Retracing Footsteps

On Monday, March 7, 2016, I completed the twenty-three week Bible Timeline Class and the last lesson was about St. Paul. As we read about how he traveled spreading the word of Christ, I remembered my pilgrimage in 2005 called Following the Footsteps of St. Paul. About fifty persons had joined Tim Gray, a leader in the Archdiocesan Biblical School, to travel to Greece and Italy. I looked for my notes of the pilgrimage and this is what I wrote about my travels:

In 2005 I joined the Catholic Bible School of the Archdiocese of Denver on a

pilgrimage to Greece and Italy. From Denver we flew to New York and then to

Athens and Thessaloniki. When we could not read the road signs and words on buildings, one of our favorite sayings was, "It's Greek to me!"

The majority of the women dress in black, people scoot around on motor bikes,

kiosks (small stands) have bottles of water, pop, post cards, sunglasses, umbrellas,

candy, newspapers, gum, magazines,  aspirins and potato chips for sale. The bus was

modern and our guides were knowledgeable and humorous as we began our journey to visit

the areas where St. Paul, the Apostle, tried to convert Greeks, Romans, Jews and Gentiles.

Philippi, where St. Paul baptized the first convert, Lydia. The area was peaceful

with a narrow stream (Kranidis) and Fr. Pat Dolan, from Most Precious Blood parish

in Denver,celebrated mass. The singing voices blended in with the soft gurgling

stream as Tom Smith, from the Biblical school, soaked his feet in the water.

We walked through the ruins where St. Paul had been imprisoned and gazed at

the many stones, columns and outdoor theater. Just knowing that the ruins

have been around from ancient times is remarkable.

Orchards of tiny, sweet, lime-green grapes and almond trees are scattered throughout the country side. On grassy slopes, goats and sheep are tended by sheep dogs and shepherds. Kavala, a picturesque fishing village, is thought to be the place where St. Paul crossed the sea to visit the Greek Isles.

In Thessaloniki, near the fortress of Trigonion, we learned that the wall had reached all the way to the sea. Now, parts of the wall have deteriorated and disappeared.

Small shrines honoring persons who have been killed, are placed along the highway.

The Agean sea could be seen in the distance. Arriving at Meteora was

a huge surprise because of the giant, grayish rocks pointing toward the sky and on

top of each stone cliff a monastery had been built.
We hiked to one of the monasteries and

someone said it was over 150 steps.
Women need to wear skirts to enter the

monastery and a basket at the entrance has skirts for women to put on before

entering the holy place. The Greek Orthodox chapel walls are covered with icons

and silence is a must. A nun kept an eye on us and motioned for the group to

be quiet while in the monastery.

At Corinth, St. Paul spoke to the Corinthians, and we sat on stones in front of the Bema (tribune) as Tim Gray explained St Paul's teachings to the Corinthians. Mass was celebrated as we sat on the ancient stones.
After mass we wandered

through the many ruins and saw plain pillars as well as ornate ones.

Berea, now called Veria has a plaque dedicated to St. Paul.

The Acropolis has an area where St. Paul preached at a place called Mars. I stood

in the exact spot where St. Paul had stood!

From Athens we flew to Rome as we continued following St. Paul's footsteps.

Rome is an exciting place with the many beautiful fountains, large churches, the Forum, the Coliseum, the dark cave-like room where St. Paul and St. Peter were imprisoned. The splendor of the Vatican with the The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's square, and

seeing Pope Benedict were exciting.. One thing I noticed was the subway in Rome was dirty with graffiti while the subway in Greece was clean. 

I do not know if St. Paul traveled to Assisi but it became one of my favorite areas. Quaint shops along cobblestone streets, many churches, and white doves flying overhead.Our tour ended at St. Paul, Outside the Wall, where Paul is entombed. I close my eyes and can see a dusty St. Paul, sandals, dirty feet and a long robe.

At the end of our pilgrimage we were told:
If you return from this pilgrimage

and your life is changed, then it was a good pilgrimage.
But, if you return and nothing in your life changed,
then it was a good vacation.

Amazing to know that St. Paul walked such great distances to spread Christianity, crossed seas, took three journeys into Greece and Turkey and one to Rome. He is known as the Apostle of the Gentiles because he not only spoke to the Jewish people but also to anyone who wasn't Jewish and he converted many to Christianity.

"You know that it is unlawful

for a Jewish man to associate

with, or visit, a Gentile,

but God has shown me that

I should not call any person

profane or unclean."

Acts 10: 28