Day 1: Depart home country
Overnight flight to Istanbul. Begin reading Revelation 1–3 and the Acts journeys through Asia Minor.
Opening commissioning prayer at the gate.
Day 2: Arrive Istanbul
Arrive and settle in; gentle orientation across the city straddling two continents.
Opening Mass / devotional service.
Day 3: Istanbul — Byzantine Christianity
Hagia Sophia, once the greatest church in Christendom, the Chora Church with its mosaics, and the old city. A full day; the sites are vast and historic.
Reflection on the great councils of the Church; prayer in a city church.
Day 4: Istanbul to Izmir (Smyrna)
Fly or travel to Izmir — biblical Smyrna, one of the Seven Churches and the city of St Polycarp's martyrdom. Begin the Revelation trail.
Read the message to Smyrna (Rev 2:8–11); prayer for steadfast faith.
Day 5: Pergamum & Thyatira
Pergamum with its dramatic acropolis ('where Satan's throne is') and Thyatira, two more of the Seven Churches. A day of ruins and the letters addressed to each.
Read the messages to Pergamum and Thyatira at the sites.
Day 6: Sardis, Philadelphia & Laodicea
The remaining churches — Sardis with its synagogue and gymnasium, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, the 'lukewarm' church. A fuller driving day completing the seven.
Read the messages to Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea on site; examination of conscience.
Day 7: Ephesus & the House of Mary
The crown of the journey: Ephesus, one of antiquity's best-preserved cities, the Basilica of St John over the Apostle's tomb, and the House of the Virgin Mary on the hill above. Give it a full day.
Mass at the House of the Virgin Mary; read Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Day 8: To Cappadocia
Travel inland to the lunar landscape of Cappadocia, with stops as time allows. Evening among the fairy chimneys.
Evening prayer; reflection on the desert fathers of Cappadocia.
Day 9: Cappadocia — cave churches
The Göreme valleys and underground cities where early Christians worshipped and sheltered, their rock-cut churches still frescoed. An optional dawn balloon flight. A full, wondrous day.
Pray in a rock-cut Byzantine church; thanksgiving service amid the valleys.
Day 10: Depart from Cappadocia
Transfer (often via a domestic flight) to the international gateway for the journey home.
Closing blessing for the road home.
