Day 6 - Bethlehem, Mt. Zion, Gethsemane & the Holy Hour
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The day began with a visit to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity. We celebrated Mass in an ancient chapel beneath the Church (which is undergoing extensive renovation), then we waiting with hundreds of other pilgrims to see the site believed to be the birthplace of Christ, which is located there.
From there we proceeded to the Shepherd's Fields, the fields identified since ancient times with the shepherds who saw the star of the Nativity. We passed through the Kidron Valley to see St. Peter in Gallicantu, built over the palace of the High Priest Caiaphas. Jesus was imprisoned there before he was taken for judgment, then led through the city to be crucified. On Friday evening we went to the Garden of Gethsemane for Holy Hour, recalling Christ's agony in the garden prior to his arrest. |
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