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Pilgrimage to Mount Athos
June 19, 2009 to July 3, 2009
Travel with me to Mount Athos where we will see and venerate miraculous icons and holy relics. We will bring blessings to our homes and ourselves. We will marvel at the monasteries that were built over a thousand years ago.
Mount Athos is a different world; a place chosen by thousands, a place of hard work, a place of fasting, all night vigil and prayer, a place of peace and communion with God.
When you make this pilgrimage, it will be the most unforgettable journey of your life and you will want to go back time and again.
I feel I’ve been blessed to travel the Holy Mountain, on foot as well as by boat, more than 104 times; I’ve had the opportunity to learn about Mount Athos and to know many spiritual Fathers who taught me so much about Orthodoxy and given me the strength and patience so necessary in our lives.
Each year I organize groups to visit Mount Athos and other ancient and historic places, such as Meteora, and Veria.
Friday, June 19 – Departure from Los Angeles, a brief stop to change planes for Thessaloniki.
Saturday, June 20 - Arrive Thessaloniki. Our van will take us to our hotel for the night.
Sunday, June 21 – Church services at St. Demetrios Church where we can also venerate St. Demetrios’ relics. Early afternoon our van will take us to Ouranoupolis. We stay at a very nice hotel and enjoy an excellent dinner before retiring for the night.
Monday, June 22 – We board the boat for Mount Athos. The first monastery where we stay will be Xenophontos, established in 988 AD by St. Xenophontos; we would venerate his right foot. We will find icons of The Virgin Mary Hodigitria (Directress), St. Demetrios, St. George and many more.
Tuesday, June 23 – We travel to the Monastery St. Panteleimon the Russian, whose name day is celebrated July 27th. This monastery was founded in 1765 and is located on the water’s edge. Some of the icons we will venerate are St. Panteleimon, the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem, St Simeon and others. There are many relics here and the largest bell in the Balkans, which is also the second largest bell in the world.
Wednesday, June 24 – We go to the Monastery of St. Paul built during the 10th century by the Emperor John Tsimiskis. The Monastery’s Feast Day is February 2. We will have the opportunity to venerate the gifts of the Magi – Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, as well as relics of St. Gregory and St. John Chrysostom.
Thursday, June 25 – Today we visit the Skete of Mikri Aghia Anna, to venerate at the cave where Saints Dionisios and Mitrophanes lived and see many other relics. Then we’ll walk to Skete Katounakia to visit with the best Hagiographers and chanters of Mount Athos, the Synod of Danileion. We will return to Mikri Aghia Anna to spend the night.
Friday, June 26 – We will return to Daphne, the harbor for Mount Athos. Daphne has its own police force, port authority, post office, many shops and restaurants. We wait for our van here to take us to our next stop, the Monastery of Vatopaidi, which celebrates its Feast Day of the Annunciation, March 25th. The Monastery was built in 972 AD by Theodosios the First. It is here we can venerate the sash of the Virgin Mary made with her own hands. We will also venerate the icons of Panaghia Vimatarissa, Panaghia Paramitheas, Panaghia Esfigmeni and many others, along with the relics of St. Gregory the Theologian.
Saturday, June 27– We go to Iviron Monastery, who’s Feast Day is August 15, and was built in 980 AD by John Iviras. We’ll venerate the miraculous icon Panaghia Portaitissa, as well as many other holy relics.
Sunday, June 28 – We travel to the Monastery of Megisti Laura, founded by St. Athanasios in 963 AD. We will venerate the icon of Panaghia Koukouzeli celebrated July 5. We will venerate the grave of St. Athanasios and his relics, the relics of St. Basil, a piece of the Holy Cross and many more. We will see the cave where St. Athanasios lived and take with us some of the Holy Water from the well that St. Athanasios, with the help of the Holy Virgin, found.
Monday, June 29 – We will go to the Holy Monastery Karakalou, founded in 1071 by the Empress Karkalla. The Feast Day celebration is held June 29; the relics found here are a piece of the Holy Cross, the relics of Saint Ignatius, Saint Gideon, St. Barnabas and many more.
These are the monasteries where we will stay overnight.
There are many more monasteries we will visit to venerate relics and miraculous icons and receive blessings.
