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July 2015
Dear Friends,
Thank you for indicating an interest in participating in the St. Mary's
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Land of Jesus.
Attached you will find answers to many of your questions. Cameron will be
happy to assist in any way that she can. We are so looking forward to this
trip and barring a State Department ban on travel to the area, we will go
forward as planned.
I write to underscore and differentiate, as I understand it, between a tour
and a pilgrimage. Tours are fine things but we are not going to this deeply
troubled pat of the world as tourists.
We are going as a community of faith whose time together will be marked
by worship, reflection and care for one another. Each person on the
pilgrimage will have the opportunity to lead us in prayer as we gather on
the bus at the start of the day, to help lead our worship, and to participate
with other Christians when we gather to worship on the two Sundays we
are there.
We hope to have two evening presentations while at St. George's about
the current impasse between Israelis and Palestinians. Our meals will be
communal at the College. We will gather at St. Mary's in January, 2016 on
two occasions in preparation for our trip. It is the hope that everyone can
attend to get to know one another and to do some preliminary study. Karen
Armstrong's Jerusalem is highly recommended reading between now and
then.
This trip truly is a time filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us
prepare ourselves in heart, body, and mind that God would use this
experience to sharpen us as tools of his reconciling love made known
perfectly in Christ Jesus Our Lord.
Faithfully,
Andrew+
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St. Mary’s Arlington, VA
2016 Pilgrimage to Jerusalem Information
Dates:
Arrive in Tel Aviv Sat. Feb. 27, 2016
Depart Tel Aviv Wed. Mar. 9, 2016 (evening departure)
Leaders:
The Rev. Canon John L. Peterson recently retired as the Washington National
Cathedral’s first Canon for Global Justice and Reconciliation. Prior to serving in
Washington, Canon Peterson was the Secretary General of the Worldwide Anglican
Communion in London. Before his appointment as Secretary General, Canon
Peterson was the Dean of St. George’s College, Jerusalem, for 12 years.
Iyad Qumri is a Palestinian Anglican Christian who was born and raised in
Jerusalem. He is a licensed guide who has been leading tours of Israel and Palestine
since 1997and is thoroughly familiar with Biblical pilgrimage sites. Iyad is fluent in
English, Arabic and Hebrew. Iyad and his wife Simone, librarian at St. George’s
College, have a home in Jericho. They have 2 sons who both attend college in the
U.S.
The Rev. Andrew Merrow, in his 30th year as Rector of St. Mary's Arlington, has
served the church in a wide variety of service including the Board of Trustees of
Virginia Theological Seminary where he also taught Liturgics for 25 years. He works
closely with Canon Peterson in Compass Rose Society, a group that supports the
Archbishop of Canterbury in communicating throughout the Communion and of
which St. Mary’s is a member.
On the Pilgrimage We Will:
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Explore the Old City of Jerusalem, its markets and its shrines including the
Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Resurrection (Holy
Sepulcher).
Visit towns where Jesus lived or visited: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Capernaum,
Jericho, Caesarea Philippi, Mount of Beatitudes, Nablus, and Emmaus.
Walk the Palm Sunday Procession.
Feel the Life of the Judean Dessert, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan River.
Worship with Christians in ancient and modern churches.
Learn more about the political realities of this complex landscape from
knowledgeable Israeli, Christian and Arab speakers.
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(A tentative daily itinerary is attached at the end of this document)
Cost:
Each pilgrim is responsible for his / her airline reservations and payments.
The land-cost of the pilgrimage is $2,750 (double occupancy) or $3,310 (single
occupancy).
The price covers all accommodations, 3 meals per day, transportation in a
comfortable touring bus that is ours for our entire stay, entrance fees, speaker fees,
guide fees, a gift to St. George’s College, a gift to the Sisters of Nazareth Convent, and
tips.
Personal expenses such as phone calls, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, laundry,
and medical insurance are the responsibility of each pilgrim.
Payments:
A Non-Refundable deposit of $400 per person is due with your completed
Registration Form. Your deposit guarantees your place on the pilgrimage.
A final payment of $2,350 per person for double occupancy and $2,910 for single
occupancy is due on Nov. 15, 2015.
