A crowd of people stand on a path. Many hold colorful umbrellas or wear scarves to protect themselves from the sun.

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is an approach to life that asks us to walk open-hearted towards transformation. It can be cultivated in incremental steps in our everyday lives—and sometimes in momentous journeys. Trinity leads pilgrimages to sacred sites around the world. 

Polaroid-style images of Iona Abbey in Scotland and Cape Town, South Africa, with caption reading Pilgrimage 2025

In 2025, Trinity’s Faith Formation and Education team will be leading two pilgrimages. Each trip is professionally guided, and itineraries are organized to expand our horizons and deepen our spirituality. Come to discover whether one of these pilgrimage opportunities is for you.

South Africa (January 2025)

Dr. Michael Battle will lead pilgrims in mapping a Christian spirituality of liberation and reconciliation while exploring the legacy of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Itinerary will include Cape Town, Johannesburg, and a safari. | View itinerary

Isle of Iona, Scotland (May 2025)

Explore the quiet rhythms and ancient wisdom of Celtic spiritual practice and community life on a contemplative pilgrimage to the ancient and remote island of Iona, home of the famed Iona Abby. | View itinerary 

Interested in joining us on a pilgrimage next year? Reach out to Pilgrimage@trinitywallstreet.org for more information about applying.

Following in the Footsteps of St. Paul: Pilgrimage 2023

Explore Past Pilgrimages

See all pilgrimage articles

2019: A Pilgrimage to The Holy Land

During Lent in 2019, 27 members and friends of Trinity Church joined together to travel on pilgrimage for 10 days through Jerusalem, Galilee, and other parts of the West Bank and Israel, We explored the sites that pilgrims through the centuries have venerated, and learned more about and from the “living stones” — the people who continue to share this troubled, beautiful, and holy land.

Bread for the Journey: a Eucharist celebrated outdoors at daybreak

2018: Northern Ethiopia for the Epiphany Festival of Timkat

The religious practice of northern Ethiopia, Christian since the fourth century, is at once regally solemn and exuberantly joyful. Eighteen pilgrims from Trinity Church in New York City traveled there during the feast of the Epiphany, Ethiopia’s largest religious celebration, to immerse ourselves in this spiritual and cultural abundance. This is a brief daily record of that journey.

Men in white shirts and turbans face a pool. Streamers with triangular flags criss-cross the water above. There is a stone structure in the background, and the surrounding trees are reflected in the water.

2017: Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, North Dakota

In August 2017 nearly 30 Trinity youth and adult parishioners and staff traveled on pilgrimage at the invitation of Deacon Brandon Mauai and the Episcopal Church in Standing Rock, North Dakota.

Sioux pow-wow: many adults wearing traditional, brightly colored garments including feather headwear and holding drums stand in a line on a grassy field.

2017: Canterbury, England

This trip involved traveling along the medieval route known as the Pilgrims Way, which begins in the old English capital city of Winchester, and ends in Canterbury.

Winchester Cathedral, interior view, grey stone columns, looking towards a large clear stained glass window at the rear of the cathedral.

2016: Iona, Scotland

The Abbey building is a world all its own, with a rich history and a strong presence on the island. It's on the site of Columba's 6th-century monastery, which was a major center of learning, arts, and mission in the British Isles and Europe for hundreds of years until it's refounding as a Benedictine community in the 12th century. Ruined and now rebuilt, it is home to a thriving ecumenical Iona Community with a worldwide mission of reconciliation and justice.

Coast of Iona with two fishing dinghies tied in the shallow water with Bishops House and the Iona Abbey in the background

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