Pilgrimage: Family Holy Land 2022
March 10-20, 2022
A group of Saint Michael pilgrims, led by The Rev. Christopher D. Girata and Dr. Saleem Ateek, will spend 11 days following in the footsteps of Christ this March. Along the way, these are the amazing places they will visit: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jerusalem Old City, Caesarea, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Beit She' An, Jordan, Jeresh, Petra, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea, Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Via Dolorosa, and Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Check back here on and on social for blog updates of their adventures; starting with day one, below!
Holy Land 2022: Day Nine
Holy Land 2022: Day Eight
Holy Land 2022: Day Seven
Our trip is primarily a Christian pilgrimage, tracing the footsteps of Christ. However, we occasionally step off that Christian path to have a little fun. On day seven, we stepped off the path and took a quick trip to Jordan to visit Petra. Jordan is directly east of Israel and has had a cooperative, diplomatic relationship for more than fifty years.
Holy Land 2022: Day Six
Holy Land 2022: Day Five
Day five began with a visit to Christ Anglican School in Nazareth. This school is part of the Diocese of Jerusalem, the same diocese at St. George’s, the church we attended on Sunday morning.
Holy Land 2022: Day Four
Today we departed Jerusalem on our way to Galilee. The trip to Galilee included stops in Caesarea (Maritima) and Haifa.
Holy Land 2022: Day Three
Day three began with a walk to the Temple Mount. One of the holiest sites for Jews and Muslims, the Temple Mount is perhaps the most contested property on the planet. Today, this holy site features the iconic Dome of the Rock and the more simple Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Holy Land 2022: Day Two
Before we get to the official tour, I want to make a quick and important note: The Christian sites we visit are ones that have—on the whole—been identified for around 1600 years. All you math sleuths will see that there is a 400ish-year gap between Jesus’s life and these sites.
Holy Land 2022: Day One
Our 2022 Saint Michael Family Holy Land Pilgrimage is off! Thirty-nine pilgrims safely arrived in Israel and settled in for a night of jet-lagged rest. This pilgrimage is the second family pilgrimage for Saint Michael, the first taking place in 2019. Originally scheduled to be March 2021, these pilgrims registered for this trip two weeks before the mass quarantine of 2020, so they have anticipated this trip for two years. I know it will be worth the wait!