0624 Fr. Johnpual - Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of St Paul

Depart Depart ORD on our way to Athens, Greece

ATHENS Welcome to Greece! Your afternoon is free to begin discovering Athens. Transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Athens.

ATHENS Mass at St. Dennis Church, Athens. Today our tour in Athens will start by passing by the most famous sites in the center of the city. Short stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first Olympic Games took place in 1896. After, the tour will bring you to the Acropolis - a UNESCO World Heritage - the Parthenon and Mars Hill where St. Paul spoke about the one and only God. From here we have an excellent view of the ancient Agora, the center of ancient Athenian public life where St. Paul spent time in the markets. Continue with a pleasant short walk passing by Herodian and Dionysus Theatre and visit the Acropolis Museum. Main attractions such as Votines, artifacts of everyday life, statues from the Archaic period, Caryatids, and the Parthenon Hall. Free afternoon. Dinner. Overnight at our hotel in Athens

ATHENS | CORINTH Mass in Ancient Corinth. This day we will drive to the city of Corinth. Our first stop will be at the Corinth Canal to enjoy the magnificent view. On to the archaeological site of Ancient Corinth, where under the shadow of the towering Acropolis St. Paul preached and lived for two years in 50 AD and where St. Paul wrote his most familiar letters. Visit the ancient city where St. Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla, the Agora where St. Paul's trial by Gallio took place, the Berna, the Marketplace and the Temples. We will visit the Archaeological Museum. Return to Athens early afternoon. Dinner. Overnight at our hotel in Athens.

MN CELESTYAL OLYMPIA: MYKONOS Mass Virgin St. Rosary Church, Mykonos. Morning transfer to the port of Piraeus for 11:00 am embarkation on the MN Celestyal Olympia for your 4 Days - 3 Nights Iconic Aegean Cruise. In the afternoon, your cruise will arrive to the island of Mykonos. Here the whitewashed houses, flowered balconies, and windmills of this Cycladic island will simply enchant you. We recommend that you take a nonchalant stroll in Mykonos town to take in the winding narrow streets full of boutiques and to visit the beautiful church of Panagia Paraportiani. Mykonos combines in a unique way the luxuriant and sophisticated lifestyle with the simple and yet charming life of a Cycladic Island. Overnight onboard Cruise Ship MN Celestyal Olympia.

MN CELESTYAL OLYMPIA: EPHESUS AND PATMOS Mass at Virgin Mary's house, Ephesus Morning arrival to Ephesus, Turkey. Our shore excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the most impressive ruins of the Biblical world. See the Great Theatre where St. Paul preached, which is the largest theatre in antiquity with a capacity of 24,000. Drive to the house where the Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days. Mass will be celebrated here. In the afternoon we will arrive in Patmos, the tranquil island where John the Apostle wrote the Book of Revelations. Visit the village of Chora where the monastery of St. John is located and continue on to the nearby Grotto of the apocalypse where St. John wrote the Book of Revelations during his exile by the Roman State. Overnight onboard Cruise Ship MN Celestyal Olympia.

MN CELESTYAL OLYMPIA: CRETE AND SANTORINI Mass at St. John the Baptist Church, Santorini. Morning arrival to the island of Crete and the city of Heraklion where we will join the shore excursion to the Palace of Knossos discovered in 1899. It is in Heraklion where St. Paul met the owner and captain of the ship who warned him of continuing his journey to Rome. In the afternoon, the ship will depart to Santorini, the most idyllic and breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. The island famous for its volcano, the eruption of which created the famous caldera. Optional excursions to Thira and Oia areas give you the opportunity to see one of the most famous islands of Greece. Overnight onboard Cruise Ship MN Celestyal Olympia.

ATHENS - ROME Arrival to FCO . Transfer to Assisi for dinner and overnight.

ASSISI - ROME This morning, you’ll visit Basilica of St Francis, Chiesa Nuova, San Rufino Cathedral, Basilica of St Clare. Mass. Transfer to Rome in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Rome.

PAPAL AUDIENCE Early departure to join the Papal Audience (pending on Pope’s schedule). In the afternoon, enjoy the Ancient Rome, including the Coliseum (outside), Forum, Capitol Hill, Trevi Fountain. Have a private mass. Dinner and overnight at your hotel

ANCIENT ROME Enjoy a guided tour of the other Major Basilicas: St. Pedro, St Mary Major, St John in Lateran, St Paul Outside the Walls. Then, visit the Vatican Museums. Mass. Dinner on your own and overnight.

Transfer to FCO Airport for flight to USA.arrival to ORD Airport.