Day Two - Athens

Today, we had a very brief introductory tour of the city of Athens, with the highlight being a visit to the world-renowned National Archeological Museum. One of the most important museums in the world, this facility houses the largest collection of ancient Greek art and sculpture - from magnificent gold funeral masks and jewelry of the Myceneans, to the marble statues of gods, goddesses, athletes, and statesmen that are the foundation of ancient sculpture. Our local guide, Mina, gave us a tour of the museum, pointing out and explaining the most important pieces. Because of heavy traffic in getting from the airport to the center of the city, we only had about an hour to tour the museum, but we were able to see all the important pieces and understand more about their history.


After the tour of the museum, we had our first Mass of the pilgrimage. Today's location is unique among the many places where we will be celebrating Mass because it was at a regular parish church, St. Joseph Church, not a larger church or shrine of special significance. Catholics are a very small minority in Greece - less than 1% of the population - about 98% of the population is Greek Orthodox. So there are not very many Catholic parishes in Athens. This particular chuch could probably seat about 50 people comfortably. We were warmly welcomed by two Missionaries of Charity Sisters, Mother Theresa's order, who have a residence at this church. It was a great, simple Mass to begin our pilgrimage.


This afternoon, we all had free time to explore the city on our own, get settled at the hotel, or take a nap to catch up on sleep. Some of us decided to wander through the city and explore - it's said that one of the best ways to get to know a city is to get lost in it; if that's true, then I know Athens well! We then had a wonderful dinner of Greek delicacies at the hotel dining room - everything from stuffed grape leaves to artichoke salad to grilled eggplant to backlava. After dinner, I offered to go on a walk with anyone who wanted to the Acropolis to see it lit up at night - part of the fruit of my afternoon wandering was finding the quickest way to the Acropolis from our hotel - and the entire group took me up on the offer! The Acropolis is about a 20 minute walk from our hotel, and it is surrounded by some great little neighborhoods with restaurants, shops, and cafes. It seems these restaurants only have outdoor seating! It is a beautiful night - much cooler than the 90s of this afternoon, with a cool breeze and clear skies. We had a great walk and got to see the Acropolis and its temples bathed in bright light.

Tonight, I am posting this update from an internet cafe down the street from the hotel - the computers at the hotel have been very slow this evening, and this is much faster. But the downside is that there isn't a way to upload pictures from my camera here at the internet cafe. So hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures soon. For now, know that we are having a wonderful, spirit-filled pilgrimage - everyone in the group sends love and good wishes to their family and friends. In the morning, we board our cruise ship for a three-day cruise through the Greek Isles and to the coast of Turkey. I will update things when I get a chance, and hopefully with some pictures!

Day One - Travel to Athens

We have arrived! After several flights, our entire group has arrived in Athens and checked into our first hotel after a half day of sightseeing. Seventeen of us left Louisville and had two uneventful, on-time flights to Chicago and New York Laguaria. We then hired two vans to take us to JFK Airport for our international flight, and the adventure began! Those who had not been to New York before experienced the excitement (and sometimes terror!) of New York driving. One of our two vans got to experience a battle between our van and an off-duty ambulance that both wanted to merge into the same lane at the same time, and neither was willing to yield - in the end, our driver won, after a light but noticable bump between the two vehicles. At JFK, we met up with our final two pilgrims who had flown from Indianapolis, and we all checked in for a 4-hour layover before taking off for Athens. One thing to remember for the future - the international terminal at JFK has very few food choices and not much to do during an extended layover. The flight to Athens was about an hour late in taking off, but after an 8 1/2 hour flight, we arrived in Athens on time. Most of the pilgrims report not sleeping much on the plane - due either to the uncomfortableness of plane seats, the excitement of the trip, the large number of crying babies on board, or some combination of the above! The food was pretty good, though, and we had our first taste of a European breakfast - a croissant, deli turkey, cheese, and a small bowl of fruit.

After arriving in Athens, we cleared customs with no problem and met up with our transfer guide and bus driver to take us to the center of Athens for an introductory tour. I'll write more about our first day in Athens later today, hopefully with some pictures as well. For now, know that we all made it and are resting in our hotel before our first Greek dinner!

