Now that international travel is opening back up, we’re seeing lots of deals on tours to “bucket list” destinations, and that’s great! But here’s a word of caution…
Do you want to go on a “cookie cutter” Holy Land tour that visits all the most popular (and crowded) sites? Or, would you rather see some of the places that most ordinary tours overlook? Especially if those places relate to the women of the Christian Bible!
Holy Land Tour with a Difference
For example, have you heard of Sepphoris? It’s where Mary’s parents, Anna and Joachim were born. The famed historian Flavius Josephus called Sepphoris “the ornament of all Galilee.”
What about the Milk Grotto in Bethlehem? It’s in the photo above – the cave where Mary, Joseph and Jesus stopped while fleeing to Egypt from Herod’s soldiers during the Massacre of the Innocents. According to tradition, while Mary was nursing the baby Jesus, a drop of her milk fell onto the stone floor, and it turned white.
For hundreds of years, couples have been coming to the site, believing it will help with fertility. Franciscan Brother Lawrence Bode has been caretaker of the shrine for 12 years. In that time he has received more than 4,000 letters from thankful parents who attributed their “miracle babies” to the Grotto.
Those are just two of the non-traditional places the October “Holy Land Pilgrimage in the Steps of Jesus and Mary Magdalene” will visit. Join the group, and you’ll also see…
- St. Anne’s Church in Jerusalem, which reveres Anne as the Patroness of Grandmothers
- Bethany, home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus
- The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Mary Magdalene
- Magdala, the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, with the ruins of a first century synagogue on land once owned by her father
- The well where the Virgin Mary was drawing water when the Angel Gabriel appeared and told her she would bear the Savior
Plus, if you’re a Kathleen McGowan fan, you’ll want to see the antiquities shop in Old Jerusalem that was the inspiration for the scene in The Expected One where Maureen gets a special ring from Mahmoud.
This October 3 – 14, 2021 Holy Land tour has an optional two-night extension to Jordan that features Petra and Wadi Rum. See all the details at THIS LINK.
How Did Matilda Become The Most Influential Woman of the 11th Century?
Well, you can be sure that she didn’t use Instagram.
Matilda of Canossa was one of the most powerful European nobles in Italy in her day. She is revered as a warrior for women’s rights and spiritual freedom.
You can find out what made Matilda unique while following in her footsteps across the Emilia Romagna area of Italy this October. You’ll be part of a small group led by Kathleen McGowan, who set many scenes from The Book of Love and The Poet Prince in this historic region.
Co-hosting the tour will be one of Matilda’s descendants, Fausto Callegarini, who was born in the Palace of Canossa.
I could write a book about all the wonderful places this tour includes, but one of the most amazing will be special permission to see the a holy relic that is not open to the public. In the Basilica of St Andrew and St Longinus in Mantua is a crypt that contains the Holy Blood. “Vials Altar” is believed to have been brought to Italy by the first century saints who founded the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
For more information about Kathleen McGowan’s October 18 – 28 Sacred Italy tour featuring Magdalene, Matilda and the Medicis, visit THIS LINK.
Photo credits:
Milk Grotto Chapel Nevborg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mantova Piazza delle Erbe & Co-Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea Apostolo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons