place. Mediterranean sea and beach right next to ancient ruins. Take a look at the pictures!
Nazareth: Mass in the Grotto of the Annunciation. Very, very special! Kathleen and I loved this church and the grotto. Many people were here visiting, from all over the world. And next to it is the church of St. Joseph, over the remains of the home, which we visited (many feet under the church/in the crypt).
Cana, site of the first miracle Jesus performed, at a wedding feast. This is a popular place for couples to renew their vows, and all of the couples with us (about 9 couples) did that. A nice little village.
Drove to Mediterranean coast to visit Caesarea, an ancient Roman city and seaport built by Herod the Great. Paul was held captive here for 2 years. There are remains of a hippodrome or chariot track which was the setting for Ben Hur's race. Also an amphitheater which is still in use. Would be fun to see a concert here. A very striking place. Mediterranean sea and beach right next to ancient ruins. Take a look at the pictures!
Nazareth: Mass in the Grotto of the Annunciation. Very, very special! Kathleen and I loved this church and the grotto. Many people were here visiting, from all over the world. And next to it is the church of St. Joseph, over the remains of the home, which we visited (many feet under the church/in the crypt).
Cana, site of the first miracle Jesus performed, at a wedding feast. This is a popular place for couples to renew their vows, and all of the couples with us (about 9 couples) did that. A nice little village.
Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth
We had our own Mass at this church and shrine. The altar is in front of the grotto where it is believed that Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and told that she would conceive a child. You can see the opening of the cave/grotto behind Father Parham as he celebrates the Mass. It was one of my highlights of the trip!Also on the same property were the remains of what was believed to be Joseph's house in Nazareth, and a church was constructed over that spot.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
March 17, 2012
St. Patrick's Day in Israel!
A beautiful blue sky with a few clouds, a cool spring day. At the Sea of Galilee and nearby areas today. Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake, but very big.
- Drove around the Sea of Galilee area, through the most beautiful countryside I've seen anywhere (so far). Though I haven't been to Ireland, this unusually wet spring/late winter here sort of reminds me a little bit of what I think Ireland looks like. Perhaps that is because it is St. Patty's day. Green grass covered hills with white rocks poking out of the grass everywhere (it is very rocky here). Animals grazing. Spring wildflowers. Fruit orchards in spring bloom. The Sea of Galilee at one low extreme (720 feet below sea level) and 9,000 ft snow covered Mount Herman at the other high extreme - we could see both at the same time, and rolling green and flower covered hills in between, with springs and streams rushing because of the spring thaw. The natural beauty was stunning.
- First stop Caesarea Philippi, ruins of a Roman City. Temple to Pan. Close to Lebanon border. Ruins of palace of Herod the Great's son Philip. A natural spring there (see gorgeous photos posted of this area). Biblical significance of the cave there.
- Golan Heights, by Syrian border - see more that I wrote with photo
- Lunch on local fish from the Sea of Galilee called "St. Peter's fish", because of the Bible story about Peter finding the money to pay the tax in a fish's mouth upon Jesus' instruction.
- Tabgha at the Sea of Galilee. Loaves and Fishes Church, near the site of the miracle mentioned in all 4 Gospels. See more at photo post.
- Church of St Peter's Primacy, just a few feet from the Sea. See more at the photo of me on the shore. Father Parham taught us here.
- Capernaum, an excavated Roman community. Large community for its time. Mass in a beautiful modern church which was built over the archeological site of St. Peter's actual house in Capernaum. The floor of the church is glass so you could see into the archeol. site below. And the walls were glass so the sun came in as we had a late afternoon service, and it was just lovely. Jesus also lived and taught here (though he traveled quite a bit) for approx 3 years. Ancient Jewish synagogue (see photo). We had some teaching in the synagogue from Father David.
A beautiful day!
A beautiful blue sky with a few clouds, a cool spring day. At the Sea of Galilee and nearby areas today. Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake, but very big.
- Drove around the Sea of Galilee area, through the most beautiful countryside I've seen anywhere (so far). Though I haven't been to Ireland, this unusually wet spring/late winter here sort of reminds me a little bit of what I think Ireland looks like. Perhaps that is because it is St. Patty's day. Green grass covered hills with white rocks poking out of the grass everywhere (it is very rocky here). Animals grazing. Spring wildflowers. Fruit orchards in spring bloom. The Sea of Galilee at one low extreme (720 feet below sea level) and 9,000 ft snow covered Mount Herman at the other high extreme - we could see both at the same time, and rolling green and flower covered hills in between, with springs and streams rushing because of the spring thaw. The natural beauty was stunning.
