Pilgrimage

“Pilgrim” comes from the Latin word peregrinus (per, through + ager, field, country, land), which means a foreigner, a stranger, someone on a journey, or a temporary resident. It can describe a traveler making a brief journey to a particular place or someone settling for a short or long period in a foreign land.

Most religions have some form of pilgrimage. Pilgrims often make a journey to a place that is holy, where a miracle occurred, or the place where a holy person lived and died.

Early Christians sought to encounter the Risen Christ by walking in the footsteps of Jesus in Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land. Over the centuries, the transforming power of pilgrimage was discovered in other paths and destinations around the Christian world, including the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the way to Canterbury, places such as Fátima, Lourdes, Lindisfarne, Iona, Taizé, and many more. While we may occasionally make longer pilgrimages far away from home, we also might make spiritual pilgrimages closer at home—such as praying the Way of the Cross, walking a labyrinth, or visiting a local place of spiritual significance.



Local pilgrimages

November 16, 2024 (REGISTRATION FULL)
Cathedral of St. John the Divine (Upper Manhattan, New York City)

Our next local pilgrimage will be a tour of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM. Though who would like to walk with Father John from Holy Trinity should be ready to leave the church garden at 8:30 AM (for the 50-minute walk). Cost is $15 per person. Reservations will be open next week. 

The Latin word cathedra means chair, and in the church world, refers to the building where the Bishop’s “chair” is located.

Our local pilgrimages have included

  • a walk to Seneca Village, in Central Park. We took a walking tour of what was the largest community of free African-American property owners in pre–Civil War New York before it was cleared to make way for Central Park.

  • a walk to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and a guided tour. St. John the Divine, the world’s largest Gothic religious building, is the Cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Join us as we explore the many highlights of the Cathedral’s history, architecture, and artwork, from the Great Bronze Doors to the seven Chapels of the Tongues. Learn about the daily services, events, and programs that welcome and inspire visitors from around the world.

    In the planning stages

Footsteps of Mother Seton (Lower Manhattan, New York City)
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 — January 4, 1821) was raised in the Episcopal Church and later converted to Roman Catholicism. In 1975, she was made the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized in the Roman Catholic Church. The Shrine of St Elizabeth Ann Seton at Our Lady of the Rosary Church is housed in a landmark building connected to colonial times through the sanctity of St Elizabeth Ann Seton who lived here.

Tour of Temple Emanu-El (Fifth Avenue, New York City)
Known for its grand architecture, warm community and bold programming, Temple Emanu-El is the flagship temple for Reform Judaism in the United States. The Fifth Avenue Sanctuary is globally renowned for its size and majesty and, each year, thousands of visitors from around the world travel to New York City to experience Emanu-El.

Walking with Thomas Merton (Corpus Christi Church, Upper West Side, Manhattan)
We’ll visit with members of “Thomas Merton NYC,” the Corpus Christi Chapter of the International Thomas Merton Society (ITMS), an international organization of over 40 Chapters dedicated to helping members explore the unique spiritual journey of Thomas Merton through shared insights (e.g. meetings, retreats, conferences, etc.). The Chapter was formed in 1999 to study the works and influence of this important thinker and is recognized throughout the ITMS as the “flagship” of all Chapters, based at Corpus Christi Church, the site of Merton’s baptism into the Catholic Church on November 16, 1938.

 

the Camino OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

From June 3-13, 2025, led by the Rev. John Beddingfield and the Rev. Deacon Pam Tang, a group of twelve from Holy Trinity made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, walking the final 110km of the Way of St. James from Sarria to Santiago. The Camino Francés is one of the oldest and most famous routes of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, originating in France and stretching over almost 800 km. Our pilgrimage will involve walking the last 100k of the Camino Francés from Sarria to Santiago. This same path has been taken for over 1300 years by pilgrims making their way to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the burial site of St. James the Apostle. The journey is steeped in religious, historical, and cultural significance.

So that there is plenty of time to save, plan, and get into physical condition, our next group pilgrimage to Santiago will be in June 2027, probably walking a route of the Camino Portugués, from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Resources

Whether you’d like to read more about pilgrimage or begin to prepare for a specific journey, American Pilgrims on the Camino provides support and community. An especially helpful resource is Pilgrimage Planning.