Fr. Tim among the Turkey Trotters, 2025

Mary Tarrinelli owns the Our Lady of Ephesus House of Prayer in Jamaica, VT. She gave the nickname to the groups that she has lead to Ephesus Turkey as “Turkey Trotters.”

Wed Oct. 8 was the travel day to Turkey. I offered Mass at 9am in “Bishop Marshal Chapel,” at the House of Prayer in Jamaica, VT. The car ride to NYC, parking, and checking bags was all afternoon. The overnight flight to Istanbul put us seven hours ahead with the time change.

Oct 9 – We landed in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople, formerly Byzantium), then flew to Izmir (ancient Smyrna), met our van, and went to Selcuk (modern municipality near ancient Ephesus City). I offered Mass at the hotel at 6:30pm. Everyone rested after dinner. 

Oct. 10 – After breakfast we walked around St John’s Basilica ruins. I had not realized that ancient Ephesus was the burial place of St. John! We ate lunch, and toured the Efessus ruins (the city St. Paul and St. John and St. Timothy et al would have known). Our last stop was “Mary’s Church,” the ruins of the basilica named after Mary, where the Council of Ephesus took place in 431AD. We went to Mary’s House for 6pm Rosary. Then I offered Mass at the hotel because no priest was up on the mountain at Mary’s House to arrange our Mass there as we hoped for. Dinner was late but good, like all the meals.

Oct. 11th – We all walked the streets of the Saturday Bazar in Selcuk, perusing or buying from tons of fruits and vegetables and merchandise. We went through the Efes Museum, displaying many original artifacts from the ancient city. After lunch, we went up the mountain at 4pm to Mary’s House, participated in the Rosary at 6pm. I then offered Mass, as it was possible that evening, but on a time limit. Inside Mary’s House the Mass of the Assumption may be offered any day. So, making the homily a mere 20 seconds long, and adding the Gloria, we offered Maas. A visiting priest and his 3 companions from Austria joined our group.

Oct. 12th – we went up to Mary’s House early for 10:30a Sunday Mass outdoors, preceded by a multilingual rosary. The celebrant was a Capucin Francissan who lived there. I concelebrated and read the Gospel.

After leaving the mountain, our hotel gave us a packed lunch, and we traveled south to the seaside at a national park. Have our group waded in the saltwater for the next hour, with constant waves coming in. Upon leaving, we had dinner at the hotel, and went to visit a pottery shop of great heritage and long family lines. Their clay and paint recipes and procedures are never written down, but memorized and passed on exclusively by the women in the family line.

Oct. 13- We made a morning trip to a mountaintop village of Şirince. There had been many Christians in this village, and they made pilgrimage to Mary’s House in past centuries. After lunch at the hotel, we went to Izmir to St. Polycarp Cathedral. The bishop of Izmir welcomed us and after a quick tour of the cathedral, we had Mass, and returned to the hotel. We joined the Rosary at Mary’s House at 6pm, and went back for dinner. After dinner the hotel owners showed us through their shop for making and vending Turkish carpets.

Oct 14- With a free morning I went back to St. John’s tomb. I read all the prayer intentions I had been carrying. I prayed Luminous Mysteries meditating from St. John’s perspective. And I read Last Supper Discourse. After lunch, we went at 3:00pm for an extended visit to Mary’s House. I prayer and read while sitting on the wall outside the house. Fr. Mariusz welcomed us to a chapel at the friary for our 5:00pm Mass. At 6:00, I led the Rosary in Mary’s House, which is always on Facebook Live. After dinner, I blessed some metals that folks had brought. We all packed.

Oct 15, return day – I offered Mass in my room at 5:45am, and finished packing. Traveling back through our route we set our watches back seven hours, and landed about 6:00PM in NYC. By 7:45pm we left with our luggage, driving to Jamaica, VT.

Oct 16- 12:30am We arrived at the House of Prayer and slept. I walked the grounds at 8am, and saw the replica of Mary’s House, and Stations of the Cross in the woods. Before heading back to northern VT, I left all the prayer intentions at the altar of intentions in the replica, and took a few pictures. 

For the Glory of Mary and the Greater Glory of God.

Fr. Tim Naples