Safe Arrival in Tel-Aviv, Now in Nazareth

We had a smooth flight from Atlanta to Tel-Aviv, got through security, and then took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Nazareth.  The accompanying photo is the Golden Crown Hotel viewed from my balcony window.

Amer, our guide, comes from a Roman Catholic family in Nazareth that has been Roman Catholic back at least to the era of the crusades (!).  Most of the Christians here are Greek Orthodox, or Melkite Catholics.  The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has the pastoral care of 56,000 Roman Catholics in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus.  It is a small minority.

We were fortunate to be able to procure the Church of the Grotto of the Annunciation for our Mass tomorrow.  I will be remembering the intentions of TSP readers and, of course, co-bloggers Michael and Brant and their families.