St. Paul’s Apostolic Journey with Fr. Rob Galea & ICON Ministry

Upon arrival in Thessaloniki, we’ll meet our Canterbury tour manager at our hotel for check in and dinner, and our welcome Mass (hotel address provided 30 days before departure).

Overnight Thessaloniki

After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart for our guided tour beginning with Kavala, which is biblical Neapolis, where Paul once landed with Timothy and Silas. We then continue to Philippi, which holds great biblical significance. Explore the ruins of the ancient city where it is believed Lydia’s heart was opened by God to the Gospel (Acts 16:14), the Roman Forum, the theater, the basilica, and the prison where Paul and Silas were held captive. We will also visit Amphipolis, the famous starting point of Alexander the Great’s mission to “conquer the world.”

Overnight Thessaloniki

Today, we will walk in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul at Thessaloniki (biblical Thessalonica), seeing sites like the Roman market, the old city walls, the theater, and the Agora where he preached. We will also see the Church of St. George, the Galerius Arch, the Holy Church of Hagia Sophia, and the Church of St. Demetrios before continuing to Veria (biblical Berea), to which Paul and Silas went after they caused an uproar in Thessalonica (Acts 17). We will see the location where Paul preached to the Bereans. We then drive to Kalambaka, check into our hotel, and have a worship event with Fr. Rob following dinner.

Overnight Kalambaka

Today we will visit monasteries at Meteora, perched high on rocky cliffs, and marvel at the architectural wonders that are over 700 years old. We will visit a monastery church and museum containing priceless historic and religious treasures. We then drive to the capital city of Athens.

Overnight Athens

After breakfast we will tour Athens, including some of the city’s most iconic sites like the Parthenon, and the Areopagus where Paul famously preached in Acts 17. Then, we head to Corinth, where Paul labored for the Gospel and met Aquila and Priscila. It was to the Church in Corinth that Paul wrote the Epistles of 1 and 2 Corinthians. We will see the Roman Agora and the Bema, where Paul stood trial before Gallio. We will return to Athens for dinner and rest.

Overnight Athens

Today we fly from Athens to Rome. Upon arrival, we will embark on a tour of the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica followed by a panoramic bus tour of Rome before we head to our hotel for check-in.

Overnight Rome

After breakfast, we will visit the other three Major Basilicas of Rome: The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. Here, we will have the opportunity to climb the Lateran Steps and attend Mass. After lunch, we will stroll along cobblestone streets, lined with majestic stone pines, and visit the Colosseum, a grand amphitheater of the ancient world. Passing by the Roman Forum, we will witness the ruins of ancient government buildings. Tonight, we will have dinner and a worship event with Fr. Rob at the hotel.

Overnight Rome

Our pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul the Apostle continues today with an exciting optional extension to the island of Malta, home country of Fr. Rob. Those ending their pilgrimage in Rome may depart after breakfast.

Our visit to sunny Malta will give us important insight into the spiritual impact St. Paul had in the places he visited. As written in Acts 28, Paul was shipwrecked on the island of Malta for three months while on his journey from Cyprus to Rome. The natives welcomed him, and many diseases were cured at the hands of the apostle. The Maltese people maintain a deep faith today inspired by St. Paul. Today we will fly from Rome to Malta (flight included in extension), where our first stop will be to pass through the city gates of Malta’s seaport capital, Valletta. The City of Valletta was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980 and has been well preserved over the centuries. Our first stop will be to visit the Church of St. Paul’s Shipwreck, one of the oldest parish churches in Malta and which commemorates the saint’s time on the island. Just up the street, we will visit the beautiful baroque St. John’s Co-Cathedral, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. This evening, we will check into our accommodations before dinner.

Overnight Malta

After breakfast, we will pilgrimage through the island of Malta, beginning with a visit to the Miracle Church of Mosta, a famed church with an impressive unsupported dome. During World War II, the church was a place of refuge in Malta. At a moment when the Mosta community was praying in the church, a dropped bomb pierced the dome of the church and landed on the church floor – but it did not explode and miraculously no one died in the incident. Next, we visit the former Maltese capital of Mdina, where we will find the Cathedral of St. Paul in the heart of the city square. We will have time to explore and enjoy lunch. Then, we will explore the Collegiate Church of St. Paul in Rabat, built over St. Paul’s Grotto, one of the most revered holy sites in Malta. St. Paul spent three months praying in this grotto for the conversion of the Maltese people, who wondered at his gift of healing. We will get to spend a moment of prayer in this humble grotto, like Paul John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI who prayed here in 1990 and 2010 respectively. Upon exiting the grotto, we will visit the Sanctuary of St. Publius, commemorating the time St. Paul healed the father of now-Saint Publius, the Roman Prefect of Malta at the time. Before evening, we will venture out to St. Paul’s Bay where we can view a 4-meter statue of the great apostle, thought to mark the place where St. Paul landed in Malta. It is said that upon landing on the island, St. Paul was bitten by a snake and remained unharmed, which mesmerized the natives.

Overnight Malta

Today will be set aside for retreat. Fr. Rob and the pilgrimage team will lead us in reflecting on the Holy Scriptures and how they relate to the many experiences we have had while walking in the footsteps of St. Paul in Greece, in Rome, and in Malta. This afternoon we will have time for leisure ahead of a special pilgrim farewell dinner, complete with a special music performance by Fr. Rob.

Overnight Malta

Inspired by the Holy Spirit and the faith of St. Paul, we bid adieu to our fellow pilgrims this morning as the pilgrimage comes to a close (return flight(s) not included).