The mothers and daughters in front of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

By Molly Rawicki

Jerusalem, Israel, June, 2010 -- For the first time ever, a group of 20 Regnum Christi mothers and daughters embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and by God’s grace my mother and I were lucky enough to be part of this beautiful group. 

Women and girls from all different parts of the United States shared an amazing trip, visiting many of the places where our Lord Jesus lived.  The excursion helped the Gospel come alive for me and the rest of my group, and we will remember this for the rest of our lives.  It was truly an incredible time of friendship and a strengthening of our faith.  We experienced a fantastic mix of prayer and fun. 

During our pilgrimage, Legionary priests celebrated daily Mass for us at various locations, including the location of the Church of the Annunciation, Nativity of Christ, the “Ecce Homo” location

	The group at the Sea of Galilee.

where Pontius Pilate presented the beaten and scourged figure of our Lord to the crowd, Calvary, and the Holy Sepulcher where we were able to actually touch the stone on which Christ was laid. 

We spent a holy hour at the Church of all Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, built upon the stone on  which Christ prayed, just after we spent some time praying amongst the trees of the garden that were over 2000 years old.  We were also able to participate in a rosary procession in the city of Nazareth.  We prayed the rosary in Italian, Aramaic, and English. 

We visited the Church of the Annunciation and saw the place where Mary lived.  We held a “Living Stations of the Cross” along the actual places where Jesus carried his cross.  We walked past vendors trying to sell us postcards and dresses, as locals looked at us with curious stares.  We experienced a little of what Christ must have felt as he stumbled through these very streets to His crucifixion.  We even picked up some stragglers on the way that joined us in the procession. 

The trip was filled with inspiring meditations from our own consecrated women, talking about the

	A group lunch on the last day, at the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center.

situations impacting the Holy Land.  And our knowledgeable tour guide provided explanations of all the exciting sites.  We got to swim in the Dead Sea, and we ate amazing food. 

During our time together, I not only got to improve my relationship with Christ, but I really got to know my mother better, as well as the other women on the trip.  I can’t imagine a better experience!  I hope others can experience this trip in the future and be brought closer to Christ by walking in his very footsteps.