In April 2021 the Most Rev Mark Strange, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church will lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The pilgrimage, organised by the Rev Canon Cedric Blakey as part of the 2021 Provincial Year of Pilgrimage, will take place from 10-21 April 2021 and is now accepting reservations.

Bishop Mark said: “Having visited Jerusalem and Bethlehem with my wife in 2019 and still being enriched by the experience, I am delighted to commend this programme as part of our Year of Pilgrimage 2021. You will get a taste of the Negev Desert, enjoy the beautiful Sea of Galilee and then explore the wonder of Jerusalem. There will be visits to the Dead Sea, Jericho, Nazareth, the River Jordan, Capernaum, and Bethlehem. There are three aims:

• to bring the Bible to life – by encouraging you to see, hear, taste, touch and smell things which are already half familiar and yet also a real surprise;
• to meet “living stones” – the people of Palestine whose families have been Christian since very ancient times, and the challenges they face today, and Jews and Muslims too;
• to enable a discovery about yourself, fellow pilgrims and God while enjoying fresh biblical, liturgical, ecumenical and interfaith experiences.

“It is natural that many Christians are drawn to travel to the lands of the Bible. Around 90 per cent of the Bible story took place on a piece of land some 150 x 50 miles, which today we call Israel/Palestine. Over the centuries, neither wars nor natural disasters have deterred pilgrims from reaching the Holy Land. Tragically, the conflicts have not subsided, but neither has the desire to visit these ancient holy places. I encourage all who are interested to join the pilgrimage if they possibly can. You will be in highly experienced hands with Cedric Blakey, McCabes and the wonderful local guides.”

The cost of the pilgrimage is £2,395 and is on a full-board basis with buffet breakfast, lunch and evening meal included daily. Touring is by air-conditioned coach and will be accompanied by a local guide.

For more information, please see the brochure for the tour here.

To make a booking, please contact the Rev Canon Cedric Blakey in the first instance by email with your postal address: revcanclb@gmail.com