Pilgrimage to Jesus’ homeland to encounter Christ, show solidarity with Holy Land Christians
After a more than yearlong lapse, pilgrimages to the Holy Land are again underway, providentially in time to mark the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope in the place where Jesus was born, lived, died and resurrected.
“Please don’t fear…. Come!” urged Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, last month, inviting Christians to return to the Holy Land now that a ceasefire is in place after war between Israel and Hamas. “The pilgrimage is safe, and we are waiting for you!
“When you come as pilgrims to the Holy Land, our small Christian community feels that we are part of a great family. The great family of … the Catholic Church and Christians living all around the world,” Father Patton, guardian of the Christian holy sites in the region, said in a Jan. 20 Vatican News video posted to X.
Among those heeding the call to show solidarity with Christians in the Holy Land is Beatitudes Sister Magdalit Bolduc, Catholic-Jewish liaison for the Archdiocese of Denver, who is leading a pilgrimage to the Negev Desert, Jericho, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Tabor, Jerusalem and Bethlehem May 7-17.
This year’s jubilee marks the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of Christ, who is “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1). The holy year is a special time that urges deepening one’s relationship with Christ, reconciliation and pilgrimage. While millions of pilgrims are expected to visit sacred sites in Rome, tourism has dwindled in the Holy Land since the Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023. Last April, tourism was down in Israel by nearly 80 percent from April 2023, according to news reports.
“The source and origin of hope is here at the Holy Sepulchre with Jesus, the Risen Lord,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, in the Vatican News video alongside Father Patton at the sacred site. “Take courage…. We are waiting for you.”
All three of the designated Holy Land pilgrimage sites for the Jubilee will be visited on Sister Bolduc’s pilgrimage: the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
“I would love to accompany you on such a holy journey,” said Sister Magdalit, who speaks Hebrew, lived in Israel for a dozen years and has led pilgrimages to the Holy Land for over 25 years.
Partnering with Sister Magdalit is Father Anthony Giamello, a military chaplain, Knight of the Holy Sepulchre and pastor in the Diocese of Wilmington, Del. He will offer daily Mass on the pilgrimage.
“You could consider this pilgrimage as a way to go through a ‘holy door,’” Sister Magdalit said, referring to the jubilee tradition that symbolizes the transition from sin to grace and entering into God’s presence. “Decide quickly, it is now that the country needs us to visit.”
The pilgrimage cost is $2,010 (airfare not included) per person. Registration is due by March 1, and space is limited. For more information, email Sister Magdalit at srmagdalit@hotmail.com.
