Pastor's Sabbatical - 5th Post - Israel

1 April 2011 Friday
This is our last full day in Jerusalem, and it has been a warm day too!

But first let me get you caught up with what we did yesterday and then I will let you know what today has been like.

Site of the Ascension

Yesterday we started up on top of the Mount of Olives with a great view of the old city of Jerusalem where you can see the Muslim guarded, but crusader built, site of the Ascension of the Lord. It is a small building built over what traditionally has been thought to be the site of Jesus' Ascension. We walked to Pater Noster Church for view of the grotto cave of teaching (Our Father).

We celebrate mass at this church and continue our walk down through the ancient cemeteries to see the Dominus Flevit Church which commemorates where Jesus wept as he entered into Jerusalem. We met a nice Franciscan from California who is assigned to the Church. There seems to be more tourists around in the last few days, making some of the religious sites a little more difficult to visit. From there we visit the Church of All Nations or the Gethsemane shrine on the mount of Olives. The church is designed with purple and blue windows which give it an appropriate somber feel.

After lunch we go to St Stephen's Gate and enter the old city to do the Via Dolorosa (the Way of the Cross) which brings us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We do the last few stations on the roof (yes the roof) of the Holy Sepulchre.



roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

 We enter and pray at the site of Jesus crucifixion and tomb. The church is controlled by five different religious groups so there is a whole mixture of art and style. It was very crowded but it was good for us to be there. We had time on our own there and then we wandered back to where we are staying.


at the site of the Ascension


I don't know if many people reading this has ever been to Jerusalem or have read much on the old city, but there are four sections to the old city. They are the Jewish quarter, the Muslim quarter, the Armenian quarter and the Christian quarter. They are all in a relatively small area with an ancient wall that surrounds the old city. We are staying just outside the New Gate of the old city so it is easy for us to go in for a visit.

Getting back to today, Friday, we started off walking through the old city and learning more about the history and significance of this city. We end up visiting the Cenacle, the site of the Last supper, Pentecost and the Resurrection appearances. Below it we visit the tomb of King David. From there we walk through the excavations of the Jewish quarter and end up at the Western Wall and offer a prayer.

We then walked over to the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu for mass. This site is where Peter denied Jesus three times and where Jesus was imprisoned. There are ancient stairs on the property as well that lead to the Kidron Valley and we offer a prayer at each step as we remember Christ being lead to his torture.

Church of Jesus in Chains

This ends our touring for today. Being Friday, things start shutting down in the afternoon for the Jewish people. I understand the buses will shut down and cab service will end. It will get quieter, I am sure, at sunset.

Tomorrow is our last day here, we will get up early again and pack our bus and walk over for mass at the Holy Sepulcher. If the timing is right, we should be able to visit a couple more sites on the way to the airport and be back in Rome by eight or nine o'clock at night.

I hope everyone is doing well back home. This has been an excellent experience. Please keep me and my fellow pilgrims in your prayers. Know that you are in my prayers and mass that we will offer tomorrow morning at the church of the Holy Sepulcher.

God Bless,
Fr Joe

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Pastor's Sabbatical - 4th Post - Israel



Church of the Transfiguration, Mt. Tabor

30 March 2011 Wednesday

Church of the Beatitudes

Yesterday was another long day for traveling for we left the pilgrim house on the Mt of Beatitudes and started traveling down towards Jerusalem. On the way down, we stopped at an Israeli park and excavation site of Bet Shean on the east end of the Jezreel valley which intersects the Jordan valley. It has been amazing to see what people were able to accomplished so many years ago and that anything would be left would be incredible.

From there we headed to Jericho and then to the Dead Sea for a swim. This was my first time swimming in the Dead Sea, I should be more accurate and say floating in the Dead Sea! That is what you do best and easiest there. The salt content is very high and makes you very buoyant. From there we went to the excavation site of Qumran, where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. Amazing that someone in the 1950's could be out tending sheep could stumble over something so ancient in ceramic jars.

Then we headed back north to Bethany (now a Palestinian city of Azariah) to the site of the miracle of Lazarus an the home of Martha and Mary. We celebrated mass at the Franciscan chapel next to Lazarus' tomb. From there we headed up to Jerusalem to the Notre Dame pilgrim center just outside the Old city of Jerusalem.

Door of Humility, Church of the Nativity

Today we started our day in Bethlehem, which from what I understand were fortunate that it we did not have to stop long at the checkpoint into to Bethlehem. I did not realize it but Bethlehem has a metal wall which surrounds it and not everyone can pass through the checkpoint as easily as we were able to. As the day went on, I understand that if you are Palestinan and were born in Bethlehem you can not visit or travel to Jewrusalem or any other part in this Holy Land. Actually there are very few Christians left in Bethlehem and those that are there have a difficult time supporting themselves and their families. I am beginning to understand why people from Bethlehem want to sell their olive wood products in our churches in the States to help those who are still living in this area. A very interesting insight and challenging time. After arriving in Bethlehem we went to the church of the Navitity controlled primarily by the Greek Orthodox. After waiting for more than forty minutes in line we were able to spend a few minutes to pray and venerate what is believed to be place of Jesus birth.



Church of the Shepherds' Field



Crypt of St. Jerome, St. Catherine Church

Next we went to the Church adjacent to the Church of the Nativity to the Catholic Church of Catherine of Alexandria. St. Catherine Church is the one they televise Christmas midnight mass in Nazareth from. We celebrated mass at the cave of St. Jerome which is the basement crypt of St Catherine's. From there we went to the Shepherd's Field with its cave chapel and the Franciscan Chapel above. I love the painting on the nativity that are painted on the walls of the Chapel. I think they are great.

From there we went to the Shrine of the Book Museum which had one of the Dead Sea Scrolls and an outdoor model of ancient Jerusalem. It was very helpful to see an overview with our guide pointing out some of the highlights. It put in context the history and layout of Jerusalem which was helpful to me. I must admit, I don't have it all figured out completely but it is now starting to make more sense.

Later in the day we went to the Museum of Yad Vashem which is their Holocaust museum. It was well done museum that was very moving. I did not realize how many countries the Nazi influence went until their persecution was stopped.

Needless to say, we were kept busy and moving. We have done a lot of walking and climbing of stairs here. It has been very thought provoking. You have been in my thoughts and prayers and especially the masses we have offered. Please continue to keep me in yours.

God Bless,
Fr Joe

Church of the Tranfiguration

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Pastor's Sabbatical - 3rd Post - Israel



Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth



26 March 2011
Time seems to go very quickly here. They are keeping us busy with classes on a variety of topics and with going to the station churches around Rome. They are early morning walks to the churches and back for classes. It has been great. There are thirty priests taking part in the program I am in. Most of them are from around the United States and a couple from Canada and two from New Zealand. They bring a nice mix to the experience.


Ancient Mosaic from 4th-5th Century ruins of Sepphoris



In the middle of the program they offer a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and that is what I am on right now. We flew down to Tel Aviv on Thursday and we started traveling around to the different Holy Sites. On Friday we traveled along the Mediterranean to Ancient Ceasarea Meritima ruins which was the site of the first Gentile baptism by St. Peter. St. Paul was also imprisoned there for two years while awaiting a ship to Rome for his trail as a Roman citizen. Then we went on to the tel site of Meggido. A tel is a mound or a hill that has been created over the centuries by one city being destroyed and another one built on top of it. At Meggido there was twenty six cities built on top of each other. It is amazing to see the excavations that have been done over the years and to history they uncover. After that we went to Haifa and Mt Carmel, which was the foundation of the Carmelite Order and the site of Elijah's showdown with Jezebel's prophets. We celebrated mass over the Cave of Elijah's cave. It sometimes is referred to as the cave of the Madonna for one tradition said the holy family stayed there on the way to Nazareth from Egypt. As you can tell there is a lot of history and powerful religious experiences that we are having.

This morning we got up early and packed up the bus and headed out from Mt Carmel and traveled to Haifa to the Mt of Beatitudes near the Sea of Galilee. On the way we celebrated mass at Cana, the site of Jesus' first miracle of water into wine, and then on to Seogirus (Zippori) which was an ancient Herodian style city. There were some great mosaics there that go back to the 4-5th century.

Dormition of St. Joseph

After lunch in Nazareth we went to the Basilica of the Annunciation. I came to the Holy Land once before, about 20 years ago, on a Catholic and Greek Orthodox pilgrimage and remember this church as well as the church next to it dedicated to St Joseph.

The Basilica of the Annunciation is a modern church built in the 60's very modern and large but not impressive as a building but only impressive to me as a place where Mary gave her Fiat, "let your will be done." It has brought back many great memories of my first experience and my thoughts and prayers have gone out to Fr Nick Raffael who put my first pilgrimage together. He has passed on a few years ago but I still hear his passion and excitement for being in this Holy Land. If you would, please remember Fr Nick in your prayers and all of us who are on pilgrimage this time, that this journey continues to deepen our faith and enlivens our passion for the gospel message and our ability to share it with others.


Celebrating Mass at the Church of St. Peter's Home, near Sea of Galilee


We end our journey today at the Church of the Beatitudes and the pilgrim house on the grounds which overlook the sea of Galilee. It is beautiful to be here.



Excavation St. Peter's home, Galilee

  Tomorrow (Sunday) we go to Capernaum and to Ceasarea Philippi. I am sure it will be a busy and powerful day. I have good a internet connection today so I am able to send this out, I hope tomorrow night to be able to write more. Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers and at the Mass I celebrate each day.

God Bless
Fr Joe Porpiglia

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