SEE WHAT OTHER PILGRIMS ARE SAYING ABOUT THEIR JOURNEY!

Ana A.

This past November [2022], we were blessed to have joined a pilgrimage to the Holy Land under the guidance of Fr. David Wathen with the Franciscans of the Holy Land. The experience was one of the high points of my life. Fr. David’s encyclopedic knowledge on the Sacred buildings in the Holy Land, his thorough explanation of the history and the territorial evolution of the area, his familiarity of Old Testament and historical data on every detail and his ability to connect the biblical passages to our lives made the gospels feel more real and more beautiful. He allowed special moments for us to linger and meditate, stimulating moments of contemplation and prayer.

All logistics with transportation went smoothly with Father Wathen, bus drivers, market vendors, souvenir shop owners and Holy site custodians all greeted Fr. Wathen warmly and with respect no matter their religious background. We felt safe and secure with Fr. David even when we visited Holy sites in current occupied territories and in the Palestine area. Fr. David also brought to light the presence and hardship of a Catholic minority in need of our support in those areas.  I can’t recommend [Fr. David] any higher. He was a blessing during every day of our trip.

Liz S.

As an IATA travel agent, I specialized in organizing pilgrimages and cultural tours to the Holy land and other special destinations. Fr. David was always very helpful in all situations , very patient and connected well with each pilgrim. He has a deep understanding of the Bible and an extensive knowledge of this land. He has been guiding pilgrims before 1993 and many of my pilgrimages……With full confidence I recommend Fr. David Wathen [Franciscan Holy Land Friars] for your upcoming pilgrimage.

Marjorie and Ghislain G.

My wife Marjorie and I came to the Holy Land with the Knights of Malta. I am a knight and we had this trip planned for a couple of years only to have it postponed on account of the pandemic. We came not knowing what to expect, but with hearts and minds open to what God had in store for us. This pilgrimage led by Father David exceeded our expectations by a long shot. Father David was knowledgeable beyond belief. He made the holy sites come alive. At times we felt that we were walking with Jesus. The spirit was with us and Father David helped prepare our hearts and minds along this journey. It is a special blessing to have had the opportunity to have embarked on this pilgrimage. It was an even greater grace to have been led Father David. For those who are invited to take this journey. Please say yes.

Deacon Jim Prosser

I had very high expectations for our pilgrimage in Jan., 2017, but my expectations were all exceeded! This Order of Franciscans are the Custodians of the Holy Land, which means Fr. David Wathen, who has been doing this pilgrimage ministry for over 20 years (and was personally recommended by my Bishop) is the perfect tour guide. Fr. David had Mass every day, many on the most holy sites, provided a wealth of background information (including spiritual, geographical and cultural), and had the experience and savvy to provide perfect planning, beautiful buffet meals and clean accommodations. It all came together to give us a seamless, overwhelming experience that left us overloaded every evening with new insights and dramatic observations. This trip should be on the top of everyone’s bucket list.

Lipnica Family

We recently came back from our Holy Land Pilgrimage on Jan 11th to Jan 19th, 2017 and it was one of the most memorable and enriching trips we took as a family. It felt so surreal walking on the land that our Lord walked on and see things with our very own eyes… the places that we only use to read in the Bible and hear about in stories. Father David Wathen was an amazing guide. He made all of the stories come alive with his in-depth knowledge of the sites while we were visiting the different notable spots. He was also the perfect guide because he never seemed to rush the group. We were always at a comfortable pace and one of the greatest blessings was that he somehow always knew when to go to a site because there was never a crowd. Sometimes we would be the first ones there. The morning mass we had at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, by the 13th station, our group was literally the only ones there along with a group of nuns who joined us for the mass. There was hardly any traffic either everywhere we went, which was amazing! Our tour driver, Telly, was also the best . Prior to getting to the Holy Land, I was in touch with Maureen Shepherd and Elsa White who were both very nice and most importantly very patient in answering all of our questions. Overall, our experience with the Holy Land Franciscan Pilgrimages, George’s International Tours and George Garabedian & Co. was amazing!

Felicia Lopez

Going to the Holy Land was a dream. I traveled alone, but never felt lonely since I met beautiful people, and everybody in Israel speaks English, and surprise…Spanish too. Father David was a fantastic travel and spiritual guide. There were so many places that we visited. I fulfilled myself with a lot of spiritual, educational and cultural experience. Having mass every day was great. It did recharge my spirit. Jerusalem is from another world, so different and full of ancient places, and culture. Also, I felt our Lord Jesus so close. If I have to describe my traveling to Israel I would say that it was an unforgettable, unique, and indescribable experience where I got close to the Lord and Virgin Mary. I am looking forward to travel with Franciscan in the near future.

Teresita Gloria

The Franciscan Pilgrimage experience provided my husband and I an authentic Holy Land memories that I can say truly reflected what a pilgirmage should center on—-an undertanding of the Israel as a special land chosen to be in God ‘s plan in man’s history and timeline , a unique spot in eternity whe His holy will reflected in his begotten Son would come and bring the everlasting message of love and redemption.

Cindy Adermach

We recently returned from our Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in September. This was the most wonderful trip of our lives. We learned so much from Father Benjamin. We learned about the history of the land where our Lord lived, and our spirituality was extremely heightened. We always felt safe and we were blessed to have him as our spiritual leader and guide. We all loved him. Will definitely go back again.