After lunch we continued to walk through the Old City and made our way to the Dormition Abbey and to the Upper Room. We were also able to see the Tomb of St David. The Dormition Abbey is a beautiful church built over the spot where Mary, the Mother of Jesus, fell asleep. In the…
We set off on our two coaches to see two of the projects that we are supporting through the Bishop’s Lent Call this year. We were not able to visit the third project in the Holy Land, the Al Ahli Arab Hospital as it is in Gaza City and we cannot get there. You can…
For many people the Pilgrimage would not be complete if it were not possible to take gifts back to people in their families, churches and communities. So after a very enjoyable lunch we head off to a local olive wood co-operative. It helps to provide for a good many families and has a huge amount…
The Friday of the Diocesan Pilgrimage is always a very busy time as we move from our hotel in Jerusalem to our hotel in Tiberius. We always say that this day marks a change of pace in the Pilgrimage as we head north to the Sea of Galilee in order to visit ‘Jesus’ parish’. As…
We set off for the hotel at 7.30am in order to make sure that we were at the Mount of the Beatitudes in time for the Eucharist which was due at 8am. We were so early that we had to wait patiently in our coaches in order for the gate to open and let us…
After our lunch we boarded the coaches once again and head off into the Golan Heights in order to reach the spot where the River Jordan rises. Our purpose in doing this is in order to re-affirm our baptismal vows in the River Jordan where Jesus was baptised by John. I always find re-affirming my…
As you may remember from the blog on the first full day of the pilgrimage we started our visit at the Pater Noster Church. Just as we were leaving the coach and heading for the Church sadly one of our Pilgrims, Leslie, had a fall. None of us were quite sure what happened but a…
This morning I did make the sunrise although it was quite cloudy and so these are not the most spectacular sunrises that I have seen over the Lake. But they are still pretty amazing. I hope you enjoy them and that it might be clearer tomorrow. So after breakfast we are on the coaches again…
We arrived at the bottom of Mount Tabor and I know that many of the Pilgrims were not looking forward to the trip up the hairpin bends in the mini buses to the top of the mountain to see the Basilica of the Transfiguration. Apparently some of the Pilgrims were so anxious about this that…
It has just turned 10.30 at night UK time on Monday 26 February. That means it’s 12.30am in Israel. The Pilgrims are back in England and some of them, like me, might even be home. It is strange to think that only this morning we were still in Tiberius. We had all hoped, I think,…
Although we are now all safely back from our Pilgrimage some of my Pilgrim friends are reflecting for the blog on what they experienced whilst away. I think that for all of us it will take time to re-adjust to being back in our ‘ordinary’ lives. One of them, Rose Marie Best, send me her…
It was clear as we set out today that the weather was going to be kind to us. At 7.30am, as we left the Golden Walls hotel for our day of walking around and in and through the Old City, it was already pleasantly warm for which we were grateful. We entered the Old City…
The Revd Patrick Eggleston, Team Rector of Thamesmead Team Ministry, Linda Smith, from St John’s Peckham and The Revd Erica Wooff, Vicar of Stockwell, have all been on every Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land (2013, 2016 and this one in 2018). What makes them come back? Linda says, “Each time the holy places become…
Read more Reflections from those who have been on all three pilgrimages
The afternoon began with a coach ride as we headed to the village of Ein Karem the place of John the Baptist’s birth. It is in a very different setting to the places we had visited in the morning and the Dean described it as a bit like it being in a pine forest. Here…
The Pilgrims were nearly all gathered as requested to board our coaches at 8am. There was an exciting buzz as people introduced themselves to each other – by the end of the Pilgrimage some will be firm friends – and found out which parish they are from. Today we are staying around the Jerusalem area…
The Southwark Diocesan Pilgrimage 2018 has begun. 84 Pilgrims travelled together from Heathrow to Tel Aviv where they were joined by one Pilgrim who had already travelled. Our flight was a bit delayed but we are pleased to be here and to be preparing for all that the next week will bring. When we arrived…
‘…this time next week the Bishop of Southwark, The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun and his co-leader, the Dean, The Very Revd Andrew Nunn, will be very much hoping that all the pilgrims will have arrived and are checked in and ready to board our flight to Tel Aviv…’
