Priestly renewal course in the Holy Land

The course takes place in Jerusalem at the Pontifical Institute of Notre Dame and is achieved through an organized program of guided tours, lectures, spiritual retreats based on the renewal of baptismal and priestly promises, daily Eucharistic adoration, ecumenical encounters and the opportunity to visit the places of Christ’s life.

The course is aimed at helping each priest renew the sense and purpose of his priesthood by following the steps and mysteries of Our Lord’s life.

The course, organized twice a year, lasts three weeks and includes a stay in Jerusalem and Galilee with day excursions to the other significant areas of Christ’s life. Precise and spiritual explanations of each place, and the historical background to the Holy Land, are given by experienced priests, authorized by the Episcopal Commission of Christian Pilgrimages.

The participating priests come from all over the world; India, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Austria, England, Ireland, the United States, Mexico and South American countries.

General description of itinerary:

• Jerusalem: Visit to the Temple
• Bethlehem: Visit to the location of the Lord’s birth. First retreat day
• Travel North: Visit Jordan river and Jericho with mass on Mount Tabor before arriving in Galilee
• Galilee: visit to the locations of Our Lord’s home and ministry: Capernaum, Bethsaida, the Mount of the Beatitudes, Caesarea Philippi, Magdala, Nazareth and Cana.
• Visit to Magdala and second retreat day
• Visit to Mount Carmel and Muhraqa on the journey back to Jerusalem
• Jerusalem: Continue reflections with the ‘Desert Day’ and visit to the Dead Sea
• Jerusalem: pilgrimage to the Mount of Olives and the places of Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. Additionally we will visit the birth-place of St. John the Baptist, Samaria, Mount Gerizim and Jacob’s Well.
• Jerusalem: culmination of the priestly renewal with final retreat in the Franciscan Cenacle Church.

Thanks to the generosity of one of our benefactors, we have a “Perpetual Succour Scholarship Fund” offering scholarships for this course. If you desire to request a scholarship, please download the document with instructions: Scholarship for Priestly Renewal in The Holy Land Course.

Guest Speakers