27 August Feast of St. Monica I apologize for my absence during these first couple days in Greece; I have been tired at night and our internet connection has been poor. Monday, the 24th was a travel day across the border between Turkey and Greece. We stayed overnight in Neapolis (Kavala), where Paul would have arrived on his way to Philippi. Tuesday, we traveled to Philippi and celebrated Eucharist at the stream, which commemorates the location of the baptism of Lydia (Acts 16:14-15). On Wednesday, we visited a 5th Century Byzantine Basilica, which still functions as a Greek Orthodox Basilica. Today, we visited the convent of St. Stephen in Meteora, this is one of six monasteries dating back to the 11th century that are perched atop ancient rock formations carved out by a prehistoric river. ... read more

Today, we were in Ephesus...a beautiful and ancient city among the mountains of Turkey. We visited the tomb of St. John and ruins of a basilica erected over his tomb. We also visited the House of Mary; this was the most sacred place that I have visited thus far. In the Gospel of John we read, "When Jesus saw his motherthere, and the disciple whom he lovedstanding nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." According to tradition, John took Mary along with him on his missionary journey to Ephesus. We had the opportunity to visit this sacred Home of Mary today in Ephesus. This is one of the few sites along the journey, where pictures ... read more

“Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” With these words, we begin our annual Lenten journey. These words echoed in my head today as we walked through acres and acres of broken sarcophagi this morning in Hierapolis. Thousands, if not millions were buried here because they came to this “sacred city” with the unfulfilled desire to be healed in the thermal springs. The wealthy were buried in large tombs and ornate sarcophagi with the hopes that they would be remembered and honored forever. Yet, there is nothing left of their earthly body except the remnants of their tombs. The magnificence of Hierapolis and Aphrodaesis (population as high as 300,000 during Roman times) in the 1st few centuries can only be imagined by the magnitude of the ruins they have left behind. As the ... read more

Today began with a visit to Hagia Sophia…Holy Wisdom…something that we all seek for a lifetime, here in Istanbul remains a shrine named after this ever so evasive virtue. May this visit to Holy Wisdom inspire me to continually seek holy wisdom along this pilgrimage we call life… This Christian basilica (and later mosque, now museum) was originally built in the 4th century from materials gathered from throughout the Roman Empire (rebuilt in the 5th and 6th centuries and regularly undergoing restoration). It was built by over 10,000 masons and before it was raided by the Crusaders in the 13th century contained over 17 tons of silver and 34 tons of gold. A most impressive structure, to say the least. Two years ago in my Christian History class at CTU, we were taught that part of ... read more

From August 16, 2015 through October 17, 2015, I have the blessing and privilege to travel to Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Israel and Palestine with fellow students and seminarians from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. I invite you to travel with me via this blog; I will be carrying you with me throughout this sacred pilgrimage. My intention is to share pictures, related Scripture, personal reflection, and prayer along this journey. Please feel free to share comments, questions, and prayers as we embark on this journey together.... read more