Greece and Turkey 2008:
in the Footsteps of Saint Paul -- $3,895
12 day pilgrimage, inclusive of air travel, six day cruise, first class hotels, and all meals
From April 15 to 26, 2008, Saint John's Abbey has organized a pilgrimage that will take them to some of the most significant sites of Saint Paul's missionary journey. We will have mass daily in some profoundly spiritual locations.
We will begin our journey with a stay in Thessaloniki, (ancient Thesolonica), the second capital of Greece. Saint Paul preached in Thesolonica during the winters of 49-50 AD and wrote two of his famous letters to the Christians of Thessalonica.
We will journey through the beautiful Greek countryside to ancient Philippi where Paul delivered his first sermon in Europe, sowing the seeds of Christianity. Here Paul baptized a “certain woman named Lydia,” the first Christian convert in Europe. Among the ruins of Philippi is the prison where Paul and Silas were incarcerated.
We will journey to Istanbul, Turkey's largest city. Here, before beginning our six day cruise aboard the Orient Queen on the Aegean Sea, we will tour the famous Hagia Sophia, considered one of the greatest and most beautiful buildings in history, and visit the Grand Bazaar.
Following our time in Istanbul, we will depart by ship first to the island of Mykonos and see its whitewashed streets and its enchanting wind mills. Then we will cruise to Patmos, the island where Saint John the Apostle wrote the Book of Revelations.
After our visit to the island of Patmos, we will cruise over to Kusadasi, a lively Turkish port and the gateway to the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the most impressive ruins of the Biblical world. From here we will cruise to the island of Rhodes, and then on to Crete, famous in legend as the birthplace of Zeus, Father of the Gods. We will then finally reach Athens where we will disembark from our ship for the last time, visit the Acropolis, tour
the ancient market place where Saint Paul spoke to the Athenians. We will then conclude our pilgrimage by going to ancient Corinth.
Here under the shadow of the towering Acropolis, Saint Paul preached and lived for two years. We will visit the ruins where Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla, and see the agora, ancient marketplace and forum, where Paul's trial by Gallio took place.
If you are interested in joining this pilgrimage or would like a brochure sent to you, contact Father Geoffrey Fecht, OSB, at the abbey development office: phone (320) 363-3818 or e-mail <sjabbeydev@osb.org>.
To find out more about our cruise ship, check the following website: <www.louiscruises.com/>.