St. Dionysios of Zakynthos

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Today we decided to get a small taste of Greece on our own. So, we walked along the fishing harbor until we came across a large Greek Orthodox church named after the patron saint of the island... St. Dionysios (St. Denis). Never have I seen so many icons in one place. Every square inch of the walls and ceiling were covered with iconic drawings of Christ, Mary, the saints, angels, and the miracle stories of St. Denis. I even saw a beautiful version of "Jesus meeting the woman at the well" on the ceiling above a huge chandelier. I smiled from ear to ear - unfortunately no pictures were allowed. So, we bought a small book on St. Dionysios and lit a candle for the Miseykos - remembering that George grew up in the Russian Orthodox church. While we admired this beautiful place of worship an Orthodox priest invited us to enter into a small private room where St. Denis himself was entombed. To our surprise we were very privileged to watch the priests open the silver coffin. Many locals came into the side room to kiss the pillow and the saint's feet. After taking a few outside pictures of the church we did a bit of shopping and circled back to the ship for lunch. The afternoon included naps, laundry, walking around the track, and a dip in the whirlpool. At dinner we met an elderly Jewish couple (very orthodox) from Australia and a Lutheran couple from Kansas City. We then participated in a Greek festival and watched a beautiful full moon floating above the mediterranean before bedding down for the night. Thank you Lord for the life, ministry, and miracles of St. Dionysios and the godly people we met at dinner. - Amen.

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