Day 6

Good Evening Friends,

Near the top of the Mount of Olives we began our day celebrating Mass followed by Eucharistic Adoration at the Church of Agony located at the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36-46, Mk. 14:32-42). Leaving the Church, we viewed the thick, gnarled trunks of the ancient Olive Trees in the garden and were humbled knowing we were actually standing where Jesus had suffered his agony.

We continued walking to the Church of the Pater Noster where we sang the “Our Father” and viewed over 200 plaques depicting various languages of this prayer surrounding the enclosed walls.

Our walk then took us to the top of the Mount of Olives (Mt. 21:1-11) to the Dominus Flevit Chapel where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41-44). There, the panoramic view of Jerusalem allowed our guide, Isaac, to point out the important Christian sites of the last days before the crucifixion of Jesus.

Catching our bus at the bottom of the Mount of Olives we proceeded to Mt. Zion, stopping at St. Peter in Gallicantu (The Cock Crows) where - Peter denied Jesus three times (Mt. 26:31-75), Jesus was accused by the Sanhedrin, and where Jesus was held in the house of the High Priest Caiaphas (Jn. 18:12-28). We were deeply moved by the place of his confinement after he was sentenced by Pilate and by the knowledge that the steps were the very steps that Jesus walked carrying his cross – an undisputed historic fact according to Isaac.

Our day ended with our visit to the Church of Dormition dedicated to Mary where we prayed the rosary and then went to the Upper Room where the Last Supper took place and where we will return tomorrow for Mass.

Overall, it was a very deeply moving day for all.




The Garden of Gethsemane with its ancient Olive Trees.



Altar at the Church of Agony over the rock where Jesus suffered his agony.



Mass at the Church of Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.



At the Church of the Pater Noster, where Jesus gave his disciples the Lord's Prayer.



Jerusalem from Dominus Flavit Chapel.



Dominus Flavit Chapel, commemorating the spot where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.



Walking on the steps where Jesus walked, we walk down to the Kidron Valley.



We pray in the Upper Room, where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper.