At the Speed of LIght

Today, we got off to an early start. Up by 6:00 am and on the road with a stomach full of breakfast at 7:30. We went to Caesarea on the sea first. This the port city that Peter visited to baptize a Roman soldier. The city was made in honor of Caesar Augustus by Herod the Great (who tried to kill Jesus as a baby). The ruins were very impressive. The entire tour was quick, not quite at the speed of light but close.

The Hippodrome - for chariot races - with the port in the background 

Tal explaining the difference between a theater and an amphitheater

While this looks big, it used to be two rows higher - earthquakes - aren't they annoying

If you look close enough at the second row, you can see Piilatus - Pontius Pilate's name - this is the only
evidence that he really was in the Governor of the Romans in Judea

Where Pilate would have lived

Close up of the Port

Part of Pilate's home, washed away into the sea

In the background, the apse of a Christian church 

Tal points to a point over the top of the ruins which was a pagan temple, a Christian Church, a temple, a Church, a Mosque, a Church, ... you get the point 

It is possible that St. Paul might have stayed in an arched room like the one you see in the background when he was brought to Caesarea for sentencing before he went to Rome. 

Meeting Our Tour Guide

Tonight, we finally met our tour guide who will be with us throughout the course of the pilgrimage. His name is Tal. He seems not only to be nice but also very knowledgeable. I don't have a picture of him for you yet but it will be forthcoming.
We also met up with the rest of our group, which includes another 18 persons from throughout the United States. Everyone seems outgoing and ready to experience all that Israel has to offer.
This afternoon, while I was resting, a bunch of the group went out and experienced what Tel Aviv had to offer: gelato, a flea market, walks on the sand of the Mediterranean, and more gelato. Tomorrow, we rise early to depart for the Crusader and Roman ruins of Acko as well as Megiddo and Carmel. Stay tuned...

Our First Full Day in Israel

Ahhh sleep... what a wonderful thing. 
While some may prefer it like this:

                                         











I am glad to have one of these:


We all had a good night of sleep with occasional late night waking - due to jet lag.
Our first full day in Israel began with a full breakfast. And by full, I mean that the buffet was about 50 yds long. I have never had so many choices for breakfast.
After breakfast, all of us met up at 10:00 am Israeli time (midnight stateside in SD) to go to Mass at a local parish, St. Peter's, in Jaffa. It was about a 20 minute jaunt along the Mediterranean coast to arrive in the ancient port city.
This Church and area had a lot of history. You can find it referenced in Acts 10:9-47. A Fransciscan brother allowed us to have Mass in a crusader chapel found in their monastery since the main Church of St. Peter's was being used by an Italian tour group.
It was a beautiful mass and the chapel had great acoustics for singing.
Afterwards we wandered around and took a look at the local parks, spoke with an Jaffa Fisherman, and then made our way back. We are now enjoying a little time of R&R before meeting our official tour guide.

In the crusader chapel after mass. 

Picture of St. Peter's from a distance. 

Our Pilgrimage Group in front of St. Peter's. 

Arrival in Tel Aviv

So, when we last left off, we were waiting for our plane in St. Paul. Well, the plane we were supposed to board, supposedly needed a new part when we got there, and then it didn't, and then it really did. We ended up delayed about 1.5 hours but we made our next flight. You can see why we were a bit worried about using 

the plane below.

Here is a short video that explains more of the same.

After a short wait in New York, we were on the plane for a 10 hour flight. After a couple of movies and some restless sleep, I have come to an important conclusion: now I have heard that mothers, after they have  had a child, somehow forget the pain of childbirth because of the joy of their new child. I think the same sort of thing happens with long distance flights. We forget the jet lag because of the happiness of the trip afterward. However, I am still in the jet lag phase which makes me groggy, tired, and even a little weird. Hopefully a good night of sleep will remedy my condition and that of my fellow pilgrims. 

The plane we took from New York. 

But our reward, after a long flight, baggage, interesting cab rides, and check in is this beautiful sight of the Mediterranean Sea:

More posts will be forthcoming. But right now, I need to get some sleep. 

Tomorrow - some good group pictures so the fans back home can be satisfied.

Until then - may peace be with you my brothers and sisters.- Fr. Kristopher

The Beginning

Today marks the beginning of our pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  

As described in the Catholic Encyclopedia, pilgrimages are "journeys made to some place with the purpose of venerating it, or in order to ask there for supernatural aid, or to discharge some religious obligation." 

For us on this pilgrimage though, we can't wait to deepen our faith by seeing where Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose from the dead. This morning marks the beginning of our pilgrimage. The details are below. 

At 8:00 am, bright and really early for our flight, 7 of our group and me, the not so inspiring leader (see below) arrived in Sioux Falls for check in. Check in was smooth. I love how nice people in SD are. The flight was quick and event-less. It was Joe Gliko's first time in the air - even if was only for 30 minutes. Now we wait in St. Paul for our next leg of the journey to New York. 

Snowy Sioux Fall

Fr. Kristopher explaining the nature of a pilgrimage. 

Upon arrival in St. Paul, there was a happy reunion of family members, Pat, Lila, and Donnie, with Mary Ann. It is always good to see these reunions.

A Happy Reunion