Navajoland pilgrimage welcomes Indigenous leaders from across Anglican Communion
Good Shepherd Mission in Fort Defiance, Arizona (Photo courtesy of Good Shepherd Mission)
Nearly three dozen Anglicans and Episcopalians representing Indigenous cultures from around the world have gathered in the Episcopal Missionary Diocese of Navajoland to begin a weeklong pilgrimage intended to deepen cross-cultural relationships while celebrating Navajoland’s recent elevation to diocesan status.
The 34 pilgrims began arriving July 31 at Navajo Nation, the 27,000-square-mile reservation that includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Their August 1-9 itinerary will include stops at Episcopal congregations and cultural landmarks in each of the Navajoland diocese’s regions.
The pilgrimage was organized by Don Tamihere of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia in collaboration with Cornelia Eaton, Navajoland’s canon to the ordinary, who will lead participants on their journey. Other participants include Marinez Santos Bassotto, the presiding bishop and primate of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil, and Chris Harper, national Indigenous Anglican archbishop of the Anglican Church of Canada.
