When families from Everest Academy spent a week in Jerusalem this past March, it was more than just a vacation.
The point of the trip was to bring people closer to their faith as they visited sites where Jesus Christ is believed to have lived and taught, said Father Daniel Pajerski, St. Daniels Catholic Church.
‘As Catholics and a Catholic School, one of our missions is to have people develop a personal relationship with Christ,? he said. ‘This is one of the ways we do it. We bring people there to the actual historical sites and have them read the Bible and experience those things.?
Pajerski organized the trip through the Notre Dame Jerusalem Center, which is a pilgrimage center owned by the Vatican, but operated by the Legionaries of Christ, a religious order of priests in the church, of which he is part, and Shepherd’s Tour.
‘I basically asked people to come,? he said. ‘All the organizational aspects were taken care of.?
It was the first time Pajerski organized the trip, as well as his own first trip to Jerusalem.
‘It was beautiful,? he said. ‘It makes the Bible, for me, come more alive. You really have a mental picture of where things happen, it really helped me get in closer contact with Christ.?
Fabiana Diaz, Everest Academy student, agreed.
‘I feel like I can communicate more when I read the Gospel,? she said. ‘I understand it more and I feel like I’m still there. Christ has opened up to us in a new way. He’s more into us and we are more into him.?
Brendan Kelly, 7, had his First Communion at the Church of the Nativity.
‘I was happy when I received Christ in the Eucharist,? he said. ‘I felt it was the best experience of my life.?
Some of the key places visited included Old City Jerusalem, Jericho, Masidonia, Dead Sea, Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity in Nazareth, and Stations of the Cross.
They visited holy sites of three world religions, including the Holy Sepulcher, which Catholics hold to be the place Jesus lay before his resurrection; Wailing Wall, revered in the Jewish faith as the last remnant of their Holy Temple; and Dome of the Rock, from which Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven.
‘It was amazing to be where Christ was,? said Michelle Diaz, ‘to see where he was born and where he died.?
Meghan Kelly said Calvary was not how she pictured it.
‘It was amazing how we were walking in the first steps of Christ,? said Caroline Kelly. ‘It was hard to take it all in at once.?
‘When we walked into the tomb where Jesus resurrected I could feel his power and his might go through my body,? said Bradley Mansour.
Fabiana said the trip was different for the children than for the adults.
‘We didn’t really understand where we were until we left,? she said. ‘They (the adults) knew everything, but when we left we were like ‘wow we were, here, here, and here.??
The children also interacted more with people living in Jerusalem, and got their e-mail addresses, noted Fabiana.
‘The parents were just there,? she said. ‘We were the ones getting to know everybody.?
Cathy Foster, along with her two sons Patrick and John, who attend St. Thomas Moore Academy, were the last three to get tickets for the trip.
‘It was really obvious that God wanted us to go,? she said. ‘I said ‘just take my hand and lead the way and he did.??