- First stop Caesarea Philippi, ruins of a Roman City. Temple to Pan. Close to Lebanon border. Ruins of palace of Herod the Great's son Philip. A natural spring there (see gorgeous photos posted of this area). Biblical significance of the cave there.
- Golan Heights, by Syrian border - see more that I wrote with photo
- Lunch on local fish from the Sea of Galilee called "St. Peter's fish", because of the Bible story about Peter finding the money to pay the tax in a fish's mouth upon Jesus' instruction.
- Tabgha at the Sea of Galilee. Loaves and Fishes Church, near the site of the miracle mentioned in all 4 Gospels. See more at photo post.
- Church of St Peter's Primacy, just a few feet from the Sea. See more at the photo of me on the shore. Father Parham taught us here.
- Capernaum, an excavated Roman community. Large community for its time. Mass in a beautiful modern church which was built over the archeological site of St. Peter's actual house in Capernaum. The floor of the church is glass so you could see into the archeol. site below. And the walls were glass so the sun came in as we had a late afternoon service, and it was just lovely. Jesus also lived and taught here (though he traveled quite a bit) for approx 3 years. Ancient Jewish synagogue (see photo). We had some teaching in the synagogue from Father David.
A beautiful day!
Shore of the Sea of Galilee
We stopped at the Church of the Primacy of Peter and Father Parham talked with us about Jesus asking Peter, "do you love me?" three times. It was a beautiful small church, maintained by the Franciscans, and it was just a few feet from this spot at the Sea of Galilee. We picked up a couple of fresh water sea shells to take home.Roman city of Capernaum, Israel
Father Parham at Capernaum.These are the ruins of the "white synagogue" in Capernaum. Jesus lived in Capernaum for probably 3 years, and some of the apostles were from Capernaum. Jesus was said to have taught in the earlier synagogue, the ruins of which are underneath the ruins of this synagogue. I believe they said this synagoge was built around 300 years after Jesus lived. We sat in this spot for about 30 minutes and listened to Father David tell us about the biblical references relating to Capernaum and the Eucharist. It was a very nice spot for a Bible lesson!
A church at Sea of Galilee
This was the Benedictine church commemorating the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, by the Sea of Galilee.
At the windy Golan Heights, Israel
Syria is in the background, but though we could see the border in the distance, don't worry - we stayed on the Israel side. Also in the photo is Kathy O'Connell, who went withTherese and Kathleen to Fatima and Lourdes and is a good friend of Therese's. River Bannias, Israel
Note cave which was significant in Jesus' teachings about the underworld. Herod's palace was in front of the cave and to the right. This was really a beautiful spot.
Herod's Palace, Bannias River, Israel (close to Lebanon)
A temple to Pan was here, then Herod built a palace here. It is where the Bannias River starts from a spring. It eventually joins the Jordan River. Also, Jesus and the apostles visited this place.
Friday, March 16, 2012
March 16, 2012 (Friday)
What a great day we have had! Lots to tell but it's late and so I will try to summarize.
- Supposed to do 1-2 more things in Jerusalem this morning but there was a marathon all around the old city wall and so we were trapped. Bus could not get to us to pick us up. It was our last day in Jerusalem so we checked out of the hotel and lugged our bags 10 or 15 minutes, crossed the marathon route on foot, and connected with our bus!
- Drove to Bethany, which was mentioned 3 places in the Bible. Most famous was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Kathleen climbed down slippery stairs to see his tomb. Had a lovely mass at the Catholic church built here to mark the 3 occasions. Sanctuary of St. Lazarus has beautiful mosaics. There was a man with a camel here. Kathleen wanted to take the camel's picture, but the man was a good salesman and convinced her to get on. See the photo I posted today!
- To Qumran, the site in the desert where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. Took a brief tour and saw a historical video about the Essenes who most likely wrote the scrolls about 2000 years ago. This place is super interesting and beautiful in a desert way - I would have liked to study it more.
- To the Jordan River, Quasar El Yahud site. Between the Israel and Jordan borders. This area was disputed between the country of Jordan and Israel from 1948 until 1967 I believe, and so it was mined. It was only recently opened up for visitors. Now there is a lovely baptismal site where many hundreds of people were visiting today. A good photo posted. I heard John Hagee broadcasted a 1.5 hour show from there today, so let me know if any of you saw it! (long shot) Here we repeated our baptismal vows, and we were sprinkled with the water, but we didn't get in. Some people went for full immersion in other visiting groups, but we did the quick "drive by" instead. We had many more things to do today. This spot was really special, I thought. We would have spent more time here if we could.
