Embarking on a journey of faith
News
Posted By Angela Brown, Central Plains Herald-Leader
Updated 2 months ago
Submitted photo...Rev. Eric Giddins, right, blesses Rosemary and Dave Barney, from Portage la Prairie, as they renew their baptismal vows in the waters of the River Jordan, during their trip to the Holy Land in April.
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A group of Portage la Prairie residents recently came back from a trip of a lifetime where they followed the footsteps of Jesus on a journey through the Holy Land.
About 48 participants, including 28 parishioners from Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Parish in Portage, some from Gladstone, Brandon, and others from the United States travelled from Tel Aviv, Israel, through to Nazareth and Bethlehem in Jerusalem from April 20-29.
Rev. Eric Giddins of Good Shepherd Parish helped organize the trip. He also took part in the excursion and said, after he previously completed the trip in 2009, he believed the group would be enriched by the experience.
"It was an opportunity ... to see the Holy Land, see all the places that Jesus ministered, where he was born, crucified and he was risen, and ascended," he said.
Giddins also noted a number of participants had been studying scripture, so the trip was a good way for the travellers to connect what they see in their journey to the holy places and events they are reading about in the Bible.
There was some initial fear the trip would not get off the ground, as the group's flight coincided with the volcanic eruption in Iceland. A volcanic ash cloud developed over parts of Europe, and put the whole journey up in the air until only one day before the flight was to leave on April 20.
"We were really nervous because our flight was through Frankfurt," said Giddins. "Although we were going to Tel Aviv, which wasn't affected by anything, our flight-routing was. So, we didn't know until (April 19) at about 3 p.m. that the air space had opened up and that we were going."
The itinerary of the tour started with a visit to Tiberias, to the Mount of the Beatitudes, the site of the Sermon on the Mount and also the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
"It's an incredible experience because you go to these places, right from Nazareth and the time of the Annunciation, to Bethlehem where (Jesus) was born, to Cana where he did his first miracle and all around the city of Galilee where he mostly ministered .... There is only one place in the world you can do that. That makes it incredibly special," said Giddins.
During the visit to Cana, a number of couples took the opportunity to renew their own marriage vows at the Church of Cana, near Nazareth, where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding.
Portage residents Dave and Rosemary Barney, who participated in the tour, renewed their vows during their 38th wedding anniversary, along with 10 other couples. Rosemary described the experience as "powerful." This is the second time the Barneys had renewed their vows.
"We got a beautiful certificate," she said. "It was a very powerful moment for most of us. We were all very emotional. I cried through it .... The other time I felt that way was when we were first married ... in 1972."
Another moment that stands out for Barney was visiting the site of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She also appreciated seeing the place of the Nativity, where Jesus was born, as well as the site where He was crucified and later put into a tomb.
"All of these things were highlights for me," Barney said. "It made the scripture we read from the Bible so much more real."
The trip to Israel also had a few bumps along the way, so to speak. When the travellers reached Jericho about a dozen asked the tour guide if it was possible to go for a camel ride. He complied and set up an impromptu camel-riding session.
Barney took her chances and climbed aboard the two-humped beast.
"At first, it was a wee bit scary," she said, "but once you get in sync with the movement of the camel, it is quite enjoyable."
Riding a camel was something Barney had always wanted to try.
"That was on my 'Bucket List,'" she added. "It was on my to-do list .... I've ridden a horse, I've ridden around on the back of a cow, and I thought it would be exciting to ride a camel."
During the trip to Israel, the travellers also took the plunge to renew their baptismal vows as Christians standing in the River Jordan.
"You walk up to the priest, he puts his hand on your forehead and he blesses you from the River Jordan," explained Barney.
She said participants were not completely immersed in the water, but had some poured over their heads in the ceremony.
"Quite possibly, that was the place John The Baptist baptized Jesus," said Barney. "There I was standing in the same water that Jesus had been baptized in .... It was a very spiritual moment when we renewed our baptismal vows."
To make the experience even more memorable, Barney noted she and her husband Dave became godparents two days after they returned to Canada for the baptism of their godson Jason.
They brought back a sample of water from the River Jordan that their godson was able to be baptized with during a ceremony in Portage.
The group also visited the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed, during their tour.
"There was a sense of peace you didn't feel anywhere else," said Barney. "I can fully understand why Jesus went there when he was so distraught. It is incredibly beautiful."
Looking back on her excursion to Israel, Barney remarked the experience "opens your mind."
"We walked the path where Jesus carried his cross, all 14 stations where different things happened to Jesus along the way," she added. "In essence, we were walking in the footsteps of Jesus on the day he was crucified ... We followed the path he took."
Mary Balez, from Portage, who also went on the voyage, said it had a profound impact on her life today and made her realize Jesus was indeed a real person.
"It was enlightening," she said. "If I ever doubted before that Jesus existed, I don't anymore. It really has renewed my faith."
abrown@cpheraldleader.com