In the center of Karies is the main church of Mount Athos called Protaton, built during the 10th century by Constantine the Great. We will visit this church where the miraculous icon “Axion Esti” is kept. This icon illustrates the hymn “It is Worthy” written on a stone slab by Archangel Gabriel which is sung each Sunday during Liturgy.
Later we will go to the Holy Community in Karies, which is the capital of Mount Athos and has a bank, phone company, post office, many shops and restaurants.
Leaving Karies, we will go to Hillandari Monastery built by Saint Savvas. We will venerate the grave of Saint Simeon which is in the church. We’ll see other holy relics and venerate the icon of the Virgin Mary with Three Hands.
We will go to Koutloumousiou Monastery, to Pantokratoros Monastery, Philotheou Monastery Stavronikita Monastery.
We will also visit the following Sketes: Skete Prophet Elias, Skete of Saint Andrew, Romanian Skete Prodromos, Provata Skete, Milopotamos Skete where they make excellent wine, Some of these locations are subject to change.
Tuesday, Jun 30 – The time has come for us to leave Mount Athos. At this time we are all sad because we loved being here so much. We say a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary; board the boat at Daphne at twelve noon. We reach Ouranoupolis, have lunch and, after boarding our van, go back to Thessaloniki and our hotel for dinner and a good night’s rest.
Wednesday, July 1 – A free day in Thessaloniki for rest, shopping, browsing.
Thursday, July 2 – We are off to Veria to follow St. Paul’s Footsteps. We will go to the offices of the Holy Metropolis of Veria to receive blessings from the Metropolitan of Veria/Naoussa and Kampanias, Panteleimon. Then we will go to Vergina to the grave of Alexander the Great. We will visit the Holy Monastery of Panaghia Soumela, then the Monastery Panaghia Dovra. After a short visit to Naoussa, we return to Thessaloniki for our farewell dinner.
Friday, July 3 – Bright and early in the morning we board our flight back to America. This is our Pilgrimage to Mount Athos. Come with me, my friend, and it will be an unforgettable journey.
Theofilos Russos
SPECIAL PILGRIMAGE FEATURES
- Price is $4,950.00 per person, based on double occupancy.
- Round trip, economy class transatlantic transportation on regular scheduled LUFTHANSA flights.
- Land transportation by deluxe private motor coaches
- All rooms with private bath or shower (excluding Mount Athos)
- Meals per itinerary
- Personally escorted transfers from airport to hotel and vice versa.
- All service charges, taxes.
- Sightseeing tours in Thessaloniki per itinerary, including English-Greek speaking Guide.
- Entrance fees to places visited, all transportation within Greece.
- Services of an experienced English-Greek speaking Tour director traveling with group.
- All gratuities included throughout trip, including room, board and gratuities to Monasteries.
Please keep the following in mind:
You must send a non-refundable deposit of $1,000.00 (One thousand Dollars) when you make your reservation. The balance to be paid no later than four weeks prior to departure. Checks to be made payable to Theofilos Russos. No credit cards.
Send a clear copy of your passport, a letter from your priest.
You will need long sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy shoes, a sweater or light jacket No bare feet or sandals.
Take a flashlight; mirror for shaving; toiletries; munchies – granola bars, power bars, nuts or dried fruit.
You are allowed to take a camera, but cannot take pictures in the monasteries without permission from the Abbot. Nor can you take pictures of the monks without their permission. VIDEO CAMERAS ARE NOT ALLOWED.
The airline allows you one suitcase to be put through, not over 50 pounds each. You are allowed one carry on or backpack.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PILGRIMAGE
DEPOSITS & PAYMENTS: A non-refundable deposit of $1,000.00 per person is required at time of booking. Balance due 45 days prior to departure. Payments may be made to THEOFILOS RUSSOS, by check only.
REFUNDS/CANCELLATIONS: No refunds will be made for missed or unused services if cancellation is received less than 30 days prior to departure. Cancellation fees will apply and are non-refundable for any reason, including sickness and other emergencies. (INSURANCE REQUESTED)
DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILITY: The program arrangements in this brochure have been made by Theofilos Russos and he does not own or operate, nor is he an agent for any of the firms which will provide goods and services for the trip, and is not responsible for any loss, injury, accident, delay or damage to you in connection with any accommodations, transportation or services control, including delays, thefts, strikes, breakdowns, political conditions, cancellations or changes in the itinerary, etc.
For further information you may reach me, Theofilos Russos, at any time at:
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