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Dino Bozonelos, Ph.D.

California State University, San Marcos

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• The Lure of Authenticity: Pilgrimages to Greek Orthodox Monasteries in North America

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• 2021 Annual Symposium for Pilgrimage Studies

The Lure of Authenticity

Motivation for Orthodox Pilgrims

• In Orthodoxy, pilgrims rarely travel to churches
• Longstanding distinction between cathedral traditions and monastic traditions in Orthodox Christianity
• Monasteries are the preferred destination
• If the church is seen as a spiritual hospital
• Then, the monastery is seen as a spiritual ICU
• Salvation in the Orthodox Church is a result of focus on meditation (hesychasm) and escape from daily life
• For many Orthodox, monasteries represent the opportunity for believers to answer their deep interior yearning for the Kingdom of God

Famous Orthodox Monasteries

Monastery (Lavra) of the Kiev Caves

Mt. Athos Autonomous State

Research Question

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Given the importance of monasticism in the Orthodox tradition, how have pilgrimages developed for New World monasteries?

Purposive or Organic?

• Purposive/organic dichotomy is used to distinguish cultural heritage trails (Timothy & Boyd, 2015)
• Purposive trails often consist of shorter trails, usually developed in conjunction with various networks, with the explicit desire to promote their use
• Organic trails are developed naturally through repetitive and continued use
• If trails can be either purposive or organic, could the same logic apply to pilgrimages overall, regardless of whether it involves a trail?
• This distinction has not been fully fleshed out
• Most likely as it is just assumed away – many pilgrimages involve trails, so why decouple the two?

Purposive or Organic?

• This is logical when we are discussing ancient or much older sacred sites
• Yet the reconceptualization of the purposive/organic dichotomy may help in framing the development of pilgrimages in newer settings
• Are visits to Orthodox monasteries in the U.S., purposive, where assemblages of stakeholders organize trips, or encourage such expeditions?

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• Or are they organic in nature, where they develop naturally without any assemblage?

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Orthodoxy in the U.S.

Elder Ephraim

Monastic Communities founded by Elder Ephraim

Monastic Life in the U.S.

• Unlike the Slavic monasteries, his monasteries were formed with a core of monks from Mt. Athos
• Also, Greek is exclusively used in the divine services, whereas English is used in the Slavic monasteries
• Elder Ephraim’s success encouraged other Orthodox jurisdictions to plant their own monastic communities
• Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Orthodox Church in American and Greek Orthodox
• Antiochian Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, Gregorian Orthodox
• Orthodox monastic life is modern in its outlook
• Use of email, websites & social media to connect to believers

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St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery

• Located in Florence, AZ
• Oasis in the Sonoran Desert
• Largest Orthodox monastery in the North America
• Twice as large as any other monastery
• Around 50 brothers in total
• Dedicated to St. Anthony the Great
• Renowned Egyptian desert monk

St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery

St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery

• Considered a major tourist attraction in Southern Arizona
• Tempe AZ Tourism Office
• The American Conservative Magazine
• Second only to the Grand Canyon in the number of visitors
• October-March (tourist season)
• 300 visitors daily
• High number of non-Orthodox tourists
• Organized bus visits & tour operators
• Overnight accommodations

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Letter from Metropolitan Gerasimos

Completion of Research

• Completed six semi-structured interviews
• Three Parish priests & three pilgrims
• Interviews lasted 45-60 minutes
• Asked a series of questions
• Reasons why you think people make the pilgrimage to St. Anthony’s Monastery?
• How do you think pilgrims first heard about the monastery?
• Are you aware of any pilgrimages to the monastery organized through the parish you attend/lead?
• Previous research has indicated that people are drawn to the Greek monasteries, such as St. Anthony’s, as sites of true authenticity. What do you think that means?

Preliminary Observations

• All pilgrimages are organic in nature
• Overwhelmingly organized at the pilgrim level
• Priests have organized trips, but often only at the behest of someone in the parish
• No input by the Archdiocese or the Diocese
• Completely hands off regarding pilgrimages
• Differs somewhat with pilgrimages in other traditions
• Involvement by Catholic officials in the promotion and management of certain pilgrimages
• Islamic trusts (waqfs) and ulema work to manage certain sites
• Maybe more like what happens in Buddhist pilgrimages

St. Anthony Monastery Facebook Page

Next Steps

• Plan to complete more interviews
• 15-20 more pilgrims
• 5-10 parish priests
• 1-2 archdiocese officials
• Visit the monastery in Winter 2022
• Interview Geronda & monastery representatives
• Expand project to interview non-Orthodox visitors to the monastery
• Expand the project to include all Orthodox traditions
• Russian, OCA, Antiochian, Serbian, Romanian, etc.