Day 1: Depart home country
Overnight flight toward Cairo. Begin reading the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2) and the Exodus.
Opening commissioning prayer at the gate.
Day 2: Arrive Cairo
Arrive and settle in; gentle evening orientation along the Nile.
Opening Mass / devotional service.
Day 3: Coptic Cairo & the Pyramids
Old Coptic Cairo: the Hanging Church, St Sergius (Abu Serga) over the crypt where the Holy Family sheltered, and the Coptic Museum; plus the Giza pyramids and Sphinx. A full, varied day.
Prayer at the Holy Family crypt; reflection on Egypt's refuge of the Christ child.
Day 4: Holy Family trail & Old Cairo
Deeper into the Holy Family tradition — sites such as the Church of the Virgin at Maadi where the family is said to have departed up the Nile — and the great medieval Citadel. A devotional half day plus history.
Mass at a Holy Family church; pray the Magnificat by the Nile.
Day 5: Cairo to Sinai
A long transfer across the desert to the Sinai Peninsula, arriving at the foot of Mount Sinai by evening. Rest early before the pre-dawn climb.
Evening Scripture on Moses and the giving of the Law; night prayer.
Day 6: Mount Sinai & St Catherine's Monastery
Climb Mount Sinai by torchlight for sunrise at the summit (a 2.5–3 hour ascent on foot or partway by camel), then descend to the ancient St Catherine's Monastery and the Burning Bush.
Sunrise prayer service at the summit; reflection at the Burning Bush.
Day 7: Sinai & the Red Sea
A restful day after the climb — time by the Red Sea coast to recover, with reflection on the Exodus crossing. The slower pace is intentional.
Read the Exodus crossing (Exodus 14); quiet thanksgiving by the sea.
Day 8: Return to Cairo · Egyptian Museum & farewell
Transfer back to Cairo across the desert, then the Egyptian Museum and its treasures, framing the world the Holy Family entered. Time for last impressions and a farewell gathering.
Thanksgiving Mass for the pilgrimage; reflection on the journey from slavery to freedom.
Day 9: Depart from Cairo
Morning transfer to the airport for the journey home.
Closing blessing for the road home.
