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Happy Advent!

Istanbul, Türkiye; Thessaloniki, Greece

Seminarians walking through the streets of Istanbul.

The beginning of the new liturgical year corresponds with the beginning of a new chapter of our pilgrimage.  Today is our last day in Türkiye, and the day of our flight to Thessaloniki, Greece.

While a full schedule has characterized most of our days in Türkiye, our first full Sabbath on pilgrimage was appropriately free, with nothing on the schedule save boarding the bus to head to the airport in the evening.

After taking advantage of the opportunity to sleep in, many of us wandered Istanbul in pairs and small groups, finding ways to spend time with each other, as well as ways to spend the last Turkish Lira we have left. Some bought bread and fed the aggressive number of pigeons in the main square. Others found their way to the local McDonalds for a small taste of home. Most importantly, all of us found a Catholic Church in the area to celebrate Sunday Mass.

A number of us attended Mass with Cardinal Kurt Koch, the President of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, visiting Istanbul for yesterday’s feast of St. Andrew, held by some to be the founder of the Orthodox Church in Constantinople.

Sunday Mass with Cardinal Koch, leader for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican. Seminarians Josh White and Raymond Grieshaber are on the far right of the photo altar serving.

Drawing from the first reading and the Gospel, the promises “I will raise up for David a just shoot,” and “they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and glory,” Cardinal Koch preached about how us Catholics benefit from tangible examples of how to prepare for the Advent event, the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. He spoke beautiful words about how John the Baptist and the Blessed Mother are such examples, living fingers pointing to Christ, but to be honest, with our upcoming flight in mind, I was distracted by the second reading, taken from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, which I find too to contain an example of how to prepare for the birth of Jesus.

Paul writes, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” I find no better way to prepare for Christ’s entrance into our lives than to love those around us as much as we can. I find too that small, refreshing moments such as those shared between friends in our remaining hours in Istanbul can foster that kind of love the most.

Please continue to pray for us, and know of our prayers for you, that your Advent may be filled with small moments charged with great love, so to become a living manger which holds Christ when He comes.

Seminarians arriving in Thessaloniki, Greece.

-Bailey Peterson, Diocese of Rockford

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