Rector's Sabbatical Pilgrimage

/ St. Mark's Episcopal Church/

Discover highlights from Father Paul’s travels to Türkiye, Greece, and England by reading the following journal entries.

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From the Rector: Back from England
From the Rector: Back from England

After three weeks in England, Jayson and I returned to Honolulu this week. It was a wonderful three weeks, and I will synthesize many learnings for time to come. For now I would like to share with you my initial thoughts about the diversity of churches we visited and their worship life, as there are many things we might find helpful in our own context of St. Mark’s.

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From the Rector: Communion in Corinth
From the Rector: Communion in Corinth

On the last day of our pilgrimage we visited the ancient ruins of Corinth. I had been to Corinth twice in the past, but this time we were given more time to study the site. Upon entering Corinth, our bus driver shared an amusing story. There is a modern city of Corinth, and there is also the ancient city of Corinth with the respective ruins.

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From the Rector: John's Revelation from Patmos
From the Rector: John's Revelation from Patmos

Many times when churches do pilgrimages to Greece, the trip includes visits to various Greek islands. In fact, many times it is questionable if the journey is actually a pilgrimage, but just a vacation. Whereas a vacation is primarily focused on leisure, a pilgrimage has prayer and study as the main objective. Many churches feel pressure to include resort visits on Greek islands due to their popularity.

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From the Rector: Lukewarm Laodicea
From the Rector: Lukewarm Laodicea

On our first day in Türkiye, we visited the ancient ruins of the great city of Laodicea. The church in Laodicea is one of the seven churches St. John addresses in his vision from the Book of Revelation while in exile on Patmos. The archaeological site is impressive, and one quickly learns that the church in Laodicea became a formidable church over time.

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From the Rector: The Churches of Revelation and the Churches of Saint Paul
From the Rector: The Churches of Revelation and the Churches of Saint Paul

When I lived in Jerusalem, I had the opportunity to visit Greece twice, and during those travels I spent time at Thessaloniki, Philippi, Athens, and Corinth. I was fortunate to be the chaplain for a couple of courses directed by St. George’s College in Jerusalem on the Apostle Paul and the churches in Greece.

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From the Rector: Sabbatical
From the Rector: Sabbatical

This April after we celebrate our Patronal Feast of St. Mark, I will begin the first sabbatical of my career. Technically I was to take a sabbatical several years ago during my tenure at St. Mark’s, but that was thwarted a couple of times due to various events. I thought I would take this opportunity to share why sabbaticals are offered to clergy, as well as the challenges of observing them, especially in a congregation such as St. Mark’s.

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Worship and Formation

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The Patronal Feast
The Patronal Feast

April 28

Join us for a joyful mass ending with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in honor of our patrons, Saint Mark the Evangelist and Queen Emma of Hawai’i.

May Crowning
May Crowning

Sunday, May 5

On the first Sunday of May we have the May Crowning at the Solemn Mass.

Ascension Day
Ascension Day

Thursday, May 9

Celebrate the Feast of the Ascension with us as we glorify Jesus Christ in the highest heavens with a beautiful high mass.