Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz arrived at Ben Gurion Airport (Israel) on August 17 to begin a pilgrimage to the Holy Land that will end on August 25. The previous visit of a prelate of Opus Dei dates back to 2013, when Msgr. Javier Echevarría came to bless the beginnings of the Saxum Visitor Center.

On Thursday, Msgr. Ocáriz had the opportunity to see the permanent exhibition that introduces pilgrims to the Holy Land with informative explanations, videos, and other multimedia resources. He then had lunch with the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Msgr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

The next day, he went first to the Basilica of the Annunciation, where he prayed before the remains of our Lady's house and celebrated Mass in the chapel of St. Anne, with 20 people participating.

He also visited a place near the basilica called the "Tomb of the Just One," where the archaeological remains of a house and a tomb from the first century can be seen, helping recreate the atmosphere of the time of Jesus Christ. In the afternoon, the pilgrimage continued in the church of Cana, where the miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine, is commemorated. There is a jar from the time of Christ that helps give a sense of what the servants would have used to collaborate with our Lord’s first miracle.

He then proceeded to Mount Tabor. In the church that commemorates the Transfiguration, he spent some time in prayer next to the Blessed Sacrament; then, from the top of the mountain, they contemplated the Jezreel Valley, where many places related to the life of Jesus and others mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures can be seen.