What kept you from going before?
I was working and time was a factor.  There always seemed to be a period of unrest, be it the human bombings, Arafat sturring things up, etc.

 

What helped you to go?
Going to the Holy Land has always been a dream of mine.  The human bombing had stopped.  And, I wasn't getting any younger.  I felt if I didn't go now (age 70) I didn't know if I would ever get there.  And, that was not an option I wanted .

What were your concerns?
Of course, the most obvious.......an uprising of some kind while I was visiting.

What did you learn?
Oh my, where do I start.  First of all, I did not know that the Church of the Holy Seplecur had both the Tomb and Calvery in it.  The narration by both Fr. Angelo and Chris is still being digested by me.  The history plus seeing all the places described in the Bible is  mind boggling.  So much information was given to us  by these two very knowledgeabe people.

How did it change your life?
Every day something from the trip is recollected.  Be it the Gospel at Mass, (visualizing the sites),  my looking out my window and seeing my statue of St. Francis in my back yard,(I had no knowledge of the vast amount of influence he had in establishing  many of the sites in the Holy Land), or just a quiet moment in prayer   If it weren't for St. Francis going to the Holy Land and procurring the sites there would be nothing for us to see there.  The trip was first class, from the accommodations, the information, the food, the transportation, to the seeing so many of the sites of the Bible.  It was a dream come true for me. I have traveled to London, Paris, Rome, Hawaii, Cruises, but this trip will always be at the "top of my list".