The Firehose to Faith: Our Pilgrim Journey Begins in Corfu

Witnessing the Relics of Saint Spyridon: A Life-Altering Experience

Just over a year ago, November 6th, 2022 to be exact, we experienced the first of many events that made up what our Orthodox friends called “a fire-hose to our faith.”

We participated in the celebration of Saint Spyridon on the island of Corfu, Greece. We were completely blown away!

We had no way of knowing what to expect of the event since the concept of venerating, or honoring saints was still very new to us. As American converts from the protestant church, sainthood was as foreign to us as the country we were in.

Since the first millennium of the church, local congregations across both Eastern and Western Christianity, have revered men and women who lived out their faith in remarkable, tangible ways. They have recalled them in their liturgical prayers, asked them to pray on their behalf, and believed them to be contemporary conduits of the Holy Spirit.

The Church celebrates individual saints on specific days throughout the year. St. Spyridon is celebrated four different times during the year on the island of Corfu. The day a saint is recognized, local churches commonly host a divine liturgy service; the same service that happens every Sunday morning in an Orthodox church.

We hoped to make it to the liturgy that day, but the streets leading to the Church were packed with fellow sojourners wishing for the same. Once we arrived there was no room to get inside. 

Some of the local people told us this particular day is the smallest. If this was considered small, I can only imagine what the other gatherings are like!

So we took our place outside the doors and waited. The smell of incense floated through the air as hymns rang out in worship and gratefulness to God. All around us, the final preparations were coming together for the grand parade to honor St Spyridon the Wonderworker, for all the ways he brought Christ to the people of Corfu through his life and prayers.

And then, it began.