For nearly two weeks in October, Bishop Alberto Rojas and Bishop Emeritus Gerald Barnes led a group of 42 local Catholics on a pilgrimage through Greece and Turkey visiting holy sites of St. Paul’s evangelization journey. The journey took place from Oct. 12-24, and included Father Jerry Ochetti and Deacons Vicente Gonzalez and Jose Herrera.
The pilgrims reached their first holy site at Philippi, an ancient city where St. Paul preached on European soil for the first time. On Oct. 15, they explored the ancient city of Thessaloniki, where they visited the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Demitrius. Next, the pilgrims traveled to Athens, Greece, the site of St. Paul’s preaching at the high court in Athens, the most dramatic and most fully reported oration of his missionary career. The group arrived in Kusadasi, Turkey on Oct. 20, visiting the Great Theatre of Ephesus, where St. Paul addressed the crowds and the site of the riot from which St. Paul escaped. Their time in Turkey also included a visit to the House of the Virgin Mary, where Bishop Rojas celebrated Mass. In the final days of the pilgrimage, the group explored the Greek islands of Rhodes, Crete and Santorini, and finally Corinth, south-central Greece, where St. Paul spent at least 18 months preaching to Jews and Gentiles.