Note: Family and friends, please leave comments below and I will read them on the bus. It always gives great joy to the pilgrims.
This group is very excited – a whole bus full. Many came from my invitation, many from Catholic Digest and their sponsorship and generous advertising and others came from Franciscan University of Steubenville. In all it is a great and enthusiastic group.
No luggage lost, everyone arrived in good order and we drove straight to Galilee for Mass on the shoreline at St. Peter’s Church in Tiberias. Today is Holy Thursday for the locals – Sunday here is Easter.
Everyone is full of excitement and laughing at the fear of danger that they’ve been warned of back home. It is a beautiful country and very safe. We, Steve and Janet Ray, have been here over 100 times and have brought thousands of people without ever once having a problem.
Over 3.5 million people a year visit Israel and never has one visitor been victimized as CNN and MSNBC would like you to believe! I’d be more afraid to go to Boston, Chicago or New York than to Israel!!
We are all settled in along the shore of Galilee. Reverent Mass, great dinner and beautiful hotel. Everyone is now asleep getting ready for a busy day tomorrow…
…Mass on the Mount of Transfiguration, renewal of wedding vows in Cana and a spiritual tour of Nazareth where it all began. Without Nazareth where the Word become flesh – there would be no Bethlehem, Capernaum or Jerusalem.
We will pray three Mysteries of the Rosary tomorrow at the site where they happened, especially in Nazareth where the actual cave where the words of Gabriel were first heard, “Hail Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee!” (Luke 1:28)
Everyone will have free time from 4:00 PM to swim in the Sea of Galilee, meditate on the shoreline, rest, and have a good time getting to know the other pilgrims from around the country and even Ireland!