My husband and I have dreamed of taking a cruise in Europe for some time, and we finally dove in with a beautiful Mediterranean cruise through Italy, Greece, and Turkey that started in Rome at Civitavecchia, with stops in Katakolon (Olympia), Piraeus (Athens), Kusadasi (Ephesus), Mykonos, Rhodes, Thira (Santorini), and Souda, Crete! Phew. Two weeks of luxury and adventure.
It was also two weeks of pilgrimage — as we were walking around in the footsteps of St. Paul — and the highlight of the pilgrimage was a visit to Meryem Ana Evi: the House of the Virgin Mary. It was a moving experience that surprised me in a number of ways.
I recount this adventure at CatholicMom.com — you can read it HERE.
My recent pilgrimage to Ephesus included a trek up Mt. Koressos to venerate the Blessed Mother at this special shrine. The hike was an opportunity for quiet contemplation. No one spoke in the exertion and heat of the midday sun. Every once in a while I would come across an ancient olive tree with a gnarled trunk that showed signs of aggressive pruning over the years. Finally, out of breath, I stopped to lean on one of these ancient trees. Had Mary stopped here to catch her breath some 2000 years ago? Had she leaned against this same tree before covering the last couple of hundred yards to her little house beside the road to Jerusalem? more…
We also visited the Basilica of St. John and prayed at his tomb.
The wonderful part of going on pilgrimage is certainly the adventure and wonder of seeing and walking among the places significant to our faith — but the faith behind such a journey is the essential element.
