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An Invitation to Pilgrimage: The Holy Land Calls

Contributed by: The Rev. Stephanie Shockley, Church of the Holy Cross

The rotunda/edicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher/Resurrection

In early 2020, before the world shut down, my husband and I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We joined a group led by a seminary classmate, the rector of a parish in Ithaca, NY. I had dreamed of making this pilgrimage for decades, and for years I had looked for the right opportunity. I wanted to see the places where Jesus walked, and get to know the holy city of Jerusalem, the site of so much faith, so much prayer, and so much violence and conflict. I also wanted to learn more about the political situation in that most complex and complicated region and meet the modern-day Christians who live and worship there.

And that is what we did. For 12 days our group explored the Holy Land, praying, singing, learning, and discussing. We walked where Jesus walked. We discovered that the Galilee region, where Jesus grew up and where he spent most of his ministry, is breathtakingly beautiful, a verdant land covered in fields of date palms, mangoes, olives, and grapes. We stood in the desert at dawn, imagining Jesus fasting and praying there. We lit candles in churches large and small, just like millions before us, and with our fingers traced the crosses carved into the walls of the Church of the Resurrection by medieval pilgrims. At the Jordan River we renewed our baptismal vows. In pre-dawn darkness and dreary rain we followed the Way of the Cross as delivery trucks carefully maneuvered around us in the narrow streets.

We met the Christians of the Holy Land, the people who call themselves the Living Stones. They relayed their struggles to us, sharing the hardships of life in a conflict zone. They also blessed us with extraordinary hospitality—everything from delicious falafel and homemade pita bread near Jesus’ birthplace to tiny cups of Arab-style coffee in the garden of a Greek Orthodox church on a mountain. We joined congregations in the celebration of the Eucharist in English and Arabic, and once a Syriac Christian prayed over us, offering the Lord’s prayer in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Our guides were also Christians, a family of Palestinian Anglicans. They led our journey with humor, thoughtfulness, and patience, taking delight in answering our endless questions.

Through the challenges of the pandemic, I have thought of the lessons of the pilgrimage. One of the reasons people make pilgrimages is to experience the presence of God in a new and different place. The interesting thing about that is that somehow, pilgrimage makes it easier to recognize that God was there, all along, in our usual surroundings.

One of the ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

This is true of Holy Land pilgrimage. The Holy Land is sacred to three of the world’s religions, and it is where Jesus Christ lived, ministered, was crucified, and was resurrected. But one should not confuse “holy” with perfect. The Holy Land is a complex place, torn by conflict. It was impossible to ignore the contemporary situation while traveling there, even if we had wanted to. And yet, amid it all, God was still there. Jesus walked alongside us. That, for me, was what made it most holy. God was right there, in the middle of harsh reality. And I was reminded, over and over again, of all the struggles and conflicts closer to home, of the healing reconciliation needed not just in a place thousands of miles away but also in our own neighborhoods, our own lives. The Holy Land reminded me that God is with us here too, offering hope in the broken places in our own part of the world.

I long to return to the land of the Holy One, as so many there call it. From the moment we arrived home I thought about making plans to return, and to bring others on that transformative journey.

Will you join us? A pilgrimage to the Holy Land, staying at the wonderful pilgrim guest house at the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, led by the same local Christian family, is scheduled for May 2–13, 2023. The invitation is open to the diocese, and spots are limited, so it is best to register soon.

For more information, contact me, the Rev. Stephanie Shockley, via email or call the Church of the Holy Cross office 908-756-2438.

There will also be a zoom information session on Sunday, May 22 at 3:00 p.m. for those who would like to learn more. Please reach out to the email above for the Zoom link.

Planned Itinerary 

TUESDAY, MAY 2, DAY 1: DEPART U.S.A

On our way to the Holy Land

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, DAY 2: ARRIVE BEN GURION AIRPORT / TRANSFER TO JERUSALEM

Arrival to Tel Aviv you will be met by your guide, transfer to our accommodation in Jerusalem.

Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House Saint George’s Guest House

Tel: ++972-2-6283302

THURSDAY, MAY 4, DAY 3: HORIZONS OF JERUSALEM / HERODIUM

Introductions. Walk down to Damascus Gate to get the feel for the distance and our surrounding. MT. Scopus, view the Judean desert, Mt. of Olives, view the city of David.

Lunch. Depart for Herodium some 12 km south of Jerusalem, on a hill shaped like a truncated cone that rises 758 m. above sea level, stood Herodium, the palace-fortress built by King Herod. It had a breathtaking view, overlooking the Judean Desert, the mountains of Moab to the east, and the Judean Hills to the west.

Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House

FRIDAY, MAY 5, DAY 4: SHEPHERD’S FIELD / BETHLEHEM

We depart Jerusalem for Bethlehem and the Shepherds’ Field. We will be visiting a 1st century cave dwelling, and enjoy lunch in Beit Sahour (Shepherds’ Field). ‘And in that region, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night’ After lunch we will visit the Church of the Nativity located in Manger Square. It is the Oldest Church in Christendom, constructed by Constantine in AD 326 and the traditional site of the Nativity.

Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House

Guest Speaker: Contemporary Issues – A Palestinian Perspective

SATURDAY, MAY 6, DAY 5: JERICHO / NAZARETH

Wadi Qelt early morning to get the feel for the desert, depart for Jericho to hike up Mt. of Temptation and view Tell Jericho, 20-minute meditation on Mt of Temptation Lunch, in Nazareth. In Nazareth we will visit Mary’s Well, the site of the only spring-fed fountain in the city, and most likely the place where Mary would have gone to draw water. We then visit the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation where we will have an opportunity to have an introduction to the Icon, we then follow on foot the path to the Latin Church of the Annunciation, the traditional site of the Angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary, telling her she would conceive Jesus, the Emmanuel.

Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth Tel: 972-4-6554304

SUNDAY, MAY 7, DAY 6: CHRIST CHURCH / SEPPHORIS

Sunday Eucharist at Christ Church in Nazareth, the liturgy will be celebrated in English and Arabic. Meet with Fr. Nael Abu Rahmoun. Lunch, and then depart for Sepphoris, where we explore the excavations of the Roman / Byzantine city, the capital of Galilee at the time of Jesus.

Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth

A treat you will not want to miss!!!!

MONDAY, MAY 8, DAY 7: JORDAN RIVER / CAPERNAUM / BEATITUDES / TABGHA

We depart for the Sea of Galilee-Lake Kinnereth. Stop at the Jordan River for the renewal of Baptismal vows, boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, and then visit Capernaum where we see the Ancient Synagogue and St. Peter’s House. We continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, Lunch, visit to Tabgha (Heptapegon), The Loaves and Fishes Church and the Chapel of St. Peter’s Primacy.

Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth

TUESDAY, MAY 9, DAY 8: BURQIN / NABLUS / TAYBEH

Depart for Burqin. Jesus had passed through Burqin on his way to Jerusalem from Nazareth, and as he was passing by the village, he heard cries for help from ten lepers who were isolated in quarantine in a cave. Next will be Nablus to visit (St. Photini the Greek Orthodox Monastery). St. Photini lived in first century Palestine; she was the Samaritan woman who Christ visited at the well asking her for water. The church is built over Jacob’s well where we will tour the church and drink from the Well. Lunch in Taybeh. Visit Taybeh, the only 100% Christian town. During the fourth century, the emperor Constantine and his mother St. Helen built the church of St. George in the village, the ruins of the Church are still found on a hill in the town. We will also visit the brewery.

Guest Speaker: Lecture on Islam

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, DAY 9: WESTERN WALL / DOME OF THE ROCK / ISRAEL MUSEUM / CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER

We depart for the Western Wall near Elharam Esh Sharif (The Dome of The Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque), St. Anne’s Church and the pools of Bethesda. Lunch. Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed, will also visit a scale model of the City of Jerusalem, describing the city more as it would have been during Jesus time. We then walk the Cardo to the Constantinian Entrance of the Holy Sepulcher.

Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House

Guest Speaker: Contemporary Issues – An Israeli Perspective

THURSDAY, MAY 11, DAY 10: FREE DAY

A free day to shop, revisit favorite sites in Jerusalem or to visit Masada, Qumran, Cesarea Maratima, City of David, Mt. Tabor. You may also wish to visit Yad Vashem site of the Holocaust Memorial, David’s Citadel and David’s Tower.

Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House

FRIDAY, MAY 12, DAY 11: BETH-PHAGE / DOMINUS FLEVIT / GETHSEMANE / DEAD SEA

Walk the Palm Sunday Procession. We will stop at Pater Noster and Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city. It is known as Dominus Flevit [ Latin for “The Lord wept”]. Afterward, we will walk to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations, Lunch, Dead Sea, where you will have the option to swim – or really, float (Rocky Beach).

Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House

SATURDAY, MAY 13, DAY 12: WAY OF THE CROSS / EMMAUS

Early this morning we walk and pray the Way of the Cross, Emmaus Nicopolis. We celebrate the Eucharist at the ruins of the Byzantine Church

Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our return flight

The Rev. Stephanie Shockley in Wadi Qelt (the Judean desert)