2008 Holy Land Trip
I just returned from the first ever Holy Land trip for our group of single Catholics, which were mostly Ave Maria Singles members but also included a married couple who met on AMS, an engaged couple who met on AMS, and non-AMS members.
The bottom line: All Christians should go to Israel! What can I say? Words truly cannot describe this trip. The Holy Land is a place that must be experienced, and which affects each person uniquely, as the Holy Spirit moves them.
We had a group of (36) people, including myself and Fr. Timothy Castor, who was an amazing chaplain and provided so much additional information. We always have excellent groups on our trip, and this group of people were no different. Everyone was so friendly, kind, accommodating, helpful, tolerant, and so many other adjectives that would describe people who made this pilgrimage special for everyone. As with all our groups, everyone felt comfortable from day one with each other, like they were with old friends. So many of them have already said they are going to come again.
Our tour guide was an Arab-Christian, born and raised in Jerusalem, and a tour guide for 35 years. He had an exceptional knowledge of all the places we went, and shared many interesting things about Arab-Jewish-Moslum relationships and of the history of Israel. His name was Zacharia, and he made the tour very special. Our bus driver, Ammar, was also exceptional. Both made us feel comfortable and quite pampered. In fact, we were very spoiled (and loving it :-)
The food was outstanding! I was so surprised to discover how much I enjoyed the food. Every breakfast and dinner provided was a buffet at the hotels we stayed out. The selections were vast and magnificient. Our lunches along the way were no different. I was delighted to have been able to get Falafel a few times while there, too. The hotels were nice, too, especially Gai Beach Hotel in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee.
There was just nothing to complain about. Even the weather was on our side. Sunny, dry, beautiful days ALL 9 DAYS! We were told it rained the week before and it was about to rain for 4 days starting the day we left to return home.
There is not enough room to describe all we did and experienced, and all the little things that made this trip so wonderful and successful. Fr. Castor and I did an end-of-the-day recording each night to talk about all we did. Our goal was to make sure we would remember everything and use this for future trips to Israel. So I think I will soon post those recordings for you to listen to. They will describe everything we did.
But nothing can take the place of experiencing the Holy Land. Our entire group felt very bad for the (22) people who had to cancel their reservation with this trip. But I believe they are going to get another chance to go, because I have decided to do an encore Holy Land trip for single Catholics next November. I just hope Consolidated Tours can set it up for us in time.
So if you missed out on this trip, you are going to get another opportunity next year. I'm certain more people will be inspired to go after those of us who attended share our comments and photos of this trip. So stay tuned for the announcement of the next Holy Land Pilgrimage. Perhaps even some of those who went on this 2008 trip will go again. We shall see.
And to think that right up until September, I was not planning to attend this trip (due to my needing 40 people to attend in order to break even on it). But Bridget (my wife) and Fr. Timothy encouraged me that I needed to be there, and Consolidated Tours (the company who put together this amazing trip) insisted that I needed to be there in order for it to go properly. So I did decide to go, and yes, I really needed to be there. This trip was inspiring in so many ways.
I will share more later about this trip. For now, let me just tell you again that if you have the opportunity to go to the Holy Land, take advantage of it. It is perfectly safe, and it will change your life.
For those of you who know you want to attend our next trip, go ahead and write me to tell me so. I will put you on the list of those interested.
Read the comments area of this post to hear what those who attended our first Holy Land Pilgrimage have to say about it. View photos of this trip by going to www.KodakGallery.com/amstrips.
I do pray you will be inspired to do all you have to do in order to make the next Holy Land pilgrimage with me next year and/or in the future. You will not regret it!!
I would also like to comment on the safety. There was never a moment that I felt unsafe. I'm not sure if there's a magic forcefield around tour groups, but you can plainly see that tourism is the industry there and safety of those tourists is respected by all groups there. Even when we went off on our own on the free day, I still felt very safe. In fact, the only occurrence of any violence happened at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by fighting Monks! How crazy is that? I pray, for their sakes, it was righteous anger :)
All in all, a trip I will never forget and one I will definitely have to duplicate. To those who considered going this year and didn't, don't miss your chance next year. Start praying, saving, and preparing now, you won't regret it! And, hopefully, you'll be lucky enough to have Fr. Castor come again. What a wonderful and Holy Priest - and what a great voice to celebrate Mass and sing hymns in the various Holy places throughout the land!
