Pilgrimage of Discovery Offers Young Orthodox Adults a Transformative Journey to Constantinople

Pilgrimage of Discovery program logo. Photo: sanfran.goarch.org

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pilgrimage of Discovery, an annual, all-expense-paid, seven-day program, will once again bring Orthodox Christian young adults from across the United States to Constantinople for a transformative religious and cultural journey. Designed to strengthen participants’ connection to their ancestral faith, the program offers guided visits to historic churches, encounters with the city’s remaining Orthodox community, and a private audience with His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Up to eighteen young adults from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America are selected each year to explore the history, challenges, and ongoing mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Organizers emphasize that the immersive experience fosters a deeper understanding of Orthodox identity, tradition, and leadership, helping prepare the next generation to serve the Church.

The program aims to build lasting ties to the Faith, family, and community while supporting the continuity of Orthodoxy at the grassroots level.

The application deadline for the 2026 Pilgrimage of Discovery is January 31st, 2026. Applications can be found here. 

Previously, UOJ reported on Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presiding over a Divine Liturgy at the restored nineteenth-century Church of St. John of Rila in Constantinople. 

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