- To the Dead Sea for a quick dipping in and lunch. Kalia Beach access point. We had limited time, so again, we decided against full immersion! Arms and legs only. Used some of the famous mud on our skin. We had fun here at the Dead Sea! Laughed a lot.
- Jericho, probably the oldest settlement on the planet, and site of both New and Old Testament references. Signs of civilization date back 10,000 years, and has been continuously inhabited since then. Reason is that there is a natural spring here which made this a desert oasis. The spring is still there, and we visited it, dipping our hands into the spring.
- Drive north through the Jordan River Valley is interesting. More lush and green here. Lots of cultivation. Dates, tomatoes, all kinds of crops could be seen. Lots of sheep and goat herds being tended - that probably hasn't changed much over the years. We crossed through an Israeli checkpoint as we left the west bank and crossed back into Israel proper. Same some bunkers nearby, I guess for emergency use.
- Arrived at Sea of Galilee, checked into new hotel for next few days. We are staying at the town of Tiberias, which was founded by the Romans (Herod Antipas) in the time of Jesus (about 17-18 AD). Tiberias was the caesar or emperort of Rome at the time.
We had lots of water activity today: River Jordan baptisms, wading in the Dead Sea, and visiting the spring of Jericho. And many other activities - a great day!
- Supposed to do 1-2 more things in Jerusalem this morning but there was a marathon all around the old city wall and so we were trapped. Bus could not get to us to pick us up. It was our last day in Jerusalem so we checked out of the hotel and lugged our bags 10 or 15 minutes, crossed the marathon route on foot, and connected with our bus!
- Drove to Bethany, which was mentioned 3 places in the Bible. Most famous was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Kathleen climbed down slippery stairs to see his tomb. Had a lovely mass at the Catholic church built here to mark the 3 occasions. Sanctuary of St. Lazarus has beautiful mosaics. There was a man with a camel here. Kathleen wanted to take the camel's picture, but the man was a good salesman and convinced her to get on. See the photo I posted today!
- To Qumran, the site in the desert where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. Took a brief tour and saw a historical video about the Essenes who most likely wrote the scrolls about 2000 years ago. This place is super interesting and beautiful in a desert way - I would have liked to study it more.
- To the Jordan River, Quasar El Yahud site. Between the Israel and Jordan borders. This area was disputed between the country of Jordan and Israel from 1948 until 1967 I believe, and so it was mined. It was only recently opened up for visitors. Now there is a lovely baptismal site where many hundreds of people were visiting today. A good photo posted. I heard John Hagee broadcasted a 1.5 hour show from there today, so let me know if any of you saw it! (long shot) Here we repeated our baptismal vows, and we were sprinkled with the water, but we didn't get in. Some people went for full immersion in other visiting groups, but we did the quick "drive by" instead. We had many more things to do today. This spot was really special, I thought. We would have spent more time here if we could.
- To the Dead Sea for a quick dipping in and lunch. Kalia Beach access point. We had limited time, so again, we decided against full immersion! Arms and legs only. Used some of the famous mud on our skin. We had fun here at the Dead Sea! Laughed a lot.
- Jericho, probably the oldest settlement on the planet, and site of both New and Old Testament references. Signs of civilization date back 10,000 years, and has been continuously inhabited since then. Reason is that there is a natural spring here which made this a desert oasis. The spring is still there, and we visited it, dipping our hands into the spring.
- Drive north through the Jordan River Valley is interesting. More lush and green here. Lots of cultivation. Dates, tomatoes, all kinds of crops could be seen. Lots of sheep and goat herds being tended - that probably hasn't changed much over the years. We crossed through an Israeli checkpoint as we left the west bank and crossed back into Israel proper. Same some bunkers nearby, I guess for emergency use.
- Arrived at Sea of Galilee, checked into new hotel for next few days. We are staying at the town of Tiberias, which was founded by the Romans (Herod Antipas) in the time of Jesus (about 17-18 AD). Tiberias was the caesar or emperort of Rome at the time.
