Hello, This is Steve and Janet Ray,
Have you heard of Jewish Birthright tours to Israel?
They’re impressive. Every year 50,000 Jewish young folks come to Israel for free as “a gift to the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.”
Now, with our new non-profit, Inheritance Pilgrimages, we’re sending young Catholics, Seminarians and those discerning their vocation to the Holy Land with the help of donors funding part of their trip.
We are announcing upcoming Inheritance Pilgrimage dates in the Summer and Winter of 2023.
Imagine the impact on the future of the church if more young Catholics could experience the place Jesus was born, the Sea where He walked on water, and the Tomb where he rose from the dead.
Annually 450,000 Catholics make the trip, but the vast majority are older and retired. Many who’ve joined us say it was a pivotal moment in their life. We’ve seen miracles occur, hearts opened, faith kindled, and some commit to religious vocations.
Together, let’s give this great gift to future Catholic leaders.
We have an ambitious goal to bring thousands of young people to the Holy Land while covering up to half their cost – currently $1750/person. The total amount of these youth-oriented trips include airfare, all meals, all tips, and no hidden costs, all for $3500.
All donations are fully tax deductible through Ave Maria University while we await our non-profit status.
Any amount is welcomed.
A gift of $1750 will provide funding for one young adult.
If you feel called to pave the way for more young people, please email us directly to discuss options for larger donations.
The Holy Spirit often works with small beginnings. Through your prayers and generosity, this will be the first of many pilgrimages that reach young Catholics, students, and those discerning vocations across our nation.
What Young Adults Are Saying
“I think this pilgrimage will be a turning point in my college experience, the discernment of my future vocation, and in my love for Jesus Christ.”
“From watching Steve Ray documentaries in the living room as a little girl, to studying the geography of the Holy Land in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, I have dreamt of and prayed for an opportunity to journey on a pilgrimage like this one…”
“I have never been to the Holy Land, nor traveled out of the United States. It is an opportunity of a lifetime that could never be presented to me again …”
“It is very difficult to read the Bible and remember that what is written is real: Jesus and His disciples were (are!) real people, they visited real places, and did real, human activities. I believe a pilgrimage will make my faith come alive and be even more real in a way that I would never get to experience without a pilgrimage.”
“Since I got to college, I have experienced the most suffering in my life and I truly think this pilgrimage will bring me a lot of healing and strength in my faith.”
“Since we are social and communal beings, we are called to friendship in which we share ourselves. There is no better opportunity to respond to this calling than to share a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with my friends. This would be extremely life-giving and edifying for my spiritual growth, and bear much fruit in my friendship with God.”
“The many crosses I have carried and movements of the Holy Spirit these past couple years seem to be building up to a pilgrimage. I was supposed to go on a pilgrimage in May, but I tore my ACL, Meniscus, and LCL playing soccer beforehand. As a result, I could not go. However, I prayed a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes to heal my knee and sure enough my knee was completely healed when the surgeon went in for surgery; he said it was nothing short of a miracle!”
“The opportunity of this pilgrimage has sparked such an indescribable desire in my heart to attend. I have never been on a pilgrimage. I do not know every detail as to why God wants me to go, but it seems explicitly clear that He is calling me to make this journey.”
“I desire to encounter not only the beauty of the Holy Land itself, but also to receive new and wonderful graces by venerating the land where God became flesh.”
“Since I was a child, I’ve always waited for the opportunity to go to the Holy Land. As a child, it was simply out of the innocent desire to go to the land where Jesus walked. Now, it’s out of the desire and longing I have in my heart to walk the roads that my Beloved did, to see the places my Beloved saw, and to experience the beauty of the physical land of where the beautiful Catholic faith began.”
Please bless these students this Christmas and lower your tax burden through your donation!
And please pray for us. May God bless you!