Steps of St. Paul Pilgrimage- Under the Spiritual Direction of Frs. William and Nicholas Schierer

Complimentary dinner, breakfast, and beverages will be served on board the flight.

Arrive at Thessaloniki International Airport, proceed to the baggage claim area, collect our luggage, and proceed to the arrivals hall, where we will be greeted by our English-speaking tour guide and assisted to the bus. Board our private touring bus and begin an orientation tour of Thessaloniki. During our walking tour, our guide will explain the architecture, churches, and monasteries of Thessaloniki’s Byzantine tradition, including the Church of Hagia Sophia with its eighth-century mosaics, the small Church of St. Panteleimon, the Church of Acheiropoietos, the Church of Panagia Chalkeon, and the Church of St. Demetrius, patron saint of the city. After celebrating Mass, we’ll settle into our hotel.

Overnight: Thessaloniki (Dinner)

Breakfast at our hotel. Morning Prayer. This morning, we’ll travel to Philippi, where Paul established the first Christian community in Europe. We will celebrate Mass at the river, where Paul spoke to a group of women and baptized Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, as the first European convert. We’ll then visit the Roman Forum, where Paul cast a spirit out of a fortune-telling woman, and the ruins of the prison, where Paul and Silas were held in chains and miraculously released. We will also visit the new Baptistry of St. Lydia. After his stay, Paul wrote a letter filled with joyful gratitude to the Philippians. We’ll continue on to the city of Kavala, which was the ancient Port of Neapolis. After being urged to travel to Macedonia, Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy crossed into Europe, arriving by sea at this port. At the Church of St. Nikolaus, we will view a monument entitled, “The Arrival of the Apostle Paul in Neapolis of Philippi,” honoring his first steps in Europe. After enjoying this city by the sea, we’ll return to Thessaloniki.

Overnight: Thessaloniki (Breakfast, Dinner)

Breakfast at our hotel. Morning Prayer. This morning, we’ll leave Thessaloniki for Vergina (Aigai), the ancient royal capital of Macedon. Explore the remarkable underground Museum of the Royal Tombs. Continue to Veria (Biblical Beroea), a charming town with a Jewish quarter and dozens of Byzantine churches. Paul visited here twice, and both Jews and Greeks eagerly received his message. See the “bema” where Paul preached, marked with a monument of mosaics and a nearby statue of St. Paul. Celebrate Mass outdoors at the Bema in Veria. This afternoon, continue through the Greek countryside past Mount Olympus, legendary home to the Greek gods, to the Meteora Monasteries. Hiding in caves from the Ottoman invaders in the 11th century, the monks were forced to move their settlements higher upon the rocks until they were unreachable by the invading armies. Meteora means “suspended in the air,” as the beautiful monasteries were established by bringing building materials and food supplies by ladders and baskets. We’ll visit one of the Byzantine monasteries, perched on top of steep rocks, which enclose priceless manuscripts, artifacts, and paintings. (Reaching one of the monasteries requires walking over uneven terrain and climbing many steps.) We’ll visit an icon workshop in the area, where we will see how icons are made. Then, we’ll continue to Athens for hotel check-in.            
Overnight: Athens (Breakfast, Dinner)

