24 September 2013 - Over 300 pilgrims from Ankara and Istanbul made the nine-hour bus journey to Meryem Ana Evi (House of Blessed Virgin Mary) in Izmir, Turkey on September 08.

The Philippine Embassy in Ankara, working with Filipino community organizations in Ankara and Istanbul, put together the pilgrimage, held annually in September in time for the feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The House of the Virgin Mary is a Catholic and Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos in the vicinity of Ephesus, 7 kilometers from Selçuk in Turkey.  Catholic pilgrims visit the house based on the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John, where she lived until her Assumption (according to Catholic doctrine) or Dormition (according to Orthodox belief). The shrine has merited several papal Apostolic Blessings and visits from several popes, the earliest pilgrimage coming from Pope Leo XIII in 1896, and the most recent in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI (source: Wikipedia).

A Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Andres Calleja, S.D.B. from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Harbiye, Istanbul, preceded by a procession by the pilgrims holding lighted candles and singing Marian songs.

After the pilgrimage, Ankara Filipino community members proceeded to the ruins of the historic city of Ephesus and then to the Alacati Beach in Cesme where the Embassy personnel and the Filipino community enjoyed swimming in the Aegean Sea and taking in the relaxing view of Alacati Beach.  Consul Leilani S. Feliciano and Cultural Officer Eunice P. Trinidad organized parlor games that were enjoyed by everyone.

The annual pilgrimage afforded an opportunity for Filipinos in Turkey to interact and strengthen their ties of friendship.  The trip also provided Embassy personnel and their families the opportunity to visit historic parts of Turkey. END