Holy Land Pilgrimage Summer ’22

by | May 4, 2022 | FSSP, Holy Land, Pilgrimage, Precious Moments: 01, written by Captain | 15 comments

Hey Y’all! 

My name is James (or Captain) 
This is the first time I’ve ever written something here on the blog and, despite having over fifteen years of my life shared on here by my mom, I thought I would tell you a little bit about myself in my own words!
I’m 21 years old and am the oldest of nine in my family. I grew up in beautiful Southern Oregon for eighteen years but currently live (still with my family) in North Idaho. After attending school at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia for two years, I transferred over to University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, where I just finished up my junior year of college. If everything works out, God willing, I will graduate next spring with a degree in Criminal Justice. I know I won’t be able to solve all of the world’s problems, but I can do my best to make right the injustices within the communities and populations that I will be working with in the future and in that way, I hope to strengthen our communities and leave a lasting positive impact for future generations. 
Now that you know a little bit about my background, I thought I’d share a little bit about what I enjoy doing. First off, I absolutely love the outdoors and spending time in nature. Whenever I can, I try to go swimming in the lakes or hiking in the mountains all while admiring God’s beautiful artwork. If I’m not out spending time in nature, I like to stay active and spend my time with my family and friends playing all sorts of sports and board games. I think I would have to say that pickleball has become one of my favorite sports to play with family and friends and for board games it’s still Settlers of Catan. ;D
 

I also really love road trips and visiting unique sites! My favorite road trip this year was the bus ride with my friends from Bismarck to DC in January for the March for Life.  There were many things about that trip that I loved but one of my favorites was visiting the National Archives Museum for the first time and reading for myself the words of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. That moment that I was able to experience was incredible! Not gonna lie, my vision became a little blurry when I was reading those monumental documents. It made everything that I believe and love about this country that much more meaningful. Sure, I have read books on the founding of America and have studied certain aspects of how this country has grown throughout history, but by observing first-hand the documents that formed America, it made everything, in a way, real.  It added a new perspective on my Constitutional Law class (that I took this last semester), American History, and the American government system.

    


This summer, I have been granted the wonderful opportunity to partake in an upcoming pilgrimage traveling to the Holy Land with my godfather, Father Dennis Gordon! During our travels, God willing, we’ll be blessed to visit where Christ was born, where He walked on water, where He prayed on the Mount of Olives, where He was crucified, and where He rose from the dead! These are just a few of the places we’ll be visiting on my pilgrimage. Similar to how seeing the documents on which our country was founded created a more personal understanding of America, I believe that going on this pilgrimage and visiting the holy sites throughout Jerusalem will create a new, real, and reinvigorating understanding of the Faith that I believe in. Yes, I encounter Christ in a very real way every day in the people I interact with, in His beautiful nature that He created, and at Mass in the Holy Sacrament, but by going and literally walking the same streets He walked on will make the Faith that I live out that much more real and meaningful to me. This once-in-a-lifetime experience will make reading the bible that much more vivid, the consecration of the Eucharist that much more impactful, and create in me an even greater zealousness to live out the Christian Faith.


However, I can’t do this on my own. In addition to working (more than) full time this summer and working as an RA during the upcoming school year, I’m trying to fundraise to help offset the pilgrimage costs. Therefore, I humbly ask you (to find it in your heart) to help support me and my trip to the Holy City of Jerusalem. (Not gonna lie, I feel like I am a knight embarking on a crusade and begging for the support of the community to help him go on his holy mission! lol) But in all seriousness, your unselfish generosity would make something that I thought would never even be a possibility a REALITY. Again, I am humbled by and eternally grateful for ANY financial support you can provide. I understand, however, if you are unable to help financially, and I would appreciate the spiritual help in prayers for a safe and fruitful pilgrimage. If you have any intentions that you’d like me to pray for while in the Holy Land, don’t hesitate to send them to me, and I’ll remember them as I visit the holy sites. 🙂 

Anywhoooo, I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about me and what I like in my own words and if you are able to offer any help either spiritual or financial (or both!) I will be forever grateful! 

