Pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey Brought Paul to Life

by Joseph F. Wimmer, O.S.A.

It’s one thing to read about St. Paul’s travels; it’s another to make them yourself. That was the lot of the 24 members of the 2008 WTU pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey this May. After arriving safely at the Mirabello Hotel in Athens, we slept well and were ready the next morning for the two-hour bus ride to Corinth.

Voula, our animated and knowledgeable guide, pointed out the acropolis with its ruins of the Temple of Artemis and her 1000 handmaidens, the ancient Temple of Apollo, the forum and the Bema where Paul was brought before the Roman procurator Gallio but acquitted. No wonder Paul spent the next 18 months in Corinth as tentmaker and missionary, with great success!

Athens itself was the next stop, especially the Parthenon and nearby judgment seat called Areopagus where Paul gave the famous sermon about the altar to an unknown God. What a feeling to be standing right there 2000 years later. By the way, the Vatican has declared June 2008-2009 the Year of St. Paul.

Next on the agenda was a three-day cruise to various islands and Ephesus, Turkey, where the paths of St. Paul crossed with those of Saints Mary and John, and where Paul spent over three years. Imagine being in the same 25,000-person outdoor theater where Paul confronted the silversmiths of Artemis (Diana)! And even the well preserved marble outdoor toilets!

Back on the mainland in Greece we visited the ancient shrine of Apollo at Delphi, famous for its ambiguous oracles which were never wrong, and the beautiful treasury houses and stadium. That night we slept at Kalambaka, a small town at the base of the towering rocks of Meteora on which medieval monks had built magnificent monasteries, six of which are still in operation today. Our visit to Varlaam Monastery the next day made us appreciate the flowering of Byzantine Christianity as manifest by the lovely frescos and icons not only there, but also in the icon workshop we later visited where an Orthodox priest with his staff of seven artists created masterpieces even now.

After a side trip to Vergina, museum and tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, with all its golden artifacts, we passed Booetia, as did St. Paul, and made our way to the modern port of Thessaloniki, where Paul once spent at least 3 weeks.

One hundred and twenty miles later we arrived at the seaport of Kavala, ancient Neapolis, as did St. Paul, and followed his path along the Via Egnatia to Philippi with its extensive Greek, Roman, and early Christian ruins. The spot on the riverside where Paul met Lydia is commemorated by a lovely shrine and chapel. It was as if Paul, Lydia, and their companions were still present nearby. We left Greece after returning to Athens for the night, but wonderful memories will linger with us for a long time to come.