Early Morning Departure

If you see the time stamp for this post, yes, that's right - it's 3:50 AM! We have a very early morning departure for our pilgrimage this morning, flying from Louisville to Chicago to New York, where we have a more lengthly layover before our late afternoon flight to Athens. We are scheduled to arrive in Athens at 9:00 Thursday morning local time - Athens is 7 hours ahead of US Eastern Time. I probably won't have a chance to update this blog until sometime later in the day on Thursday, after we get settled in Athens. Until then, pray for safe and relatively on-time travel!

Pilgrimage Blessing

It's now less than 24 hours until our departure for the pilgrimage In the Footsteps of St. Paul. If you're in New Albany, join us this evening, Tuesday, June 16, at the regular 5:30 pm Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help for a blessing of the pilgrims going on the trip. And be sure to check this blog often over the next 13 days for updates and information as we follow St. Paul from his journeys in Greece and Turkey to his tomb in Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI at the Tomb of St. Paul

Basilica of St. Paul-outside-the-Walls, Rome

Four Days - Masses and Prayer Intentions

Now only four days out from our departure, most of the pilgrims are busily making final preparations and at least gathering items to take, if packing itself has not already begun. The final packet of information from Pentecost Tours arrived on Thursday, including the final listing of Mass locations for the pilgrimage. Each day, our group will be celebrating a private Mass, and we will keep specific group prayer intentions at each Mass. Here is the list of Mass locations and Prayer Intentions for the Footsteps of St. Paul Pilgrimage:

Wednesday, June 17 - Travel Day

Thursday, June 18 - Athens, Parish Church of St. Joseph - For our family members, living and deceased

Friday, June 19 - Cruise Ship - For the Sick, the Aged, and the Infirm

Saturday, June 20 - Cruise Ship - For all mothers

Sunday, June 21 - Ephesus, House of the Virgin Mary (if available, otherwise on the Cruise Ship) - For all fathers

Monday, June 22 - Athens, Catholic Cathedral of St. Dionysius - For Married Couples

Tuesday, June 23 - Rome, St. Peter's Basilica (Chapel of the Patron Saints of Europe in the Vatican Grottoes) - For Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life

Wednesday, June 24 - Rome, Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia - For Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Daniel Buechlein

Thursday, June 25 - Rome, Basilica of St. Paul-outside-the-Walls - For all who preach the gospel

Friday, June 26 - Rome, Basilica of St. Mary Major - For children, youth, and young adults

Saturday, June 27 - Rome, Church of St. Alphonsus (home of the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help) - For the people of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church

Sunday, June 28 - Corinth, Akrocorinth - For teachers, catechists, and religious educators

Monday, June 29 - Travel Day

One Week Countdown

The final countdown to our pilgrimage has begun ... we depart one week from today! Throughout the pilgrimage, Athens, Greece, will serve as our homebase. We will depart from their on our cruise through the Greek Islands, for our flight to Rome, and for our ride to Corinth. Athens is the cradle of Western civilization, and we will have the opportunity to visit both religious and historical sites, including the Parthenon and other ancient buildings on the Acropolis; the Areopagus, where St. Paul preached a famous sermon to the Athenians; the Catholic Cathedral of St. Dionysius; the Roman Agora; and the National Archeological Museum, one of the most important museums in the world and home to more ancient Greek art than any other museum.

The Parthenon, Athens

Which footsteps?

A true pilgrimage In the Footsteps of St. Paul would take you through almost a dozen countries and countless cities, ancient and modern. For this pilgrimage, we are limiting ourselves primarily to Greece and Italy, with a one-day excursion into Turkey. Highlights of the Pauline portion of this pilgrimage are:

· Visits to three of the cities to which St. Paul wrote letters that are part of the New Testament: Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome

· Visits to two other locations where St. Paul preached the gospel, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: Athens and Rhodes

· A pilgrimage to St. Paul’s tomb at the Basilica of St. Paul-outside-the-Walls in Rome, including walking through the Year of St. Paul Holy Door and viewing the Pauline flame

· Also in Rome, visits to the house where St. Paul lived while in the city (Santa Giovanni e Paolo), the place where he was imprisoned (Mamertine Prison), and the location of his beheading (Abbey of Tre Fontane)

Mamertine Prison, Rome