Join Father AUGUSTINE LEBOFA on an exciting Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of St. Paul in Malta. You will visit the site where St. Paul was shipwrecked, Mellieha and visit the Church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. Travel by traditional Maltese boat, Luzzu, to the St. Paul’s island. Visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. You will also travel to Mosta and Rabat. Finally a visit to Mdina where you will visit the Cathedral of the Apostle Paul, built in the 17th century. Enjoy a ferry crossing to Gozo where you will visit the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ta’Pinu and many other interesting places such as Church of St. Nicholas, Hagar Quim, Marsaxlokk and a Dghajsa boat cruise.
R40 995.00 pp/s based on 25 persons
(Subject to change)
Services Included
Services Excluded
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: JOHANNESBURG SAT, 27 AUG 2023
Meet at O. R. Tambo International Airport at the check-in counter for your flight to Malta. Please ensure that you arrive at the airport at least 3 hours prior to your departure time.
Overnight onboard your flight
Day 2: MALTA SUN, 28 AUG 2023
Arrive at Malta Airport, proceed through customs, collect your luggage and exit the terminal. Meet the guide and transfer to your accommodation. Check in upon arrival.
The legendary island of Malta, with its many holy places, is very dear to all Orthodox Christians.
The most significant event, which is reflected in the Acts of the Apostles chapters 27 and 28, is the stay on the island of Melite (as Malta was formerly called) of the Holy Apostles Paul and Luke.
Christianity was brought to Malta by the Apostle Paul himself in 60 AD.
Paul was being taken to Rome to be tried there in front of Caesar but the ship on which he was sailing with 275 other passengers was caught in a terrible storm and was shipwrecked off the coast of Malta. All the people on board were able to swim to the shore safe and sound. The site of the shipwreck is traditionally called St. Paul’s Island, and it is marked with a statue that serves as a reminder of the event.
A small archipelago in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, the Maltese Islands are literally the focus of many places that have been touched by the hands of many saints, as well as churches where the Lord and Queen of Heaven have performed miracles more than once.
Dinner and overnight in Malta
Day 3: MELLIEHA, ST. PAUL’S ISLAND MON, 29 AUG 2023
After breakfast, depart to Mellieha and liturgy in the Church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, where on the main altar the image of the Most Holy Virgin Mary is traditionally said to have been painted on stone by St. Luke himself, who accompanied the Apostle Paul in 60 AD. After the liturgy, you will go down to a cave with healing powers to leave notes and requests to the Most Holy Virgin Mary. .
After lunch, we will go with the traditional Maltese boat Luzzu to the uninhabited St. Paul’s Island.
Return to the hotel and enjoy some time at leisure.
Dinner and overnight in Malta
Day 4: SHIPWRECK OF APOSTLE PAUL, CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN TUE, 30 AUG 2023
After breakfast, celebrate mass in the church of the Shipwreck of the Apostle Paul, where relics are kept of the right wrist bone of the Apostle Paul as well as a part of the marble block, on which it is said, he was beheaded by decision of the Roman court in around 67 AD.
After lunch we will visit the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which was built in the 16th century by the Knights of Malta. It is very richly decorated inside with beautiful paintings, mosaic floor, gold carvings, icons, and many images of saints. The entire history of the Knights in Malta is associated with this Cathedral. Visit the parish church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary of Damascus, where two miraculous icons of the Tenderness of the Most Holy Virgin Mary dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries are kept.
Dinner and overnight in Malta
Day 5: MOSTA, RABAT, MDINA WED, 31 AUG 2023
After breakfast, visit the Rotunda of the Most Holy Virgin Mary in Mosta, the third largest in Europe and the fourth largest in the world, where during the Second World War the miracle of the salvation of believers took place during a service when a bomb fell into the church which was filled with 300 people and which did not explode!
The church and monastery of the Virgin “of the grotto” in Rabat is also a well known place of pilgrimage. Early one morning in September 1999, tears of blood flowed from the eyes of the marble icon of the Mother of God! It has been scientifically confirmed that the tears of the Virgin are identical to human blood. The icon was hidden for a long time, but today it is on display and you can venerate it.
Memorial service for the dead in the grotto of the Apostle Paul, where he lived and read the Word of God for three months while in Malta in 60 AD; then we will head to the nearby catacombs – an underground cemetery complex of the 1st and 2nd centuries BC.
Following a brief walking tour of the narrow streets of Rabat, we will go to the ancient capital of Malta, Mdina, where we will visit the Cathedral of the Apostle Paul built in the late 17th century, the mother of all churches in Malta. We will stop at the chapel of St. Agatha, who was martyred through beheading, for some prayers to the saint.
Dinner and overnight in Malta
Day 6: ISLAND OF GOZO THU, 01 SEP 2023
After breakfast, Following a ferry crossing, we will start with a prayer service in the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ta’ Pinu – a place of pilgrimage for believers from all over the world. In the basilica there is an old chapel where the Mother of God spoke to two local residents. The painting in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary is miraculous; evidence of this are the numerous offerings, letters and photographs of healed people. Afterwards, visit Dwejra and Xlendi Bay, a paradise among rocks, mysterious caves and grottoes, where you will have the opportunity to take some very beautiful photographs. Continue your excursion with a walk in the capital city of Gozo, Victoria. It has quaint narrow streets and kind residents who do not seem to know what vanity is. The Maltese know how to rejoice, have fun, and relax. It’s contagious! A slow way of life and desire for pleasure are harmoniously combined here. Visit the Basilica of St. George and head to the highest bastions of the Citadel fortress, another attraction of the island of Gozo! You will then go back to Malta by ferry.
Dinner and overnight in Malta
Day 7: CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS, HAGAR QUIM, MARSAXLOKK FRI, 02 SEP 2023
After breakfast, start with Liturgy in the late 17th century parish church of St. Nicholas in the village of Siġġiewi. Walk the winding streets and visit the Chapel of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist built by the Knights of Malta. Proceed to the archeological park of Hagar Qim, a Unesco World Heritage site, where you will discover the most ancient history of Malta: the megalithic temples , built with massive stones and overlooking the blue mediterrenean sea, date back in fact to 3600 before Christ. Lunch will be at one of the local Maltese restaurants.
Then proceed to the tiny hamlet of Wied iz-Zurrieq, where you will have the opportunity to take an optional sea trip on fishing boats and admire the Blue Grotto, depending on the weather. Continue to Marsaxlokk – a picturesque fishing village where the largest fish market in Malta is organized on Sundays. Discover traditional products and admire the many colourful fishing boats.
Dinner and overnight in Malta
Day 8: THREE CITIES, DGHAJSA BOAT CRUISE SAT, 03 SEP 2023
After breakfast, head to the Three Cities, where the history of the Knights in Malta began in 1530. See the first hospital and the palaces built by the knights, the parish church of St. Lawrence, the Palace of the Inquisitors and Fort Saint Angelo. End the tour with a short harbour cruise on a traditional Maltese dghajsa boat, with fantastic views from the sea of the 3 cities and Valletta.
Rest of the day of the leisure to enjoy the town’s tranquillity and local flavour.
Dinner and overnight in Malta
Day 9: MALTA, JOHANNESBURG SUN, 04 SEP 2023
After breakfast, enjoy the morning at leisure for personal devotion, sightseeing or shopping. Depart to the Airport and check in to your flight to Johannesburg.
Overnight onboard your flight
Day 10: JOHANNESBURG MON, 05 SEP 2023
Arrive in Johannesburg at O.R. Tambo International Airport.
