1997-1999

During the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion in San Francisco CA, in November of 1997, Linda Bennett Elder, Ph.D. and Mary Mc Gee, Ph.D. convened eight women scholars who represent Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, Muslim Jewish and Christian traditions. This panel discussed cross-cultural perspectives on women’s spiritual practices and social change. In continued conversations over the next two years a vision began to emerge for the Pilgrimage Project, a grass-roots, global endeavor. Organization and re-orientation from the academy to the world of non-profit organizations occurred organically, gradually, and “providentially” as we proceeded to launch the project.

2000
October
The Pilgrimage Project: Conversation One, East, “Women’s Spiritual Practice and Social Change,” took place at the Mother-house of the Sisters of St. Joseph outside Pittsburgh PA, October 6-8, 2000. We explored our spiritual journeys and each participant’s particular commitment to equity and justice. Informal conversations addressed perspectives on spiritual practices and social change as they are shaped by the different social contexts in which we live and work.  These conversations included women: in traditional religious communities; creating sustainable, non-traditional communities and communitas; in activist organizations committed to social change; in social institutions e. g. education, healthcare, legal and judiciary systems, religious institutions, etc. that either were or were not committed to work for justice. Visual and Performance artists discussed relevance of the arts as instruments of social change . Among some twenty-five participants we represented Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Wiccan and Christian faith traditions.

2001
October
The Pilgrimage Project: Conversation One West “Women’s Spiritual Practice and Social Change” was convened at Ghost Ranch, Abiquiui, NM, October 18-21, 2001. The richness of diversity among new participants from the Western US and Canada was inspiring. Conversation itself was considerably shaped by reactions/responses to the tragedies of September 11, 2001 and our commitment to deep-ecumenism.

Formal conversations were conducted by small working groups to address: the influence of spiritual practices to inspire, create and sustain community; to influence social justice and equity, and to inspire and sustain peacemaking, especially in regards to 9-11. Each woman shared a local or global plan of action for her work toward deep ecumenism and justice with equity.

We availed ourselves of time and space for solitude, walking the labyrinth or hiking the trails. Evening-prayer with our Muslim sisters, out of doors, making rakats with our heads covered and our faces literally on the earth was a particularly cherished experience. At the close of this gathering new alliances for addressing our initiatives were evolving. We archived film footage of the proceedings of this gathering.

2002
January
Following the Ghost Ranch Conversations Kathleen Bemis and Dorothy Randall- Gray joined Victoria Rue, Linda Bennett Elder and Chandana Chakrabarti to discuss effective measures to assure that structures and strategies would be in place for future endeavors. We affirmed a model of shared governance to facilitate our objectives, clarified our mission statement, objectives and methodologies and established aWisdom Circle to function in an advisory capacity for the directors.

Preparation for a pilgrimage to India, included building  several“on the ground” friendships and interfaith alliances among women who live in India. This effort began in December 2001 when Dorothy Gray and Victoria Rue attended the World Congress for the Preservation of Religious Diversity, presented by the Global Peace Initiative. In January 2002, Victoria Rue attended Escuela III, presented by Con Spirando Women’s Collective, Santiago Chile. Escuela III included scholars, artists, activists and spiritual practitioners from indigenous and institutional religious traditions. This combination of endeavors generated within Con Spirando by Chilean women mirrors the interests for new  friendships and associations that we anticipate in India.
February
In February 2002 Linda Bennett Elder met with The Executive Director of The United Religions Initiative in San Francisco who invited the Pilgrimage Project to become a co-operation circle in the URI.

July and August
In Kolkata, during July and August of 2002 Chandana Chakrabarti hosted a large conference on “Mysticism and Spirituality of India”. She also conducted conference participants from Europe and the US on pre- and post conference tours. Chandana Chakrabarti also renewed friendships among colleagues with whom the Pilgrimage Project will meet in 2003.

