Description
A variation of our standard course, Footsteps of Jesus (through the eyes of Peter) is a 10-day study pilgrimage focusing on the scriptures, sites, and landscapes associated with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In the spirit of the June 29 feast of St Peter and St Paul, the course follows in the footsteps of Jesus through the eyewitness perspective of his disciple, Peter. The course invites participants to likewise experience the person, places, and pathways of Jesus by entering into the stories alongside Peter. While gaining a new appreciation of Peter and the challenges of Christian disciples, the course remains fundamentally focused on the life and ministry of Jesus.
Emphasizing the lived experience of pilgrimage as Christian formation, the course encounters the land of Jesus’ ministry, engaging the biblical narratives in their physical, historical, and archaeological contexts. The course includes a 3-day, 2-night excursion to the Galilee. Alongside teachings and reflections in the field, occasional mini-lectures prepare course participants for site visits.
The course also engages the Living Stones of Israel and Palestine, including speakers on contemporary issues in the Holy Land.
Sample Draft Itinerary
Day 1: Monday, June 28
Gathering
Opening Eucharist, Reception, and Dinner
Day 2: Tuesday, June 29 (Jerusalem: Feast of St Peter and Paul)
Introduction to the Course
Opening Lecture: Peter in the Footsteps of Jesus / Peter’s Speeches about Jesus
Visit Church of St Peter in Gallicantu: From Alienation to Restoration
Visit Holy Sepulchre: Experiencing the Resurrection
Feast of St Peter and Paul Eucharist
Day 3: Wednesday, June 30 (Jordan River: Peter meets Jesus)
Time in the Wilderness: Personal reflections on following Jesus (through the eyes of Peter)
Jordan River (John 1) / Reaffirmation of Baptism
Jericho: Peter as witness to Jesus’ healing Bartimaeus the Blind Man (Mark 10:46–52, Luke 18)
Jericho: Peter at the house of Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10)
Day 4: Thursday, July 1 (Sea of Galilee: The Calling of Peter) / Overnight in the Galilee
The Sea of Galilee: The Calling of Peter (Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20)
Capernaum: The House of Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Mark 1:29–34)
Capernaum: Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman (Luke 8:40–56)
Boat Ride: Peter Walks on Water (Matthew 14:22–33)
Church of the Multiplication
Church of the Beatitudes
Day 5: Friday, July 2 (Caesarea Philippi: Confession of Peter) / Overnight in the Galilee
Bethsaida: The Hometown of Peter (John 1:44)
Banias/Caesarea Philippi: The Confession of Peter about Jesus
(Matthew 16:13–20, Mark 8:27–30, and Luke 9:18–21)
Galilee Eucharist
The Sea of Galilee: The Restoration of Peter (John 21)
Day 6: Saturday, July 3 (Nazareth and Mt Tabor)
Drive through Cana (John 2)
Nazareth: Peter refers to Christ as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 2:22)
Mt Tabor: The Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–13, Luke 9:28–36)
Day 7: Sunday, July 4 (Optional Trip to Bethlehem)
Worship at St George’s Cathedral
Afternoon trip to Bethlehem (optional)
Church of the Nativity / Free Time in Bethlehem
Day 8: Monday, July 5 (Peter and the Temple)
Visit al-Aqsa Mosque
Pool of Bethesda / Service of Healing
Lunch in the Old City
Western Wall
Jerusalem Archaeological Park
Day 9: Tuesday, July 6 (The Raising of Lazarus)
Bethany: Peter as witness to the Raising of Lazarus (John 11)
Free Afternoon
Day 10: Wednesday, July 7 (Peter during Holy Week)
Morning:
Peter, Palm Sunday, and the Fig Tree (Mark 11) / Bethphage
Walk down the Mount of Olives
Peter in Gethsemane: Defending Jesus (Garden of Gethsemane)
Afternoon:
Holy Sion: Peter and the Last Supper
Preparing the Supper / Having his feet washed / Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s Denial
Peter at the House of Caiaphas: Denying Jesus (St Peter in Gallicantu)
Day 11: Thursday, July 8 (The Empty Tomb: Experiencing the Resurrection)
Via Dolorosa
Holy Sepulchre
Closing Eucharist: St Peter in Gallicantu (tbc)
Free afternoon
Final reflection: Peter in Acts
Final Debriefing, Reception, Dinner
Day 12: Friday, July 9
Departures
