Father Robert Hughes, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Camden, is leading a pilgrimage to Greece this fall in which pilgrims can walk in the footsteps of Saint Paul.
The pilgrimage, scheduled for Oct. 20-30, will include visiting and praying at places where the Apostle Paul lived and preached the Word of God. The last three days of the trip will be aboard a ship cruising the Greek Isles.
The first few days will be spent in Thessaloniki with travels to Philippi, where Saint Paul delivered his first sermon and where he baptized the first convert to Christianity in Europe, and the northern port city of Kavala, where Saint Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy landed when they sailed into Europe. After an evening in Kalambaka, pilgrims will visit the Meteora Monasteries and take in a tour of Byzantine art before continuing on to Delphi – “the center of the ancient world” – and the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios.
An overnight in Athens will lead to a visit of this oldest city in the world, the Acropolis and Mars Hill, where Saint Paul spoke to the Athenians about the one and only God (Acts 17:22). After Athens comes a visit to Corinth, where the apostle wrote the epistles to the Thessalonians.
The eighth day of the pilgrimage begins the three-day cruise. Among the highlights will be the Island of Syros and Saint George’s Cathedral; the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus in Turkey, where Mary lived until her Assumption according to Catholic Doctrine, as well as the Island of Santorini. On Santorini, walk the archaeological site of Akrotiri, the artifacts of which date back to the 4th century B.C. After a visit to Thira and its iconic white-washed houses with blue roofs, Mass will be celebrated at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.
For more information, including the full pilgrimage schedule, map and prices, visit pilgrimages.com/frhughes/greece.