Faith Food and Spiritual Formation Greek Islands and Turkish Coast Legatus

Depart on an overnight flight to Athens. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the plane. Addon flights to NY JFK Airport and Premium economy and business class ticket price quotes are available upon request between 90 and 120 days before departure.

We arrive at Athens International Airport, where our Greek Tour manager meets and helps us transfer to our hotel in the city’s center. Drop off our luggage at the hotel and explore the city. Fr. Leo will welcome us and celebrate Mass. Our dinner tonight is at the roof Garden Restaurant overlooking the temple of Zeus and the Acropolis. Overnight Athens. (Special dinner)

This morning, we learn about the ancient and the modern city of Athens, named after the goddess of wisdom, Athena. We walk through the pedestrianized neighborhoods to the famous Acropolis. Our guide will share the story behind one of the most recognizable monuments in the world during a two-hour walking tour. Check out of the hotel and transfer to the port of Piraeus to board our private yacht. Our crew greets us with a welcome drink and assists us to our cabins. Mass will be celebrated. On our private cruise, we enjoy visiting islands and seeing unique sites that most Greek Island cruises never visit. Dinner and overnight on the ship. (B.D)

After breakfast, we board our coach for a full-day excursion to Montenegro - a small country known as “the Wild Beauty” of Europe because of its dynamic landscape of extremely high peaks, deep canyons, and pretty bays. We visit the small coastal town of Perast and take a boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks. This small island was created by a local fisherman who found an icon of the Blessed Mother holding baby Jesus on a small rock jutting out of the sea. The fisherman built an island and a church to house the icon. Throwing rocks at the island to increase its size is a local tradition. We celebrate Mass and have a delicious lunch in the local restaurant upon returning to Perast Bay. In the afternoon, we visit the old town of Kotor, including St. Tryphon Cathedral. Transfer back to our ship for dinner and overnight (B.L.D)

We arrive in Cesme, Turkey today. Following breakfast, we disembark to meet our bus and the local guide who drive us to Izmir, the Biblical city of Smyrna, named after the Greek word for myrrh. Smyrna was considered the most beautiful of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, mentioned by St. John in the Book of Revelation. We stop for a typical Turkish lunch feast, tour the ancient city ruins, and celebrate Mass before returning to the ship for dinner and overnight. (B.L.D)

Today will be an incredible day as we disembark in the port city of Kusadasi, the gateway to ancient Ephesus, another of the original Seven Churches of Asia Minor. We visit Mary’s House in Ephesus, where we drink the holy water and celebrate Mass. Our visit continues with a visit to St. John’s Basilica and the incredible ancient ruins of Ephesus. Enjoy time for shopping in Kusadasi before boarding the ship for dinner and overnight. (B.D)

Today, we visit the Holy Island of Patmos, celebrated for over 2000 years as the place where St. John was banished for his testimony of Jesus. We see the Grotto and the Monastery of St John, where St. John lived, and the Book of Revelation was revealed to him. Mass will be celebrated. We have time on the island to explore and take a swim. Dinner is on our own. Overnight on the ship. (B.L)

We arrive at the magnificent island of Santorini, disembark, and visit the Fira, the city on top of a cliff. Although Santorini is a small island, it has over 600 religious monuments, including chapels, churches, and monasteries scattered throughout its various villages. Sanctity emanates from each temple, boasting a long history and unique holy icons. Some are tiny chapels dug into the rock. Many are simple, whitewashed churches adorned with blue domes. And others are remarkable cathedrals and glorious monasteries, both Orthodox and Catholic. We celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Santorini is known for its white wine, which we taste on this afternoon’s winery visit. Dinner and overnight on the ship. (B.D)

We are in Mykonos today, the city of narrow streets and windmills. We Celebrate Mass and have time to swim, shop, and explore the island in the morning. In the afternoon, we are back among the Cyclades Islands on our visit to Tinos with its 1000 churches. Known as the Holy Island amongst the Greek Orthodox, it is the place of pilgrimage for many faithful who come to pray at Our Lady of Tinos Church. Time permitting, we visit the museum and the Elli Mausoleum and hear the unique story behind it. Farewell Dinner and overnight on the ship. (B.L.D)

Sadly, our beautiful cruise adventure has come to an end, but we will cherish the amazing moments through the memories we keep and the new friends we have made during this trip. Our coach awaits to take us from Pireus to Corinth through the Corinthian Canal. We visit the Bema, where St. Paul preached to the Corinthians and where we celebrate Mass. In the afternoon, we enjoy a visit to a Greek winery and wine tasting. Lunch is included. Tonight, we have a farewell dinner with traditional Greek music and dancing. Overnight in Athens. (B. Special lunch and dinner)

We are transferred to the airport for the flight back to the USA. (B)