This trip was also a great way to meet other serious Catholics without the pressure of "socializing". We had a really great group and sharing the experience of being on Holy ground made it that much more special. God willing, I'll be there again next year.
God Bless!
Jennifer
I want to thank you for all your efforts to make the trip to the Holy Land a reality. It was a fantastic experience.
Father Castor was wonderful bringing the experience to life and enriching the experience with his homilies and his commentaries based on our locations.
The tour company was great and of course your taking the time away from your family to be with us I know entails great sacrifice.
Lastly, everyone in our group was great and added so much to the experience. Even those who didn't know anyone at the beginning felt comfortable, and enjoyed the trip and each other's company.
For those of you who have contemplated taking a trip with AMS but haven't made the jump, I encourage you to prayerfully consider going. It's a blessing and I have yet to meet anyone who regrets going.
Carla
I must admit that am one of several people who was in danger of allowing my reservation to be cancelled. Concerns about feeling pressure to "meet someone" and spending money as money was getting tight were the main obstacles. But, from the moment we began to gather with other pilgrims at JFK, these worries faded. Thank God for the grace to persevere and step out in faith!
Our group was perfect: in spite of the variety of personalities and styles (which really made it all the more interesting), we were like minded and the normal issues that arise when groups travel together were quickly settled. It seemed as though we all bonded in fairly short order and that the conversations were quick, easy, and often, surprisingly profound. We were also able to cover a great deal of ground at a pace that was the perfect balance of action and time for reflection.
My expectations for a "pilgrimage" were exceeded in every way. Not only did I see places that only existed in my imagination (I'm devoted to the BVM and the Rosary so these places now have life in my memory), but the experiences in those place (including masses and prayerful group reflections) made lasting impressions and (I trust) will sustain my faith. More importantly, I did it with some awesome people who were faithful, joyful, and just plain fun. I could bore you with stories of the graces experienced each day but am certain you and our fellow pilgrims will have similar stories; suffice to say, wonder and amazement were the order of the day, every day!
On the practical side, I felt perfectly safe the entire time. The hotels we stayed in were comfortable and western (not the Ritz but hardly the Motel 6) and our tour guide was remarkable and a blessing in that his experience and contacts enriched our experience at every turn.
Finally, the coolest part for me was walking where our Lord walked, taught, and loved. "Love one another" is not just a suggestion...it is the answer. My soul was shaken at Tabor and Gethsemane in ways I had not expected.
Thank you for the opportunity! I'll pray that those on the fence about going next year...if our Lord is calling them, I hope they answer quickly and joyfully!
TJTM aa
What can I say about this trip that has not already been said? Ok so it did cost more than I had previously wanted to spend, and with family tragedy earlier in the year, I was in danger of not finding the money needed for this trip. But there is no better group to travel with than an AMS tour, with like-minded single catholics. I will admit that I have not been on pilgrimages with groups other than AMS in my life. The Holy Land was more amazing than I would have guessed. I think both Juli and I had nervous stomachs as we were getting ready and boarding the plane in Chicago. Once we met up with the group at JFK, we both relaxed. I never felt unsafe at any time and being savy travelers, we all looked out for each other. What a great group of people! Some were friends from past trips and I was happy to get to know all the new faces.
Number one most moving experience was walking the Via Dolorosa! The stations were incredible and doing it at another time of day would not have given us the true experience of what Jesus must have gone through, being pushed along through the crowded streets of Jerusalem. Most surprising was the morose nature of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Considering what happened here, I guess I should not have been surprised. The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was also a wonderful experience. Even seeing Masada was very interesting and I would go back to the Holy Land to see the area now believed to be the Tomb of Herod when it is opened up to the public (Dec Issue of National Geographic - we saw all the things pictured in this article but for the Tomb of Herod). The daily masses were extraordinary in various holy sites around Israel. I had many Jewish friends with family living in Israel telling me that I should go someday, and I am so very blessed that I had this opportunity! I will be putting my pictures online at my travels website and will let everyone know when it is completed.
Thanks to Fr Castor for his leadership and song, and thanks again to Anthony for organizing such a phenomenal experience.
Aloha from Hi!
All the people I met were great, it was a very nice and inclusive group. I also thought you did a great job making people feel comfortable.
Thanks again Anthony and I wish you and your family a Holy and Merry Christmas !!