Take care and God Bless 😀

  

(Donate at GoFundMemy Venmo or Mom’s Paypal

P.S. Here is the tentative itinerary for our trip: 

Departure Day

  • Leave North America
Day 1
  • Meet at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv
  • Transfer to Nazareth for Mass and supper at the hotel

Day 2

  • Basilica of the Annunciation
  • Cana of Galilee
  • Mount Tabor & Transfiguration

Day 3

  • Mount of the Beatitudes
  • Caesarea Philippi & Confession of Saint Peter
  • Golan Heights
  • Primacy of Saint Peter
  • Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
  • Capernaum
  • Tabgha Priory & Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes

Day 4

  • Zippori National Park: Sepphoris & the birthplace of Our Lady
  • Tel Megiddo National Park: Armageddon
  • Muhraqa & Carmelite Monastery: Holy Prophet Elias & the priests of Baal

Day 5

  • Leave Nazareth and drive south for Jerusalem
  • Qumran National Park: Saint John the Baptist & the Essenes
  • River Jordan & the Baptism of the Lord
  • Jericho
  • Dead Sea swimming

Day 6

  • Bethlehem & Church of the Nativity
  • Shepherds’ Fields
  • ‘Ein Kerem & the Visitation of Our Lady

Day 7

  • Mount of Olives, Pater noster & Church of Eleona
  • Dominus flevit
  • Gethsemane
  • Mount Sion: Dormition Abbey, Cenaculum
  • Saint Peter in Gallicantu

Day 8

  • Via Dolorosa
  • Church of the Holy Sepulchre
  • Bethany & the Tomb of Lazarus

Day 9

  • Drive to Haifa to visit Mount Carmel for the Feast Day
  • Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery
  • Caesarea Maritima (extremely important early Christian centre connected with the Apostles and Church Fathers: Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Zacchaeus, Philip the Deacon, Cornelius the Centurion, Origen, Eusebius, and the Nicene Creed!)

Day 10

  • Sunday Mass at a place to be determined (Notre Dame? Latin Patriarchate?)
  • The Israel Museum
  • The Shine of the Book
  • Valley of Elah (where David slew Goliath)

Day 11

  • Cross the Jordan River at the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge
  • Mount Nebo, where Moses looked out and saw the Promised Land
  • Madaba & ancient Christian sites
  • Wadi Musa (Spring of Moses)

Day 12

  • Petra

Day 13

  • Mount Hor & the Tomb of Aaron
  • Kerak Castle Crusader Fortress

Day 14

  • Queen Alia Airport for travel home

“Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the Gospel will save it.” ~ Mark 8: 34-35

15 Comments

  1. olivia

    Your mom has helped our fmaily for so many years through her blog. Our homeschooling days and family time are so enriched becaue of all th etime and ffort she put into schooling all of youa nd sharing it with us. I am happy to doante to your pilgrimage! May God Bless you and your family!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    We will send our prayers with you. God bless you. We hope you will post “after” pictures of your trip.

    Reply
  3. Karen H

    The comment above by Olivia says it best. Your Mom’s Shower of Roses blog has been a source of inspiration and support, a true gift from above for our family for years. (And we have all been blessed to watch you grow to maturity!). Your family must be so proud of the man you’ve become. May your trip to the Holy Land enrich you profoundly. Ps. How I wish we could donate more. May the Risen Lord bless your endeavour!

    Reply
  4. James

    Thank you so much for the kind words towards Mom! 🙂 I definitely lucked out in getting such a great mom who does so much for me and my siblings. I can attest it isn't always easy on her, but she really does enjoy being able to help us grow in learning and genuinely loves being able to help and inspire others like yourself through her blog.
    And THANK YOU for your thoughtful generosity!!
    God Bless! 🙂

    Reply
  5. James

    Thank you SO much for the prayers!! YES I'll be doing a post about the pilgrimage when I get back sooooooooo stay tuned! 😀 Take Care and God Bless!

