By Suzanne Haugh

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Retrace the steps of St. Paul's ministry and the founding of the early church on a pilgrimage to Greece with Archbishop John F. Donoghue June 26-July 7.

"I want to invite you to accompany me this year on a most exciting voyage - a pilgrimage to the lands where our Faith was born - where it was lived for and died for by the Apostles and the heroic men and women who worked with them to spread the new but everlasting Gospel of Christ," the Archbishop writes of the trip through the cities of classical culture--Athens, Corinth and Philippi, to name a few.

The archdiocesan newspaper, The Georgia Bulletin, is sponsoring the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims will depart from Atlanta on Monday, June 26 for Athens, Greece. Upon arrival in Athens on June 27, the tour guide will greet guests who will then settle into the hotel.

On June 28, pilgrims will begin the classical tour of Athens at the ancient Acropolis and its Parthenon. At Areopagus, at the foot of the Acropolis, participants will view the original text of St. Paul's speech concerning the "Unknown God." In 49 A.D., upon St. Paul's arrival in Athens and one of many trips to the area, he introduced the people to Christianity. As part of the driving tour, pilgrims will see the city's most important sites, such as the national library, the University Academy and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The remainder of the day will be free for participants to relax and enjoy.

Pilgrims will take a drive along the scenic coastal road in Athens following close to the same route St. Paul took to the ancient city of Corinth to see the city's archeological museum, the market place, the Bema and the temples. Pilgrims will continue on to Mycenae, the "Homeric" city "rich in gold" of the ancient poets. Here, participants will visit the Lion's Gate, the Cyclopean Walls and the Royal Tombs before departing through the fertile plains of Argolis for Nauplion, a picturesque town at the foot of a cliff crowned by the ramparts of the Palamidi Fortress. Finally, a trip to Epidaurus, home of the best open-air theater in Greece and a center of healing, ends the day's planned activities.

On June 30, pilgrims will leave from Pireus on a three-day cruise of the beautiful Greek Isles, the first stop being the island of Mykonos, with its beautiful beaches and picturesque windmills. Pilgrims will be able to stroll through its quaint winding streets and whitewashed alleys and then enjoy the flavor of its cafes before returning to the ship.

On July 1, participants will arrive at the port of Kusadasi in Turkey where they will drive to visit Ephesus. Here, St. Paul ministered for two years and it may possibly be this community to which St. Paul wrote his Epistle to the Ephesians. Also, early Christian tradition says that the Blessed Mother may have died here. Pilgrims will also visit the ruins of St. John's Basilica and the Temples of Diana (Artemis), one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Following lunch, the ship will set sail to the island of Patmos where St. John wrote the Book of Revelations.

On July 2, pilgrims will arrive in the harbor of Rhodes, the legendary island home of the Greek Sun God Apollo also known to locals as St. Paul's Harbor. This island was the site of rich and powerful cities as early as 1100 B.C. and was the stronghold of the Knights of St. John with remarkable ramparts and castles from the 13th and 14th centuries. Pilgrims will visit the imposing Castle of the Temple Knights and the Acropolis of Lindos.

On July 3, pilgrims will leave the ship at the Port of Piraeus and fly to Thessaloniki from the Athens airport. In the afternoon, participants will tour sites in Thessaloniki that include the city's archeological museum, St. George Church, the Galerius Arch and the Basilica of St. Sophia and St. Dimetrus.

The sightseeing begins July 4 with a visit to the port of Kavalla, the ancient port of Neapolis where St. Paul landed with his disciples. Kavalla, later renamed Christoupolis because it was the first European city to accept Christianity, hosts the ruins of the Acropolis and the Roman aqueduct. Pilgrims will continue to Philippi where St. Paul baptized the first Christians in Europe and will also view the prison where St. Paul was held, the market place, the theater and then visit Amphipolis with its many remains of Christian basilicas.

After driving to Veria on July 5, pilgrims will see the famous steps of St. Paul in the New Testament and then drive up the narrow roads to Meteora in western Thessaly. Here, world famous Byzantine monasteries are perched atop huge granite rocks. Participants will visit the Monastery of Metamorphosis, which contains priceless historic and religious treasures, and then continue on to Delphi, an ancient city considered by the Greeks to be the center of the world. Pilgrims will stay the night in Delphi and then drive through the countryside on July 6 to the sanctuary of Apollo. Once there, participants will see the Athenian Treasury, the theater and the city's archeological museum before returning to Athens for a special farewell dinner.

Pilgrims will depart Athens on July 7 to return to Atlanta.

The cost of the pilgrimage is $3,195 and includes roundtrip airfare on Swissair, domestic Greek airfare on Olympic Airways, airport departure taxes, accommodations in first class and deluxe hotels, all hotel taxes and service charges, Greek Island cruise, all shore excursions, meals as per the itinerary, sightseeing, all transportation and baggage handling fees, land travel by deluxe motorcoach, all entrance fees and port taxes.

Mass will be celebrated daily except on the first and last day of the pilgrimage.

A $300 deposit is required to hold a place with final payment due 60 days prior to departure.

For further information and a brochure, call Tom Aisthorpe at (404) 877-5517.