Moldovan, Transdniestrian Leaders Visit Mount Athos with Moldovan Orthodox Metropolitan

Moldovan Prime Minister Vladimir Filat and President Yevgeniy V. Shevchuk of the breakaway state of Transdniestria in eastern Moldova have begun a joint pilgrimage with Metropolitan Vladimir (Cantarean) of the Moldovan Orthodox Church to Mount Athos. The leaders are described as being "on a private visit to jointly pray at the ancient monasteries on Mount Athos." The pilgrimage is the latest in a series of informal contacts between the two. More here.

Bulgarian Orthodox Youth Pilgrimage Planned from North America

The Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of New York, the United States, and Canada is organizing a youth pilgrimage to Bulgaria, with visits to holy places throughout the country. To sign up for the pilgrimage please visit the pilgrimage's website.

Russian Orthodox Hostel to Open in Jordan

A representation of the Moscow Patriarchate to the Church of Jerusalem under the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem is preparing to open in Jordan this fall. The representation's property, which will house a church and a hostel for pilgrims, was donated by King Abdullah II of Jordan. More here.

Kiev Theological Academy/Seminary Choir Visits France

Archbishop Antoniy (Pakanich) of Boryspil', auxiliary to Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan) of Kiev, is leading a pilgrimage to holy places in France and Monaco in conjunction with a tour of the Choir of the Kiev Theological Seminary and Academy in the country. More (in Ukrainian) here.

Grabarka Monastery Hosts 32nd Youth Pilgrimage

The 32nd annual Polish Orthodox youth pilgrimage was held this past weekend at the Mount Grabarka Monastery of Sts. Mary and Martha in eastern Poland with the participation of clergymen of the Polish and Belorussian Orthodox Churches. More (in Russian) here.

Russian Orthodox Participate in Patriarchal Pilgrimage to Cappadocia

A delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Archbishop Arseniy (Epifanov) of Istra, an auxiliary of the Moscow Patriarchate, has arrived in Constantinople to participate in the annual pilgrimage to Cappadocia organized by the Church of Constantinople. After arriving in Turkey the delegation met with Patriarch Bartholomew (Arhondonis) of Constantinople before going to visit Constantinople's Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom ('Agia Sofia') and the patriarchal Church of St. George. More (in Russian) here.

Retreats to Iona

Retreats are being organized for this summer and early fall on Iona Island, which was used as a center for missionary activity by St. Columba and his disciples. More details on the upcoming retreats can be found here.

Eritrean Orthodox Patriarch Returns from Jerusalem

Patriarch Abune Diyosqoros of Asmera, the government-backed head of the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church, has returned to Eritrea from a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem. More here.

Sofia Students Visit Mount Athos

Students from a school in Sofia, Bulgaria, have undertaken a pilgrimage to Mount Athos with the blessing and participation of clergy of both the Bulgarian and Russian Orthodox Churches. More (in Bulgarian) here.

Annual Ukrainian Orthodox Pilgrimage to New Jersey

The annual Ukrainian Orthodox pilgrimage to St. Andrew's Memorial Church in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, has once again taken place on St. Thomas' Sunday. The Sunday Liturgy, the main service of the pilgrimage weekend, was concelebrated by Metropolitan Constantine (Buggan) of Irinoupolis, First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOCUSA), Archbishop Antony of Hierapolis, and Bishop Daniel (Zelinskyy) of Pamphilon.

Many clergy and laity participated in the pilgrimage, which is hosted by the administrative center of the UOCUSA and St. Andrew's Church, which was built as a memorial to the victims of the government-engineered famine (Holodomor) in Soviet Ukraine. More here.

"Muslims Who Venerate St. George"

An interesting article on the annual Turkish Muslim pilgrimage to the Church of St. George on Principo Island in the Marmara can be found here.

Alba Iulia Archbishop Leads Holy Land Pilgrimage

Archbishop Andrei of Alba Iulia is leading a pilgrimage from Transylvania to the Holy Land, visiting the establishments of the Romanian Orthodox Church's representation to the Church of Jerusalem and serving at the Church of the Holy Resurrection. More here.

Cossack Atamans Visit Mount Athos

This past weekend Bishop Kirill (Pokrovskiy) of Pavlovskiy Posad, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's commission on cooperation with the Cossacks, led a pilgrimage of Cossack atamans to Mount Athos. During the pilgrimage the group visited St. Panteleimon's Monastery together with other Athonite monastic communities. The pilgrimage was the first of its kind and was made with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow and All Rus'. More here.

A Pilgrimage to Syria and Lebanon

An account of a recent trip by Mother Alexandra (Magan), a nun at St. Thecla's Monastery in Bolivar, Pennsylvania, to St. Thecla's Monastery in Ma'aloula and other holy places in Syria and Lebanon together with a number of lovely pictures can be found here.