Visiting Mount Athos

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Ora_et_Labora_1

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Perhaps this isn’t the correct board, but here goes anyway.

Can a Catholic visit Mt. Athos? If he does, and stays, up to what point is he permitted to participate in the Orthodox liturgy? Has anyone here ever gone there?
 
i’m sure you can visit. they don’t like ecumenism too much though so forget about trying to recieve communion.
 
To enter the Holy Mountain, one must first get a “Diamonitirion”, a sort of monastic visa.

I don’t know all the ins and outs of visiting the Holy Mountain. Some of the monasteries are living with state of the art 18th century technology, too.

You might do well to contact an Orthodox priest about this.

The late Fr. Mary Basil Pennington, OCSO of Spencer spent an extended time–a couple of months–on the Holy Mountain with special permission. He wrote about his experience in the book O HOLY MOUNTAIN.
 
When I was on Mt Athos for the feast day of St Athanasius some years ago, I met a young Catholic pilgrim who was from either Spain, Portugal or South America.

John
 
Can any of those that visited “Agion Oros” give some adivce as to what must be done to visit (where to ask for the visa, how lodging is taken care of, etc)?
 
With all due respect, what’s the big deal about visiting Mt. Athos? I’ve read all about it, seen plenty of videos and pics of it, seems lovely, but is it that inspirational and important in one’s spiritual life? I think a person can go his whole life and not visit Mt. Athos and salvation and spiritual development can still continue…?
 
My understanding is that if you aren’t Orthodox you need to apply for your visa almost exactly six months before you are scheduled to be there (they don’t take them any earlier and all the non-Orthodox spots are filled up almost immediatly), you just need to contact the office by email with photocopies of valid travel documents (I think someone already posted the link, if not it can be easily google searched). I remember looking into it when I was still a catechumen (and therefore non-Orthodox).
 
gurneyhalleck1 said:
With all due respect, what’s the big deal about visiting Mt. Athos? I’ve read all about it, seen plenty of videos and pics of it, seems lovely, but is it that inspirational and important in one’s spiritual life? I think a person can go his whole life and not visit Mt. Athos and salvation and spiritual development can still continue…?
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Of course. The same can be said of ALL pilgrimage sites. Like how you can live your whole life without ever going to the Holy Land (St. Gregory of Nyssa actually wrote a letter against pilgrimages) and still be saved. Pilgrimages, in my opinion, go right in the “private devotions” category. They can help you on your particular path in the Way, but they’re not “necessary” for all.
 
As they say on Star Trek Picard-style: “Agreed!” 🙂
Ora_et_Labora said:
Of course. The same can be said of ALL pilgrimage sites. Like how you can live your whole life without ever going to the Holy Land (St. Gregory of Nyssa actually wrote a letter against pilgrimages) and still be saved. Pilgrimages, in my opinion, go right in the “private devotions” category. They can help you on your particular path in the Way, but they’re not “necessary” for all.
Click to expand...
 
gurneyhalleck1 said:
With all due respect, what’s the big deal about visiting Mt. Athos? I’ve read all about it, seen plenty of videos and pics of it, seems lovely, but is it that inspirational and important in one’s spiritual life? I think a person can go his whole life and not visit Mt. Athos and salvation and spiritual development can still continue…?
Click to expand...
You could go your whole life eating bread and water, but its nice to have a bit of cheesecake once in a while 😃
 
prodromos said:
When I was on Mt Athos for the feast day of St Athanasius some years ago, I met a young Catholic pilgrim who was from either Spain, Portugal or South America.

John
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Did you catch his name?
 
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