We had lots of water activity today: River Jordan baptisms, wading in the Dead Sea, and visiting the spring of Jericho. And many other activities - a great day!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
March 15, 2012
Today we visited several sites in Old Jerusalem. It rained off and on (wait a minute,....aren't we in the desert?) and was cool, but not so much rain that it stopped us from doing what we wanted to do.
- First we went through St. Stephen's gate into the old city of Jerusalem. St. Stephen was thought to be martyred near this spot.
- Walked to Church of St. Anne, mother of Mary. An ancient church (crusaders, circa 1099) built over the spot where it is thought that Mary was born and lived as a young girl.
- Nearby are Pools of Bethesda, where the Bible says that Jesus cured a paralytic. They are dry now (drained) and have been excavated as an archeological site.
- Mass in the Chapel of Flagellation, to commemorate Jesus' scourging. This was a small chapel but very special with many details like a crown of thorns light fixture, and a crown of thorns mosaic over the altar. The mass was very special too.
- The highlight of the day was going through the stations of the cross where they actually occurred. We have done the stations over the years as Catholics, within a church, but this was really different since we were walking the route that it is thought Jesus took. This route is called the Via Dolorosa. Our group took turns carrying a light cross and Kathleen and I did that together. Very special experience.
- Stations of cross ended at Church of Holy Sepulchre, over the site of Calvary and the tomb. The last 5 stations are actually located within that church. This church has 10,000-25,000 visitors a day. It is one of the most revered sites in the Christian world. You can feel it too when you enter.
We had a nice farewell to jerusalem dinner tonight at a local restaurant. Middle eastern/Mediterranean food. Kathleen tried hummus for the first time and liked it!
Tomorrow we are seeing a few more sites in Jerusalem then traveling to the Dead See, Galilee, and Jericho. Different hotel room starting tomorrow night, in Tiberias at the Sea of Galilee. Will send an update from there assuming that internet access is decent!
- First we went through St. Stephen's gate into the old city of Jerusalem. St. Stephen was thought to be martyred near this spot.
- Walked to Church of St. Anne, mother of Mary. An ancient church (crusaders, circa 1099) built over the spot where it is thought that Mary was born and lived as a young girl.
- Nearby are Pools of Bethesda, where the Bible says that Jesus cured a paralytic. They are dry now (drained) and have been excavated as an archeological site.
- Mass in the Chapel of Flagellation, to commemorate Jesus' scourging. This was a small chapel but very special with many details like a crown of thorns light fixture, and a crown of thorns mosaic over the altar. The mass was very special too.
- The highlight of the day was going through the stations of the cross where they actually occurred. We have done the stations over the years as Catholics, within a church, but this was really different since we were walking the route that it is thought Jesus took. This route is called the Via Dolorosa. Our group took turns carrying a light cross and Kathleen and I did that together. Very special experience.
- Stations of cross ended at Church of Holy Sepulchre, over the site of Calvary and the tomb. The last 5 stations are actually located within that church. This church has 10,000-25,000 visitors a day. It is one of the most revered sites in the Christian world. You can feel it too when you enter.
We had a nice farewell to jerusalem dinner tonight at a local restaurant. Middle eastern/Mediterranean food. Kathleen tried hummus for the first time and liked it!
Tomorrow we are seeing a few more sites in Jerusalem then traveling to the Dead See, Galilee, and Jericho. Different hotel room starting tomorrow night, in Tiberias at the Sea of Galilee. Will send an update from there assuming that internet access is decent!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
March 14, 2012
Today was a busy day! Unfortunately Kathleen and I left our jackets on yesterday's bus, and we were on a different bus today. It was cold and windy. Kathleen had on a short sleeved shirt and was particulary cold. Thankfully we got our jackets back at the end of the day, so we'll be better prepared for tomorrow. :)
- Chapel of Ascension, Mount of Olives. Commemorates the approximate area where Jesus ascended into heaven while in the presence of the disciples.
- Dominus Flevit chapel. Mass there. Lovely! Commemorates the event where Jesus wept as he approached Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Mount of Olives.
- Walked down the Mount of Olives (steep!) to the Garden of Gethsemane.
- Spot where Jesus experienced the agony. A beautiful church now located next to the garden. Garden is lovely and very special.
- Back to the Mount of Olives to visit the grotto where it is believed that Jesus met several times with the disciples for teaching, including where he taught them the Our Father. So the chapel is named "Pater Noster" which is Latin for Our Father. There was a friendly kitty cat there who enjoyed being petted for a few minutes (and I enjoyed it too).
