The Holy Land Experience
Cultural, Academic and Spiritual Pilgrimage for Diocesan Seminarians
June 30 – July 30, 2018
Pray and learn while immersed in holy and historically significant sites throughout the Holy Land – Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Galilee! Receive all the Holy Land has to offer, as well as instruction and direction from the priests and brothers who’ve called this region home for 800 years – The Holy Land Franciscans.
This immersion experience is designed to complement existing formation in diocesan seminaries and is for seminarians who’ve completed at least their first year of theology. The program is an experience of both study and spiritual growth, designed to maximize seminarians’ appreciation of biblical sites in their historical context, as well as within their personal spirituality. The Franciscan Friars collaborate with other scholars and religious leaders in the region. English-speaking professors from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum provide expert content in both classroom settings and guided visits to the biblical sites.
Goals of the Holy Land Experience
- To develop seminarians’ personal connection with the Lands of the Bible, combining sound Roman Catholic theology and spirituality with the latest in historical and archeological research.
- To expose seminarians to current cultural, political, and religious life and struggles in the Holy Land.
- To grant seminarians a basic familiarity with the liturgical traditions of the Eastern Churches and their spirituality, as well as the various forms of religious life present in the Holy Land.