For ten days during August of 2002 Kathleen Bemis and Linda Bennett Elder attended the Global Assembly of the United Religions Initiative in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here they met and talked at length with numerous members of URI co-operation circles from throughout India and Pakistan with whom we share common goals and objectives. We look forward to continuing and deepening these friendships.
October
In October of 2002 Victoria Rue represented the Pilgrimage Project at The Global Peace Initiative for Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders in Geneva, Switzerland.
 Plans took shape for a pre-India pilgrimage conference and orientation at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA in April 2003.

2003

January through March
The principal initiatives in our fundraising campaign were  generated.
April 26-28 2003 Indiaquest
The Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. was the site of Indiaquest, an orientation for the trip to India. And an occasion to meet and converse with women whose knowledge and professional expertise about India and women in and from India was immensely instructive and meaningful. Presentations, discussions and conversations with Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Ba’hai and Muslim women whose spiritual traditions have roots in India were immensely enriching. Topics related to women in India ranged from anthropology, political history, economic equity for women, gender equity for women, philosophy, the art of listening and the United Religions Initiative ‘s mission to end religiously motivated violence. Presenters included Rasya and women musicians from the Ammachi Ashram in San Ramon CA who taught us Bahjans, Key-note speaker Rosemary Radford Ruether, Rama’a Devi, Jain nuns from Delhi, Rinoti Amin, Director of Narika, Reverend Kay Lindahl and Dr. Sally Mahe  from URI and, Professorss Rina Sircar, Angana Chatterji , Zayn Kassam, Clare Fischer and Linda Hess.

Darleen Pryds, Ph.D, is a member of the Pilgrimage Project and Professor of Medieval Spirituality at the Franciscan School of Theology. Her organizational skills and hospitality in hosting this event are indeed applauded. Zachary Hatcher, our web-master and Director for Special Projects, filmed the conference and has made excerpts available on our web-site. Look for updates, including audio and video footage, from Indiaquest.

December 4-24
Our pilgrimage to India extended from New Delhi in the north; to the Amritapuri Ashram, south of Kochin in Kerala; to an ashram in the hill country outside Coimbatore, Tamil-Nadu; to Kolkata and its environs; and back to New Delhi for two final days. Highlights included the Delhi Peace Summit, sponsored by the Council on the Parliament of the World Religions where we presented an intensive three-hour workshop and conducted personal interviews with leaders from this conference and activist leaders from New Delhi who are committed to peace and equity.

The principal objective for the remainder of the time in India was to meet with women in situ, where they live and work, to engage in conversations about our mutual commitment to women’s empowerment. And, to discuss the possibilities for initiating service internships among women who would come from the US to India, or from India to the US to learn, to assist  in particular endeavors related to the ethos of the host community as needed. Interns would share their lives, in mutuality, as members of the host’s community. These internships might extend anywhere from 3 weeks to a year, and might consist of, for example, fair-trade initiatives, assistance in organic farming initiatives, ecological and environmentally sensitive projects, work with children, work in  medical facilities, social services or educational endeavors.

We were interested as well to connect with artists who are also social activists, and who connect with others in various ways to further the struggle for equity and peace. Dr. Nirmala Deshpande, noted Gandhi scholar and social activist in India, and Professor Riffat Hassan, our colleague and member of our Wisdom Circle, arranged for us to have such meetings in New Delhi. It is our intention to incorporate these and other interviews from this pilgrimage in India in a publication dedicated to the remarkable work among women from all strata of society in India whose lives are given to women’s empowerment and the quest for humane justice, peace and equity.

2004

January to August

This was an important season of respite, for reflection, discussion, planning, creating permanent records of photographs and conversations from the India trip, and preparing conversations for transcription.
August
Linda Bennett Elder’s proposal for a visiting scholar from India, The Louis Brown Scholar , was granted. The visiting female scholar from India was housed in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Valdosta State University, Valdosta GA. from August 2004- May 2005.

2005

February

This year’s energies were devoted to developing strategies among various members of the project toward implementing our Artist Alliance Project. The Artist’s Alliance intends to further goals for peace, justice, equity and sustainability on the earth. As a peacemaker/artist team they will be available for workshops and training sessions for Interfaith conferences, 501-C-3s, NGOs and for international peace conferences.


