Short answer: Mission Travel Faith Tours plans private Catholic parish pilgrimages to the Holy Land, built around your pastor, your parish and your dates. Our Catholic heritage tours start with at least 20 travelers, and we can plan for parishes of up to 500 travelers. Your priest travels as chaplain and spiritual director and celebrates Holy Mass with the group, so the trip is a true pilgrimage and not just a vacation. Call 407-377-7912 and we will begin with your parish's dates.
The Psalmist says, "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage" (Psalm 84:5). Many parishioners have prayed the Rosary and heard the Gospels all their lives without ever seeing Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee or the Garden of Gethsemane. Going together, as one parish family, turns the readings at Sunday Mass into places your people have walked.
Who books a Catholic Holy Land pilgrimage with us?
- Parish priests and pastors who want to lead their parish on the pilgrimage of a lifetime.
- Parish councils and ministry leaders planning a trip for a parish anniversary or jubilee.
- Catholic organizations celebrating an event or marking a milestone together.
- Catholic schools and youth ministries who want students to see the land of the Gospels.
- Family groups who want to travel together with a shared Catholic faith.
Sample Catholic itineraries you can customize
Both tours below are expert-built starting points, not fixed packages. We change the days, the churches you pray in and the pace to fit your parish, and you can depart whenever you choose.
- Roman Catholic Holy Land Tour: 8 days and 7 nights through Tel Aviv, Joppa, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Jericho, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Masada. It includes the holy sites of Capernaum, Gethsemane, the Jordan River and Cana, a renewal of baptismal promises at the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, buffet breakfast and dinner daily at the hotel, and a farewell dinner.
- Roman Catholic Discovery Tour: 10 days and 9 nights, adding Caesarea to Tel Aviv, Joppa, Nazareth, Galilee, Jericho, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Masada, with stunning churches, monasteries and sanctuaries, the Garden of Gethsemane, and breakfast and dinner daily at the hotel.
Want time at the Jordan River? Read our guide to a Jordan River baptism tour for church groups. Want to add the Eternal City? See our Rome early church tour for church groups.
How Mass and spiritual direction work on the road
Parish groups bring their own pastor, who travels as chaplain and spiritual director. He celebrates Holy Mass and offers spiritual direction and support along the way. We build the itinerary so that significant religious sites come first, with leisure time to take in the culture of the places you visit. Tell us which sites matter most to your parish, and we plan the days around them so prayer at the holy places never feels rushed.
Many of our guides are Christians, though we cannot promise that on every day of every tour. What we do promise is that they know the devotional and scriptural side of a pilgrimage, not only the history.
Five steps to plan your parish pilgrimage
- Pray and set the purpose. Is this a jubilee trip, a Lenten pilgrimage, or a time of renewal for your parish? The purpose shapes the itinerary.
- Pick a sample itinerary. Start from the 8-day or 10-day Catholic tour above, or ask us to build one from scratch.
- Gather your travelers. Our Catholic heritage tours start with at least 20 travelers. The bigger the parish group, the better the group rate.
- Customize it. Send us your ideas through the customize your trip form. A Group Destination Expert replies within 2 business days.
- Prepare your people. Share the itinerary, hold an information night after Mass, and let parishioners ask questions. Our FAQ page answers many of them.
Why a private parish tour
Your parish travels as its own private party, on your dates. One traveler in every 20 paid goes free, which many priests use for themselves or for a parishioner who could not otherwise afford it. Once you reach 20 travelers, one of our tour managers travels with you. Every tailor-made group tour includes private sightseeing, an airport meet and greet, private transfers, 24/7 on-call support, English-speaking local guides, full breakfast daily, and entrance fees and taxes.
Not sure whether to travel privately or join other groups? Our guide to private vs open church Holy Land group tours explains the difference. If many of your travelers are older parishioners, read about senior adult church group tours to the Holy Land.
Start planning your parish pilgrimage
We pray your parish comes home closer to Christ and to one another. Call 407-377-7912, read our page for a priest or Catholic leader, see how our private custom Christian group tours work, or contact us to begin.