Please make checks payable to:
St. Mary’s with “2016 Pilgrimage” in the Memo Line
Mail to:
Cameron Merrow
5814 26th St. N
Arlington, VA 22207
Individual Cancellations:
The $400 deposit paid by each pilgrim to reserve your place is non-refundable.
After full payment the cancellation policy is:
 90 days before departure
half refund (minus deposit)
 60 days before departure:
No refund
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Registration Form
St. Mary’s Arlington Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Feb. 26, 2016 to Mar. 9, 2016
Please print your name exactly as it appears on your passport:
________________________________________________________________
Room Type:
Double ($2,750 per person) _________ Single ($3,310 per person) _________
Rooming with (Name) _____________________________________________
Passport Number #________________________________________________
Passport Expiration Date___________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________
E-mail address___________________________________________________
Home #_________________________________________________________
Work # _________________________________________________________
Cell # ___________________________________________________________
Emergency Contact:_______________________________________________
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Relationship ______________________________________________________
Address__________________________________________________________
Phone ___________________________________________________________
Cell ____________________________________________________________
Please note severe food allergies or dietary limitations _____________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Make checks payable to: St. Mary’s with “2016 Pilgrimage” in the Memo Line
Please mall your completed form with the $400 non-refundable deposit which is
applied to your total amount due ($2,750 per person / double occupancy and
$3,310 per person / single occupancy) to:
Cameron Merrow
5814 26th St. N
Arlington, VA 22207
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Tentative Daily Itinerary
“ST. MARY’S EPISCOPAL - ARLINGTON VIRGINIA”
A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
13 days: February 26 – March 9, 2016
February 27-March 4
March 4-7
March 7-9
Saint George’s Guest House
Sisters of Nazareth
Saint George’s Guest House
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, DAY 1:
DEPART USA
On our way to the Holy Land
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, DAY 2:
ARRIVE TEL AVIV
We arrive in Tel Aviv and are met by our guide, Canon Iyad Qumri. We are
transferred to Jerusalem.
Our dinner and overnight is at Saint George’s Guest House.
Nablus Road 20, POB. 19018, Jerusalem 91190
Email: sghostel@bezeqint.net
++972 2-6282627
++972 2-6283302
++972 2-6282253 (fax)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, DAY 3:
WORSHIP AT ST. GEORGE’S CATHEDRAL / ISRAEL MUSEUM
We will celebrate the Sunday Eucharist at Saint George’s Cathedral. The liturgy will
be celebrated in English and Arabic, the language of our Arabic Palestinian
Christians in the Holy Land and the whole Middle East. Lunch. Israel Museum and
the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. We will also visit a
scale model of the Old City of Jerusalem, describing it as it would have been during
Jesus’ time.
Our dinner and overnight is at Saint George’s Guest House.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, DAY 4:
HORIZONS OF JERUSALEM / HERODIUM
In the morning we will drive to Mt. Scopus where we will look at the different
dramatic settings of the Scripture. Then we will visit Herodium (12 km. south of
Jerusalem), on a hill shaped like a truncated cone that rises 758 m. above sea level.
Herodium is the palace-fortress built by King Herod. It had a breathtaking view,
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overlooking the Judean Desert and the mountains of Moab to the east, and the
Judean Hills to the west. We will walk to Western Wall to "welcome" the Sabbath.
Our dinner and overnight is at Saint George’s Guest House.
Guest Speaker: Contemporary Issues – A Palestinian Perspective
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, DAY 5:
OLD CITY / CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER / GROUP PHOTO
We walk the Cardo to the Constantinian Entrance to the Church of the Resurrection
to the Holy Sepulcher. Lunch. We walk to the Armenian quarter where we will be
able to observe Armenian Vespers.
Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House
Guest Speaker: Lecture on Islam
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, DAY 6:
WESTERN WALL / DOME OF THE ROCK
We depart for the Western Wall near Elharam Esh Sharif (The Dome of The Rock
and the Al-Aqsa Mosque). Visit St. Anne’s Church and the pools of Bethesda. Lunch.
