PILGRIMAGE TO LEBANON IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. CHARBEL
Day 1 18.09.2024
Meeting at a designated location. Transfer to Krakow Balice Airport. Baggage and ticket check-in. Departure
to Beirut via Frankfurt. Arrival in Lebanon. Border procedures. Transfer to the hotel. Accommodation. Time
for a short rest. Dinner, overnight.
Day 2 19.09.2024
Breakfast. Drive to Harissa Hill, where there is a sanctuary of the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Lebanon – a very important pilgrimage center for Lebanese Christians. Drive to the Jeita Caves – the longest caves
in Lebanon. Cable car ride, visit to the upper level of the caves. Walking along a tourist route with great views. A boat ride on the lower level of the caves, where limestone has carved the riverbed. The caves are included in the list of the seven wonders of the world. Return to the hotel in Jounieh, dinner, overnight stay.
Day 3 20.09.2024
Breakfast. Departure to Beka Kafra, the highest located village in Lebanon. It was here that the most recognizable of the Lebanese saints – St. Charbel Makhlouf – was born and spent the first years of his life. We will see the parish church where he was baptized, the house where he spent the first years of his life and we will go to the place where a miraculous spring gushed out, from which water has healing properties. Further on, we will head towards the Forest of God’s Cedars, majestically rising on the mountain slopes. At the end of the day, we will drive through a limestone canyon to admire the Maronite monasteries carved into the rock – Wadi Kaddish (Sacred Valley). The whole is inscribed on the UNESCO list. Return to the hotel in Jounieh, dinner, overnight stay.
Day 4 21.09.2024
Breakfast. Drive to Annaya. We will go to the hermitage of St. Charbel to see the place where he lived the last years of his life. Then, on the path of the saints, we will go to the monastery where the mortal remains of the saint are located. Free time to buy devotional items. Drive to Byblos – once the greatest Phoenician port, exporting cedar wood to Egypt, the place where the Phoenician alphabet was created. Visiting the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, we will see from theCrusaders from the twelfth century, a passage to the port. Free time for sunbathing. Return
to the hotel in Jounieh, dinner, overnight stay.
Day 5 22.09.2024
Early breakfast. Departure to Annaya – a town that is a well-known Christian pilgrimage center, due to the relics of St. Charbel Makhlouf found in the local Maronite monastery (to date, over 23 thousand miraculous healings have been registered in this place). We will take part in the procession that goes from the hermitage to the tomb of St. Charbel in the monastery of Annaya. This procession was ordered to be celebrated by St. Charbel himself
, who appeared in a dream to Lady Nuhad, whom he healed of paralysis. Participation in an international Holy Mass. Free time. Drive to Jaabata – the place of worship of St. Raphael (Rifka). At the end of the day, we will go to Kfifan to learn about the life story of St. Hardini and Blessed Estefan Nehme. Return to the hotel in Jounieh, dinner, overnight stay.
Day 6 23.09.2024
Breakfast. Tyre and Sidon are the biblical cities where Jesus taught. We will see the remains of the most important Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. In Tyre: the ruins of an ancient necropolis, thermae, the largest hippodrome in the Roman Empire, columned streets, while in Sidon: we will see the sea castle of the Crusaders, go to the market, walk through the renovated Jewish streets and see the palace of the Debbane family. Next, we will enter the soap museum and learn about the traditional methods of making olive and laurel soap. Drive to Maghdouche – we will visit the sanctuary of Our Lady of Waiting, built in the place of the grotto, where Mary was supposed to await the return of Jesus from Sidon. Return to the hotel in Jounieh, dinner, overnight stay.
Day 7 24.09.2024
Breakfast. Drive through the Bekaa Valley – a valley known for its magnificent remains of ancient ruins. The most famous archaeological site is the ancient city of Baalbeck – the center of worship of the Old Semitic god Baal, the gigantic temple of Jupiter and many other remains. Anjar – ruins of the palace of the Umayyad caliphs, remains of palaces, streets, temples. Drive in the direction of Xsara – a town that was already used by the Romans for wine production due to the qualities of the Bekaa Valley and the possibility of viticulture. The right amount of sun, humidity and specific conditions make the wine unique. Possibility to visit an old winery, taste and buy wine. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8 25.09.2024