- Passed through the Jaffa gate into old Jerusalem. Lunch in Old Jerusalem at a "shwarma restaurant" where Kathleen had a chicken shwarma (basically a chicken gyro in a pita) and I had a falafel pita. Spent a lot of time walking around Old Jerusalem today! Especially in the Jewish quarter (the other quarters are Christian, Moslem and Armenian).
- Walked on the Cardo or old Roman road in the old city. (see photo on separate post)
- Next the Western Wall or Wailing Wall. If you are reading this blog, there is a good chance that you had an intention placed for you there today (by me), because I tried to cover most everybody that I care about (relatives and friends) ! This is a holy spot for the Jews, and we were mindful to be quiet there, and back away from the Wall (not turn our back on it) to be respectful. People can place small pieces of paper there with their intentions written on them.
- Visited an excavated house / archeological site from about 70 AD, which was likely burned by the Romans when they put down an uprising in Jerusalem. Called "Burnt House", not very creatively. This probably occurred in the year that the 2nd temple (Herod's temple) was destroyed.
- Passed throug the Zion gate out of the old city and onto Mount Zion. Visited the Church of Dormition (Mary), King David's tomb, and the approximate site of the Last Supper/later, Pentecost.
Whew!
Some of the group went back to Gethsemane tonight from 8:30 to 9:30 tonight, but not Kathleen and I - we were too tired! Tomorrow will be busy also - stay tuned for following the way of the cross through Jerusalem!
- Chapel of Ascension, Mount of Olives. Commemorates the approximate area where Jesus ascended into heaven while in the presence of the disciples.
- Dominus Flevit chapel. Mass there. Lovely! Commemorates the event where Jesus wept as he approached Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Mount of Olives.
- Walked down the Mount of Olives (steep!) to the Garden of Gethsemane.
- Spot where Jesus experienced the agony. A beautiful church now located next to the garden. Garden is lovely and very special.
- Back to the Mount of Olives to visit the grotto where it is believed that Jesus met several times with the disciples for teaching, including where he taught them the Our Father. So the chapel is named "Pater Noster" which is Latin for Our Father. There was a friendly kitty cat there who enjoyed being petted for a few minutes (and I enjoyed it too).
- Passed through the Jaffa gate into old Jerusalem. Lunch in Old Jerusalem at a "shwarma restaurant" where Kathleen had a chicken shwarma (basically a chicken gyro in a pita) and I had a falafel pita. Spent a lot of time walking around Old Jerusalem today! Especially in the Jewish quarter (the other quarters are Christian, Moslem and Armenian).
- Walked on the Cardo or old Roman road in the old city. (see photo on separate post)
- Next the Western Wall or Wailing Wall. If you are reading this blog, there is a good chance that you had an intention placed for you there today (by me), because I tried to cover most everybody that I care about (relatives and friends) ! This is a holy spot for the Jews, and we were mindful to be quiet there, and back away from the Wall (not turn our back on it) to be respectful. People can place small pieces of paper there with their intentions written on them.
- Visited an excavated house / archeological site from about 70 AD, which was likely burned by the Romans when they put down an uprising in Jerusalem. Called "Burnt House", not very creatively. This probably occurred in the year that the 2nd temple (Herod's temple) was destroyed.
- Passed throug the Zion gate out of the old city and onto Mount Zion. Visited the Church of Dormition (Mary), King David's tomb, and the approximate site of the Last Supper/later, Pentecost.
Whew!
Some of the group went back to Gethsemane tonight from 8:30 to 9:30 tonight, but not Kathleen and I - we were too tired! Tomorrow will be busy also - stay tuned for following the way of the cross through Jerusalem!
Ancient Roman road in Jerusalem
This is a section of the main Roman era road through Jerusalem 2000 years ago. It is several feet below current street level. It ran the length of ancient Jerusalem (inside the walls) and was called the Cardo.
Church at Gethsemane
This church was next to the garden at Gethsemane, where Jesus experienced the agony before his death. There are still several ancient olive treest in the garden.
Chapel of Dominus Flevit, Mount of Olives
We had a lovely mass in this chapel on the Mount of Olives. This chapel's name means "the Lord wept" and was built to commemorate the time when Jesus wept over his prophecy that Jerusalem would be destroyed, as he approached Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This beautiful window is behind the altar and if my photo had been a little better, you could see Jerusalem through the window.
Kathleen in front of the chapel of the Ascension
March 14, 2012This chapel marks the spot at/near where Jesus ascended into heaven, on the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem.
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