A Season of Pilgrimage
The Wisdom School at Saint Mark’s offers this suite of pilgrimage experiences in the coming year as we ponder the theme, A Spirituality of Place: A Celtic Pilgrimage to Ireland, An Intergenerational Racial Justice Pilgrimage to Georgia & Alabama, and Compline Choir Pilgrimage to England’s Historic Cathedrals
There will also be local pilgrimages to significant sites in our region, such as St. Andrew's Parish and the Bainbridge Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial, The Northwest African-American History Museum, and the Duwamish Longhouse. (More information about the local pilgrimages will be posted here when it is available.)
These offerings are designed to present a range of touchstones—points of connection, locally, regionally and globally—trusting that we all have opportunities to discern what sort of travel as pilgrim makes sense at a particular time in our spiritual journey. This is transformative work—experiential, mystical, and incarnational—drawing on ancient wisdom and innovative design. It is the experience of finding one’s resurrected self and finding union in Christ and community, so that the transformative conversion of life that flows from the effort may be a gift that nourishes the soul.
A Celtic Pilgrimage to Ireland
Click the image below to see the full pilgrimage brochure.
JULY 24–AUGUST 2, 2024, with optional extension to Iona AUGUST 2–7
PLEASE NOTE: This pilgrimage is now at capacity, but please email Dean Thomason if you'd like to add you name to a wait list.
Early registration discount ends: January 1, 2024
Registration closes: March 15, 2024
Full payment due: May 20, 2024
Leader: The Very Rev. Steven L. Thomason
The shape of this sacred excursion is contemplative and communal, drawing on the ancient wisdom of Celtic spirituality and the monastic rhythms of worship, prayer, and life in community, while also breathing in the serene beauty of the landscape.
Following our flight from Seattle to Dublin, we will spend three nights on Inis Mor, an island off the west coast known for its “thin places” and spiritual presence. We will visit ancient Celtic sites where St. Brigid, St. Kevin, and St. Patrick left their marks. The group will have time to hike and overnight in Glendalough, one of Ireland’s most sacred sites. We will visit neolithic burial mounds along the Boine River to see the pre-Christian ruins there, along with St. Patrick’s Hill of Slane, before bookending our trip with three nights in Belfast, learning about the Troubles with an eye toward the work of peace and reconciliation in our own time. A day retreat at beautiful Corrymeela on the north coast will invite reflection on the whole experience and what we will take home with us. Those continuing on to Iona will enjoy three nights on the holy island before spending the last evening in Edinburgh.
There will be two pre-pilgrimage gatherings for those who make the trip, including a private reception for our group with Irish poet and theologian Padraig Ó Tuama on May 30, 2024. Space is limited. A deposit will be required to hold your place.
Full details, including itinerary and cost, can be found in this brochure.
Register to participate at progressivepilgrimage.com/saintmarks24
For more information, contact Dean Thomason.
Forum Announcing the 2024 Ireland Pilgrimage
Please see the complete video of the August 20 forum below:
(Please note that the time- and date-stamp in the upper left is incorrect.)
Compline Choir Pilgrimage to England’s Historic Cathedrals
AUGUST 1–19, 2024
PLEASE NOTE: The registration deadline for this pilgrimage has now past.
Full information and registration instruction can be found on the Compline Choir website here.
Join the Compline Choir as a companion pilgrim to three of England’s most storied and historic cathedrals: Saint Alban’s, Saint Paul’s in London, and Canterbury. Canterbury Cathedral is especially significant because it served as a spiritual home and place of learning for the Choir’s founder, Dr. Peter Hallock, during his formative years as a leading musician in the Episcopal Church. During Compline Choir’s last pilgrimage in 2019, they were invited to sing the service of compline in the crypt.
Drawing on Benedictine values and pilgrimage rhythms, our time together will include daily prayer, study, community building, rehearsals for the Choir, and group excursions to Windsor (including St. George’s Chapel), Oxford, Cambridge (including King’s College Chapel), and Canterbury (including St. Augustine’s Abbey and St. Martin’s Church), with ample free time to explore the many sights and attractions in London on your own or in smaller groups. We hope to deepen connections with our Anglican heritage, share music unique to the Pacific Northwest and Saint Mark’s Cathedral, and establish lasting relationships with the people we encounter, while forging bonds among us who make this trip together.
- Space is limited to 15 persons
- Participants should be age 18 and over.
- Registration and $500 deposit due by November 6, 2023. Payments due on November 30 and May 1.
- Fully refundable through February 4.