Breakfast at our hotel. Morning Prayer. This morning, we will be transferred to Piraeus to celebrate Mass at St. Paul Church. After Mass, we will travel to Piraeus Harbor in time for the 11:30 a.m. boarding of the cruise ship Celestyal Olympia. Lunch on board Celestyal Olympia. Arrive in Mykonos. Enjoy this paradise island known for its nightlife, beautiful beaches, boutiques, and cuisine. This Greek island has hundreds of tiny chapels dotting the landscape and sheep grazing in the shadow of white-washed windmills. While on Mykonos, you are free to explore on your own.          
Overnight: Celestyal Olympia (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Breakfast and Morning Prayer. Disembark in Kusadasi and travel by bus to Ephesus, the best preserved of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Rev. 2:1-7). We will visit the ancient city with its impressive temples, marble streets, library, agoras, baths, and theater that seats 24,000 people. We will also visit the House of the Virgin Mary. One tradition says this is the place where St. John brought Mary after the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Celebrate Mass at the House of the Virgin Mary. Sail to Patmos. Arrive near the island of Patmos and transfer by boat to the “Holy Island,” known as the site of the apocalyptic Revelation of John, written here during his exile from the Roman Empire. The cave where St. John lived is near the site of the Monastery of the Apocalypse. Visit the Monastery of St. John, built on one of the island’s highest points, which houses priceless icons. Here we’ll pray at the site where John wrote the Book of Revelation.      
Overnight: Celestyal Olympia (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Breakfast and Morning Prayer. Arrive in Heraklion, the capital of Crete. Celebrate Mass in the Monastery of St. Peter & St. Paul. In the afternoon, sail to Santorini, the island which some believe to be the site of the lost city of Atlantis. (Shore excursion not included.) Evening Prayer on board the cruise ship. This evening, we’ll sail overnight to Piraeus Harbor in Athens.         
Overnight: Aboard Celestyal Olympia (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Dock at Piraeus. After an early breakfast and Morning Prayer, disembark and begin our day with an excursion to Corinth (Acts 18:1-18). Stop briefly en route to see the Corinth Canal, the famous man-made construction named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Continue to Corinth, where St. Paul wrote the First Letter to the Thessalonians and, most likely, his Letter to the Romans. Explore the extensive archaeological site, including the Temple of Apollo, the Roman Agora, and the Bema, where Paul’s enemies brought him before Gallio. See the pavement inscription of Erastus, the Roman Lechaion Road, the lower Fountain of Peirene, and the imposing Acrocorinth, an 1,800-foot hill that rises high above the ancient city. Celebrate Mass outdoors in Corinth. After lunch, we’ll continue to Athens for hotel check-in.            
Overnight: Athens (Breakfast, Dinner)

Breakfast at our hotel. Begin our day with Morning Prayer and Mass at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Dennis or Sacred Heart Church. After Mass, we will explore the most famous site in Greece. Here, Paul arrived at one of the most glorious cities in the world, though he was deeply distressed to see it full of idols. He preached to the Jews in the synagogue and debated with philosophers in the marketplace. Seeing an altar dedicated “to an unknown god,” Paul announced that he is proclaiming the God whom they worship as unknown. We’ll view the ancient Agora, the political, commercial, social, religious, and cultural center of Athenian life in the first century. Driving through the modern city, we’ll view the House of Parliament on Syntagma Square, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Panathenaic Stadium, the beautifully marbled multi-purpose stadium and site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. In the late afternoon, we will visit the Plaka, a lively historic neighborhood nestled at the foot of the Acropolis. Feast on local cuisine and enjoy fine wine in a traditional tavern with Greek entertainment.          
Overnight: Athens (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today we transfer to the airport in Athens to board our flights to Rome. Upon arrival in Rome, we are greeted by our representative and transfer to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where we celebrate Mass at the tomb where St. Paul is laid to rest.       
Overnight: Rome (Breakfast, Dinner)

Your pilgrimage culminates in the eternal city of Rome, where Paul’s life ended as a martyr. Visit the Mamertine Prison and the sites associated with his imprisonment. Go outside the old city walls to Tre Fontane—the place where St. Paul was beheaded 2,000 years ago out on the Via Ostia. Walk the cobblestone streets where early Christians once gathered, and marvel at the enduring legacy of the Apostle Paul in the heart of Christianity.
Overnight: Rome (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today we head to St. Peter’s Basilica, built on the site where St. Peter the Apostle was martyred. Here, we will have the opportunity to pray at the tomb of St. John Paul II and view Michelangelo’s Pieta sculpture. Holy Mass will be celebrated by our priest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. Dinner and overnight.          
Overnight: Rome (Breakfast, Dinner)

Today we transfer to the airport in Rome to board our flights back to the USA.