Pilgrimage to Germany

From Roman Martyrs to Irish Missionaries

From Baptism to Martyrdom, June 5, 2025 Island of Reichenau, Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, 799 AD, photo credit Kelly Mine

Germany is not the first place an Orthodox Christian thinks to go when they imagine their ideal pilgrimage. Few places feel more concretely Western than Germany. So what could the purpose of taking an Orthodox pilgrimage to this country be? It turns out there are many, and I will be posting more in the days to come.

I had personal reasons for going—my son is currently living in Bavaria and I was already planning to visit him, so the timing of Orthodox Tours’ pilgrimage and my visit was perfect. I decided to combine the two. The visit with my son in itself was a kind of pilgrimage, followed by something of a more formal nature. I am still unraveling the threads of this journey and will post more in the days and weeks to come.

Before I delve into the esoterica of the pilgrimage, I would just like to offer a word of high praise for our guide, Fr. Ilya Gotlinsky. Having the opportunity to spend nearly two weeks with this man was akin to a college level course. Besides being incredibly knowledgeable and organized, he is a priest who loves Christ and our Orthodox Church with his whole heart. His fun-loving and jovial nature is never short on humor or light and friendly jokes to keep spirits up. A telling testament to the quality of this journey and others like it is that most of us were “alumni pilgrims.” The cost is very reasonable for a trip of this caliber. The hotels, meals, and sites were high quality, comfortable, delicious, fascinating. I could go on and heap up praise for this experience, so let it not fall on deaf ears. If you are looking for a pilgrimage in which to explore the Orthodox faith in the tradition of pilgrims throughout the ages (with far more creature-comforts), then go! Sign up now. You will not regret the decision.

To find your pilgrimage, visit: Orthodox Tours.

To see the itinerary that we followed through Germany visit here: From Roman Martyrs to Irish Missionaries.

In addition to Fr. Ilya’s tour, I had the distinct honor of traveling with my friends from Beauty First Films. I will not suppose to predict what the product of their participation in this trip will be, but it is wonderful to watch experienced pilgrims as they make their own journeys. I as a beginner am only just beginning to see the world in a sacramental way. They, as life-long Orthodox pilgrims, have come to experience the world through the lens of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth, and to identify and interact with the Saints that inhabit this world and the next. Having participated with them now on four different pilgrimages (two international and two local) I can speak again to the quality and depth of their efforts. For people who are seeking that connection through pilgrimage, they are producing films to that end. Click here to rent or purchase their film, Amphilochios, Saint of Patmos to get to know this beautiful modern Saint and the work that they do as an organization.

In these troubled times, it is tempting to sit at home and avoid the potential dangers of traveling to unfamiliar places. Something about this trip however, showed me that more than ever, we need to pursue pilgrimage. Our lives are in the hands of God. To the extent that we pursue Him in all that we do—through our rising and sleeping, our labor, our relationships, our piety, and our deliberate searching for His Kingdom through pilgrimages that take us away from home, we are in his hands. Christ told his disciples in John 16:33,

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (ESV)

Trouble will always find us—we cannot live in fear. In every day and in every task, and in every journey there is a pilgrimage, and in each we have the opportunity to see God’s Kingdom revealed. Pilgrims through the ages have undertaken these journeys at great peril, and often with martyric ends. These we glorify as Saints. By undertaking pilgrimage we follow in their footsteps and are inspired by their witness. We partake of the Glory of the Kingdom of Heaven that they have shed along their pathways. We depart from ourselves and the insularity of our “holy huddles” to bring light and depth to our narrow points of view. We rejoice that God has established His Kingdom when our perspectives are enriched by people and places we have never before encountered, only to find that God’s grace has been alive and working in ways and places we never could have imagined.

photo credit Kelly Mine