Overview: Via Dolorosa, Holy Sepulchre, the Cenacle, St. Peter Gallicantu

In the relative quiet, before the city of Jerusalem awoke and began the busy-ness of the day, we loaded the bus and made our way to begin the Via Dolorosa - the Way of the Suffering, the Way of the Cross. The simple walk from station to station saw children rushing off to school, people opening their shop, the garbage being collected, and many people going here and there going about their daily life. Much like the days of Our Lord, normal life was all around as something profound was taking place. The Via Dolorosa continued in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Ascending the steps, it would seem as if we were merely ascending to an upstairs chapel but it was Mount Calvary. After a short wait, we were able to knee at the place of the crucifixion and place our hands on the stone of the mountain. I placed your petitions by the image of Our Lady next to the Cross and descended the steps to venerate the stone where the body of Jesus was laid to prepare it for burial. We then made our way over to the tomb, the site of the Resurrection. A long wait of around 90 minutes saw us entering in small groups the tomb. It’s a tiny space, as one might suspect. Praying for each of you there for a brief moment, the priest overseeing things slapped the wall, the sign to get moving for the next group to enter. A bit more touring around the church brought us to the church of the Last Supper. While the site is disputed whether it is the place of the Last Supper and/or Pentecost, it is nonetheless a beautiful place to pray on those mysteries. I skipped ahead of the group in accident and found a cat sitting on the stairway up to a lookout. We became fast friends and she tried to climb into my lap, but finding it not suitable, she laid down on my cassock and settled in for a nap. It was cut short a few minutes later, but nonetheless it was a pleasant little visit.

Lunch was had and we continued on our way to the church of St. Peter Gallicantu (St. Peter at Cockcrow). Here there is a dungeon where tradition holds that Our Lord spent the night before being crucified. The church also marked the site of Peter’s repentance as he heard the cockcrow and the Lord looked at him. We offered Holy Mass in the chapel above the dungeon before loading up on the bus and making our way to the hotel for dinner and much needed rest.

Tomorrow - the Western Wall, Mary’s birthplace, and a long flight home!