CLIFTON Bishop Serratelli helped lead 42 Catholics of the Diocese and beyond, including 20 priests and a deacon, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Israel — often called the “Fifth Gospel” — Jan. 23 to 30. It brought to life for them many of the events of salvation history in the Scriptures, including those from Jesus’ time. For eight days, they toured sites important to the history of ancient Israel in the Old Testament, such as the Western Wall and a recently discovered synagogue at Magdala, and of Jesus’ ministry in the New Testament, such as the Sea of Galilee, the Temple Mount and the Upper Room.
Leading the pilgrimage — titled “Jerusalem, My Destiny…” — were Bishop Serratelli, who read Scripture passages that corresponded with each site and then gave religious reflections, and David Hyman, who gave presentations about the culture and history of each location. The group consisted of priests, including some of the Bishop’s former students, when he taught Scripture and Biblical languages for more than 25 years at Immaculate Conception Seminary, South Orange, and lay Catholics, including couples and families.
“When I go back to the Holy Land, it connects the many places, historical events and stories in Scripture and Jesus’ life,” said Bishop Serratelli, a pilgrim to the Holy Land at least 10 times. He enjoyed touring some newly excavated sites, such as a first-century synagogue in Magdala, where “with certitude Jesus preached and Mary Magdalene lived.” Of his pilgrimages to the Holy Land, the Bishop, told The Beacon, “I always look forward to going back.”
The group started touring on Jan. 23 when they visited Nazareth, the town of Jesus’ birth, going to the House of Joseph, his adoptive father, and the Basilica of Annunciation, which commemorates the Angel Gabriel’s blessed announcement to the Virgin Mary. The next day, they toured the Sea of Galilee, an important place in Jesus’ ministry; the Mount of Beatitudes, the site of his Sermon on the Mount; and Tabgha, the site that marks his miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. They also visited the Church of Primacy, the site, when he called Peter “rock,” upon whom he would build his church; Capernaum, where he performed most of his miracles; and Magdala, also home to the Boat Chapel, which contains an altar in the shape of a fishing boat, according to Father Abuchi Nwosu, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Swartswood and a first-time Holy Land pilgrim, who used this daily posts on Facebook as his personal journal.
The visit to the Sea of Galilee was meaningful to Father Cesar Jaramillo, a diocesan priest who is pursing graduate studies in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Six years ago, he decided to enter seminary and discern a call to the priesthood, while sitting in a boat with his mother on that body of water. As a seminarian, Father Jaramillo returned again to the Sea of Galilee and promised himself that he would go back as a priest.
“That is the main reason I decided to join Bishop Serratelli’s pilgrimage. I was very excited about the idea of celebrating Mass at all the holy sites, which our Lord deigned to visit during his earthly life and which had left an indelible mark in my journey of faith,” Father Jaramillo said.
On the third day, the pilgrims visited Mount Tabor, the site where Jesus was transfigured in front of Peter, James and John, and Cana, where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine at Wedding of Cana. At Cana, Bishop Serratelli surprised the married couples on the trip by inviting them to renew their wedding vows, Father Nwosu wrote on Facebook.
On the next day, the group traveled from Tiberias to Jerusalem. Led by Bishop Serratelli, they stopped at the Jordan River, where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, to renew their baptismal vows. They also toured the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended into heaven; Domus Flevit, which features the tear-shaped Church of All Nations to commemorate when Jesus wept for Jerusalem; and the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed and the Apostles Peter, James and John slept during his Agony in the Garden, Father Abuchi wrote.
The fifth day found the group touring Bethlehem at Manager Square; Basilica of the Nativity; Shepherd’s Field, where the angels first announced Christ’s birth to the shepherds; and a cave, where St. Jerome lived for 36 years. One next day, they celebrated an early Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was buried. They also prayed at the Western Wall, a part of the second temple of Jerusalem built by Herod that was destroyed, Father Abuchi said.
“When my wife, Debby, and I prostrated ourselves on the rock of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus as laid to rest, it was profound,” said Eric Kispert of Denville, a parishioner of Notre Dame of Mount Carmel, Cedar Knolls. “Walking on the earth that Jesus walked on was profound. Bishop Serratelli provided the visual imagery and real life experience to make Jesus’ journey come to life in living color with his homilies and reflections. It also was amazing gift to have so many priests on the trip, celebrating Mass every day,” he said.
Father Jaramillo posted photos at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, proclaiming, “We rejoice because the tomb is empty! May we never forget that what we celebrate every Sunday is precisely this: the Resurrection of Christ and his victory over death.”
Then, the group visited the Upper Room, where Jesus instituted the Eucharist, his body and blood, telling his Apostles to “do this in memory of me.” The Upper Room was also where disciples received the Holy Spirit, during Pentecost, often called the birthday of the Church. Later, the pilgrims toured the house of Caiaphas, where “Jesus must have been tied under those walls probably about two hours while awaiting trial by the high priest,” Father Nwosu wrote.
“Bishop Serratelli led the priests in renewing our ordination vows and promises in the Upper Room, which was special,” Father Nwosu told The Beacon. “The pilgrimage was overwhelming. It put them [Scripture events] all together. Reading about it is something, but experiencing it is another. To see these sites makes them [the stories] real,” he said.
Throughout the pilgrimage, Bishop Serratelli’s expertise as a Biblical scholar enabled the group to “delve into the historical and literary richness of the Word of God” and led them to “contemplate the great mysteries of our Christian faith,” Father Jaramillo said.
“It was beautiful to see how people’s faith truly came alive as we visited all the holy sites. I consider it a privilege to have been there and to have witnessed their reactions as they saw the places where Christ walked and preached, where he healed and prayed, where he died and rose,” said Father Jaramillo, who enjoyed fellowship on the pilgrimage with his fellow priests and the laity. “I have no doubt that none of us came back from the trip the same. Whether cradle Catholics or recent converts to the faith, I am certain we all returned home with our hearts on fire for the Lord and an ardent zeal to be disciples with and for Christ,” he said.