SERRA PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LANDA Tremendous Success 

Gerald Murphy (London Serra) and his team are to be congratulated for the outstanding  arrangements that underpinned the recent pilgrimage and made the whole event so enjoyable for all those taking part.

The group from Manchester (Manchester and North Cheshire Serrans) flew into Tel Aviv airport and were greeted by a large number of members of other clubs who had been awaiting our arrival prior to us all transferring to our hotel in Nazareth.  The Golden Crown was a particularly swish (and very comfortable) hotel situated on the outskirts of the town.  Before retiring we were advised to expect a 6am alarm call.  This , with slight variations, set the pattern for the whole pilgrimage.

Tuesday morning gave us the chance to get to know all thirty-five pilgrims, including nine Americans.  The group jelled very quickly and, as the week progressed, the care that they all showed for each others’ wellbeing became very obvious.  This morning also enabled us to meet two people who were central to the success of the venture, our Spiritual Leader, Fr Godric Timney OSB, who began each day on the coach with just the right amount of prayer as well as finding the relevant reading for each stopping point and saying Mass for us each day, and Morad, our outstanding Israeli Arab guide, currently studying for a Ph.D. in Archaeology and thus able to provide background information for every point of interest, again he avoided overpowering us with facts but gave us sufficient to maintain our interest.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent visiting sites in Galilee that were associated with Our Lord’s life in the north of Palestine, in particular the area around the Sea of Galilee, including Capernaum and the Mount of the Beatitudes  At the Church of the Marriage Feast in Cana a number of couples renewed their marriage vows before the altar, a quietly moving celebration.

Thursday was moving day and bags had to be outside our doors at a very early hour.  Most of the morning was spent travelling down the Jordon Valley with Israel on our right and no-man’s land on our left.  We were able to drive into no-man’s land to visit the recently discovered site of the Baptism of Jesus where the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove.  A white dove was sitting on a rail across the Jordan.  (The writer maintains that this dove, along with the crowing cock at St Peter Gallicantu, are specially trained to provide atmosphere.)

We continued along the valley to the Dead Sea, where some hardy souls went “swimming,” and on to Masada.  We returned north into Jerusalem which was to be our home for the remainder of the pilgrimage.

Here the accommodation, but not the pilgrimage, split.  The American members, together with Dr Tom Wong, the new International President, and John Woodward, our Executive Director, took up residence in the Vatican-owned Notre Dame Centre while the rest of us went on to the Golden Walls Hotel.  At first site this hotel seemed a step down from the Golden Crown.  The entrance is on the corner in a row of local shops with reception on the first floor while the rooms, though perfectly comfortable, were an odd shape.  The hotel faces the walls of Jerusalem and is only a short walk from the Damascus Gate.,  Many of us decided that this hotel was actually better than its Nazareth counterpart, particularly in regard to the food provided and its situation.

Friday was spent, partly on the coach but mainly on foot, visiting the Kedron Valley and the Mount of Olives along with a number of very significant churches linked to the last part of Our Lord’s life.  Mass was celebrated in the Franciscan Church of All Nations which adjoins the Garden of Gethsemane with its centuries old olive trees..  That evening we were joined for the first time by a party from Brazil to listen to a talk by John Woodward.

The early alarm calls achieved the ridiculous the next morning – 5.00 am.!  This was to give us time to walk to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City for Mass at the site of the Crucifixion .  (The rules for who can have Mass and when are complex.)  After breakfast we went on a walking tour of old Jerusalem, including the Way of the Cross and ending back at the Holy Sepulchre which we were able to visit.  After lunch at the Austrian Hospice many of us went back to our hotel for a rest.  In the evening we were joined once more by our Brazilian friends.  This time the speaker was the new International President from Hong Kong, Tom Wong.

On Sunday we visited Bethlehem, passing through the Wall/Security Fence.  On the Bethlehem side this wall is decorated with graffiti, including one sentence which the writer found very moving, “When the sun rises, it rises on everyone.”   After mass at the Shepherds Field we went on to the centre of Bethlehem to visit Manger Square, the Basilica and the Cave of the Nativity.  The advent of the wall has reduced the number of visitors to Bethlehem quite considerably and has had a very deleterious effect on the olive carvers and souvenir suppliers.  Accordingly our final event, apart from a very simple lunch, was a visit to a souvenir shop where our purchases could offer support to the owner and his staff and suppliers.

That evening was held one of the traditional high-lights of a Convention, the Banquet.  Unfortunately, owing to a communications problem with John Woodward, the format was not quite as planned.  Nonetheless, it was very pleasant, with everyone in best bib-and-tucker.  The Brazilians were invited to join us as our guests

The next day saw us back in Tel Aviv airport waiting to catch our various planes home.  Those of us flying to Manchester arrived late in the evening to the ultimate cliché, rain!