Visit SUNBULA, founded in 1996, to support Palestinian women’s cooperatives and
disabled people’s self help groups by providing marketing and sales opportunities
for their products.
Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House
Guest Speaker: Contemporary Issues — An Israeli Perspective
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, DAY 7:
SHEPHERD’S FIELD / BETHLEHEM
We depart Jerusalem for Bethlehem and the Shepherds’ Field. Visit a 1st century
cave dwelling. Lunch is in Beit Sahour (Shepherds’ Field), “And in that region there
were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Visit the
Church of the Nativity located in Manger Square. It is the Oldest Church in
Christendom, constructed by Constantine in AD 326 and the traditional site of the
Nativity
Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House
FRIDAY, MARCH 4, DAY 8:
JERICHO / NAZARETH
Visit Wadi Qelt early morning to get the feel for the desert. Depart for Jericho to
hike up the Mt. of Temptation and to view Tell Jericho. Meditate on the Mt of
Temptation. Lunch in Jericho. Drive through the Rift Valley to Nazareth. In
Nazareth we will visit Mary’s Well, the site of the only spring-fed fountain in the city,
and most likely the place where Mary would have gone to draw water. We then visit
the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation where we will have an opportunity
to have an introduction to the Icon. We then walk the path to the Latin Church of the
Annunciation, the traditional site of the Angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary, telling
her she would conceive Jesus, the Emmanuel.
Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth.
Tel: 972-4-6554304
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Fax: 972-4-6460741
SATURDAY, MARCH 5, DAY 9:
SEPPHORIS / CAESAREA PHILIPPI
Depart for Zippori, Sepphoris, where we explore the excavations of the
Roman/Byzantine city. Lunch. Depart for Caesarea Philippi (Banias) “And Jesus
went on with his disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he
asked his disciples, “ Who do people say that I am ? “
Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6, DAY 10:
JORDAN RIVER / CAPERNAUM / BEATITUDES / TABGHA
Today we depart for the Sea of Galilee-Lake Kinnereth. We stop at the Jordan River
for the renewal of Baptismal vows. Then visit Capernaum where we see the Ancient
Synagogue and St. Peter’s House. We continue to the Mount of Beatitudes. Lunch.
Visit to Tabgha (Heptapegon), the Loaves and Fishes Church and the Chapel of St.
Peter’s Primacy, Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
Dinner and Overnight at the Sisters of Nazareth.
Evening: A treat you will not want to miss!!!!
MONDAY, MARCH 7, DAY 11:
BURQIN / NABLUS / TAYBEH
Depart for Burqin, where Jesus passed through on his way to Jerusalem from
Nazareth. As he was passing by the village ,he heard cries for help from ten lepers
who were isolated in quarantine in a cave. Travel to Nablus to visit St. Photini the
Greek Orthodox Monastery. St. Photini lived in first century Palestine. She was the
Samaritan woman whom Christ visited at the well asking her for water. Lunch in
Taybeh. Visit Taybeh, the only 100% Christian town in the Palestinian Authority. In
the fourth century the Emperor Constantine and his mother St. Helena built the
church of St. George in the village, and the ruins of the Church are still found on a hill
in the town. Taybeh is also the home of the only Palestinian brewery in the Middle
East.
Dinner and overnight at Saint George’s Guest House.
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, DAY 12:
BETH-PHAGE / DOMINUS FLEVIT / GETHSEMANE / DEAD SEA
Walk the Palm Sunday Procession. We will stop at Pater Noster and Dominus Flevit,
where Jesus wept over the city. It is known as Dominus Flevit [ Latin for “The Lord
wept”]. Afterward, we will walk to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All
Nations. Lunch. Visit the Dead Sea, where you will have the option to swim – or
really, float (Rocky Beach)
Dinner at the Qumris in Jericho.
Overnight at Saint George’s Guest House.
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, DAY 13:
WAY OF THE CROSS / EMMAUS
Stations of the Cross, Silent reflections at the Empty Tomb, Later in the morning
we will depart for Emmaus Nicopolis. We celebrate the Eucharist at the ruins of the
Byzantine Church
Transfer to the Tel Aviv airport