    Reply
  6. James

    Mom definitely has been and continues to inspire me. Like I said in response to Olivia's comment, Mom finds joy in being able to help and inspire others, so hearing your kind words in how her blog has facilitated inspiration and support for you and your family means a lot!! Haha it's a little weird to think sometimes that there's people out in the world (who follow Shower of Roses) have watched me basically grow up lol. (side note: I don't really care that much but it's just funny to think of sometimes). As of my family being proud of me, I can't speak for them but I can say that I try at least. 🙂
    Thank you for the well wishes for the trip! I'm excited for it and am looking forward to seeing how the Holy Spirit will move me!!
    THANK YOU for you kind donation!! No amount it too small!!! God reward you !

    Take care and God Bless!

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    May God bless you James and the whole Gordon family. Your moms blog has been a blessing and always edifying , thanking God for your mother and her sharing herself and family always, Glory to God.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous

    James, did you meet your goal and are you going on your pilgrimage?
    Barbara Stein

    Reply
  9. James

    Hi Barbara! I've gotten about half way to reaching my goal which is GREAT that so many people have been generous enough to get me to this point! I still have about 2k that I'm hoping to raise that way I can put the money that I'm making this summer towards school. In answer to your question, YES I'm going! I've booked my tickets and will start getting things packed/ready sometime next month!! Super excited!!! Stay tuned for a post trip blog post!
    James Gordon

    Reply
  10. James

    Thank you for the kind words! 🙂
    Take care!
    James Gordon

    Reply
  11. Anonymous

    I wish you the best on your pilgrimage! I wish I could do something so amazing like this! I too follow your mom every so often, and haven’t been on in a while. I’m glad I checked it out! I ask for prayers that I continue to grow in my faith, and gladly and obediently carry out Gods will for me and my family 🙂 my name is Jessica. Thank you 🙏 God bless!

    Reply
  12. Jessica Gordon

    Thank you all for your kind comments and generosity towards helping make this a little more achievable for our son! This wasn't something that was even considered until his godfather (our pastor and the chaplain for this trip) invited him. Between gifts from his godfather, generous friends, some help from Sean and I, and working really hard this summer, he is getting to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity! He will be praying for all of you!

    Also, for those who continue to leave unkind comments, here is a link to my comment policy from 2014: https://www.showerofrosesblog.com/2014/02/comment-policy.html

    No Personal Attack Comments Permitted: This blog is a digital scrapbook for our family. As much as I love and enjoy sharing what we have been up to here at Shower of Roses, I do not welcome debates or attacks on me, my family, or my faith in my comment box. The First Amendment gives you the right to express your opinions on your blog not mine. In short, any comment that I do not want my children to read will not be published.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous

    So excited for him to get to have this memorable experience with his godfather! So sad that you still have to remind people to be kind after all these years of sharing yourself and your beautiful family with us. Love you, friend! Charlotte

    Reply
  14. Anonymous

    Hi Jessica. This is Carolina. I have not been around for a long time due to healthy issues. I would like to send my love to you and family and reminding you of your beautiful work and all the good fruits you had brought to my life. You are indeed a inspiration of life. If some people are unkind is because of their lack of understanding and charity. Remember Our Lord was also unjustly attacked one of the reasons is to unite himself to us when we go through this pains in our own lives. We are not alone. He is with us.
    I am amazed by your son’s words. How well he can write and express himself. What amazing job you are doing in your kids home education!!! It’s indeed a beautiful work and I am so touched by his letter. I will indeed help.
    Much love from me. Let me know if you ever come back to Sacramento.

    Reply
  15. Kris

    I am loving reading about James' pilgrimage! What an inspirational story! I am so happy you were able to visit so many incredible places within the history of our Catholic faith! I pray that all that you learned and encountered on the trip will help form your faith even deeper and that your story will inspire others to not only visit the Holy Land, but also learn more about Jesus and His awesome story. You continue to be in my prayers as you enter your Senior year at college. May God Bless you and keep you! Peace be with you, Kris Levy

    Reply

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Prayer of Mothers

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-23, Ranger-22, Twinkle Toes-20, Chiquita-19, Snuggles-16, Rose-14, Bud-12, Grace-6 and Joy-4 (blog nicknames)

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

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