St. Paul traveled thousands of miles to spread the faith

The monasteries of Meteora in Greece are seen on a mountainside. Although the monasteries were built much later in the 14th century, they are the fruits of St. Paul’s evangelization and are included in the “footsteps of St. Paul” in the early Church. (OSV News photo/courtesy of Ely Segura)St. Paul traveled thousands of miles from Jerusalem to Turkey, Greece and beyond to spread the word of the risen Jesus Christ, so every year, pilgrims worldwide follow his footsteps.

A local group of 30 pilgrims from St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park joined the journey for 11 days this fall to St. Paul’s mission in Greece. Formerly known as Saul before he was converted by Jesus post-resurrection, Paul evangelized in Greece as zealously as he had previously persecuted Christians, the pilgrims learned.

Arriving by boat about 49 AD from Turkey to Greece, Paul baptized the first European Christian convert, a Greek noble woman named Lydia, a successful merchant of expensive purple dyes purchased by royalty and the wealthy. 

The modern pilgrims traveled by bus to ancient Philippi, where the Baptism occurred, according to Luke the Evangelist (Acts 16:14-15), who was a member of Paul’s entourage. The modern pilgrims were amazed that the stream still flowed there near the ancient city ruins.

On those grounds, an octagonal-shaped St. Lydia Baptistery chapel, built in 1974, is adorned with visually stunning icons painted in gold and deep colors. Each panel tells the event of Paul’s arrival by boat and Lydia’s Baptism, while Christ is highlighted at the very top and center.

“St. Paul was very strategic in where he traveled and the people he connected with to build house churches and communities,” said Deacon Gerald DuPont, who has traveled multiple pilgrimages and taught Church history in seminaries.

Father Reginald Samuels, pastor of St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land and spiritual director for this pilgrimage, said, “By walking the historical path of St. Paul, I was able to connect deeper to the Scripture and gain perspective into St. Paul’s missionary journey.

“I have a better understanding of his endurance, conviction and passion that he used to spread the message of Jesus Christ,” Father Samuels said. “I am now more aware of my own personal journey in which God gives me the strength and endurance to continue the mission of St. Paul in the Church and world.”

But while St. Paul traveled via wooden boat, by foot or riding animals of burden, modern pilgrims take a cruise on the Greek government-owned ships traveling to the islands of Mykonos, Santorini and even a stop on the coast of Turkey to visit Mother Mary’s home in the hills of Ephesus, where she was accompanied by St. John after Jesus’ resurrection. 

While there is no documented meeting of Mary with St. Paul, he was evangelizing in Ephesus around the same time she lived there.

Even with modern crowds visiting Mary’s home, there is such a sense of peace surrounding hushed pilgrims as they walk through the dimness of her stone home up in the hills to emerge into the sunlight shining through pine trees housing chirping birds. By her home, there is a modern chapel where Father Samuels and Deacon David Johnson celebrated Mass for the Houston-area pilgrims as tears quietly streamed down their faces.

Among the more well-known pilgrims visiting the Blessed Mother’s home, Pope Paul VI was the first pontiff to visit in 1967. St. John Paul II visited in 1979 and Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at the site in 2006.

Heading back to Greece, the pilgrims took a tour bus to Meteora, a jaw-dropping UNESCO World Heritage site of huge rock pillars climbing to the clouds, where monks constructed multiple monasteries on the very tops, trying to reach heaven as close as possible. Although the monasteries were built much later in the 14th century, they are fruits of Paul’s evangelization and are included in the “footsteps of St. Paul” in the early Church.

No public elevators are available to reach the monasteries, including the Holy Monastery of Roussanou, run by nuns with its main cathedral dedicated to St. Barbara. So, the 200-plus steep stone stairs are no easy feat for most modern pilgrims, but well worth it to view the centuries-old icons and breathtaking views. Seeing the small metal basket cage used by the monks over the centuries to pull up supplies and visitors made one now appreciate taking the stairs cut from stone.

Another Greek city honoring St. Paul’s mission is the ancient town of Berea, now known as Veria, which has an impressively large number of 48 Byzantine and post-Byzantine churches preserved in the city’s center. 

The city also has a plaza known as Apostle Paul’s Podium, famous for housing the original marble steps, the exact spot where Paul preached to the citizens about the Christian gospels as described in Acts of the Apostles 17:10-14. Colorful mosaics around the steps show Paul addressing the enthusiastic crowd. A nearby statue of St. Paul stands with a book in hand and arm outstretched.

He was also run out of towns several times, including Thessaloniki, beaten and imprisoned. But one of his most well-known addresses came in Athens, where he debated with philosophers, both Jewish and Greek, in the ancient Agora and Areopagus at the foot of the Acropolis, with some in the crowd mocking and others converting (Acts 17:22-34).

But St. Paul was never silenced until the Roman government beheaded him. By then, his mission had taken a life of its own with the Holy Spirit, and modern pilgrims carry it on.