March
From March 2nd through the third week in March two of the founding members of our Pilgrimage Project Artist’s Alliance met, lived together, performed at universities and not-for-profit organizations in Georgia and Florida and shared their lives. Ana van Figueiredo, choreographer, dancer, transmitter and interpreter of myths and Facilitator of the Joseph Campbell Roundtable in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Shirin, daughter of Shamsul Islam and Neelima Sharma (founders of the famous Nashant Street Theatre company in New Delhi) who works globally for NGO’s in conflict resolution and assessment teams and teaches/performs in street theatre in India and Washington DC. The multi-dimensional processes at work among the artists during these three weeks indeed embodied the mission statement of the Pilgrimage Project.
April

Dr. Chandana Chakrabarti, a Director of the Pilgrimage Project, Professor of South Asian studies as well as Philosophy and World Religions is a veteran producer of conferences and summer programs in India. She has agreed to head our academic internship program. Dr. Kathleen Bemis, Dean of Adult Degree programs at Linfield College in Mc Minnville Oregon will also be engaged in developing the academic internship programs. A service internship will be a component of the academic internships.
The program for Service Internships is poised to begin in late 2006 or early 2007.

October 2005

In October of 2005 the Artists Alliance met for an intensive five day retreat in San Francisco, CA.  Kate Bemis, our administrative director joined us, as did Esha Bandyopadhaya a celebrated classical Indian vocalist from Kolkata and Jan Schert dancer, theater director, and educator who is now pursuing an MA at the Sophia Center at Holy Names University in Oakland CA. Our retreat functioned not only as a planning session, but also as an exciting occasion for integrating into the alliance two additional personalities, again, from very different cultures. We met with the director of the Sophia-Center, at Holy Names University in Oakland California. We also met with directors and staff members at The United Religions Initiative, in San Francisco as a part of our brainstorming and planning. We have a scheduled venue at the Sophia Center the weekend of November 16-17 2006 and will be securing other venues for the period from Nov.1, 2006. Victoria Rue a playwright, stage director, liturgist, Professor of Religion, a founding member of “Critical Mass,” the newly formed "Theatre of Spirit", and our Artists’ Alliance will host the artists toward the end of the tour in late November 2006.

2006

Artists Alliance

Ana van Figueiredo, Shirin and Esha Bandyopadhya, three international members of the Artists’ Alliance tour the US in November of 2006 focused on the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals related to Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality. Each artist brings fresh insights and approaches to the arts for the empowerment of women as set forth in this third goal that so specifically impacts the effectiveness of each of the eight goals.

Their approach for universities is tailored for professors and students of Women’s Studies, African American Studies, Peace Studies, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, and Departments of Music, Theatre, Dance, Political Science, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Anthropology, Social Work, and Education. Their presentations and workshops are also appropriate for staff and administrators of nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations in human services. Guest visits to churches, mosques, temples, and schools can also be arranged.  The artists have structured their work together for presentations, performances, and workshops.  Each artist may also perform singly in certain venues.

The 2006 tour is scheduled for Georgia and Florida, November 4-11 and the San Francisco Bay area from November 12 through 21.  An announcement of presentations and performances in the Bay Area from November 22-26 will include specific venues.

Academic Internships

Over the past two years Dr. Chakrabarti has engaged six universities in India who are interested to host faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students in a variety of disciplines and for various lengths of stay.

However, due to considerable international disfavor of United States foreign policy, escalated violence and armed conflict around the world, and following the precedent of notable study abroad programs in the United States, the Directors of the Pilgrimage Project have ceased proceedings towards a 2007 start date.

Service Internships

In light of political issues noted above we are presently revisiting and reviewing our Service Internship program.

In this case our intention is pro-active. Notice of our proposed approach to this aspect of our mission will be posted on our web-site.

New Alliances

 In July of 2006 The Pilgrimage Project became a member of PeacexPeace. www.peacexpeace.org. We look forward to this significant alliance .

January- November 2007
Ana Maria van Figuiredo, in Sao Paulo Brazil, has presented a series of courses that integrate  Myth, Film, Image and Movement to facilitate .  Her approaches this year included both males and females and were intended to include participants from various socio-cultural setting and various age groups. These sessions were deeply enriched by the presence in classes of young men who are residents of Sao Paulo’s flavelas ( impoverished neighborhoods).

January- November 2007
Zachary Hatcher has been a friend, colleague, facilitator and web-site designer of Pilgrimage Project initiatives, across the US and abroad since 2003. We celebrate this fourth year of his work as a visionary and manager of Hildegard’s  a restaurant (owned by Christ the King Episcopal Church in Valdosta GA), inter-faith, intercultural book-store, gallery and host to regionally and nationally known musicians on 1st Fridays. His has been a key voice in bringing to life the vision of a parish that is committed to inter-faith dialogue and celebration of diversity and he is to be celebrated and commended. www.myspace.com/hildegards ; www.christthekingvaldosta.org/hildegards

January 2007
Linda Bennett Elder, Founding Director of the Pilgrimage Project initiated the drafting of a resolution that was passed in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia to support the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Parishes throughout this Diocese are presently committed to implement community-wide, interfaith initiatives for the MDGs.

April 2007
Chandana Chakrabarti, is Director of  Scholastic Internships for The Pilgrimage Project,  Director of The Center for Spirituality at Bethany College convened an International, Interdisciplinary conference: “Politics, Pluralism and Religion”;  April 13-14 at Minnesota State University, Mankato, sponsored by The Society for Indian Philosophy and Religion and the Philosophy Department of MSU.  Dr. Chakrabarti’s paper “Plato’s Cave: Democracy or Democrazy” was well received, as was L. Bennett Elder’s “A Clarion Call to the Sages.”

June 2007
Lee Schert completed her in Masters of Arts Degree in
Culture & Spirituality at the Sophia Center, Holy Names University in Oakland CA.
Ms. Schert is also in the Leadership Training Course with Interplay in Oakland, has danced with Carla DeSola’s Omega Liturgical Dance Company and is currently in New Zealand working with a community of Maoris who have reclaimed their land.

July 2007
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Founder and Director of The Urban Bush Women, Brooklyn N.Y.  has been a member of the Wisdom Circle of the Pilgrimage Project since its inception. The Urban Bush Women Summer Institute was held from July 27-August 5
2007. The Urban Bush Women Dance Company includes women who are members of the African Diaspora and addresses” the untold and under-told histories and stories of the disenfranchised and bring them to light through dance.”  The Summer Institute acts as a vehicle for exploring dance as a” vehicle for social activism and civic engagement.’ See the website at www.urbanbushwomen.org

September –October 2007
Esha Bandyopadhyay, Classical Indian Vocalist and Member of the Pilgrimage Project Artists Alliance. In 2007 Esha’s tours in the Spring and the Autumn took her to the US. Canada, Great Britain and Western Europe. Among Esha’s great gifts to the Pilgrimage Project are her lecture/demonstration sessions that include meditation practices. Her most recent concert was in Brussels on Monday 10.29.07. See (www.eshavocal.com)

November 2007
Professor Chandana Chakrabarti, Director of The Center for Spirituality at Bethany College, Bethany West Virginia convened an International, Interdisciplinary conference “Terrorism and Pacifism in a Culture of War”.
Dr. Kathleen Bemis and Professor Linda Bennett Elder of the Pilgrimage Project convened a panel “Strategies for Peace in a Time of Terror” Their panel addresses The United Religions Initiative and The Pilgrimage Project.
Sheila Collins PhD, Interplay facilitator  and Theatre Director  presented  “Interplay” as a precursor to an evening performance by Pittsburgh’s Interplay Team and members of the Wing and a Prayer Theatre troupe.  www.interplay.org
Professor Curtis Thompson and Professor Joyce Cuff Co-Chairpersons of The Global Institute at Thiel College in Greenville PA convened a panel on our theme that also included Professors Dan Epley, Derek Nelson and Bryan Wagoner.