PILGRIMS from indigenous cultures around the world have embarked on a journey across the new missionary diocese of Navajoland, in the United States, seeking to deepen relationships and celebrate its recent creation.
Thirty-four leaders began to arrive at the end of last month — from Brazil, New Zealand, and Canada — for a week-long visit organised by the Primate (Aotearoa) of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, the Most Revd Donald Tamihere, who is head of the Tikanga Maori.
The Revd Cornelia Eaton, from Navajoland diocese, told the Episcopal News Service that the pilgrims from the Episcopal Church in the United States and the wider Anglican Communion would share their stories, traditions, and faith.
“They’re really coming here to celebrate with us, to support us, to be in solidarity with us,” she said. “It really is quite a gift that we’re being acknowledged in this way by the Anglican Communion.”
The new missionary diocese, formerly an area mission of the Episcopal Church, gained status in June. It will soon begin a search for a diocesan bishop.
Archbishop Tamihere told the gathered pilgrims that their visit to Navajoland was “an opportunity to walk prayerfully through landscapes rich in spirit, history, and meaning, while deepening our connection to God and one another”.
The pilgrimage began at the Good Shepherd Mission, Fort Defiance, in Arizona, and included visits to the Navajo Nation Museum and Spider Rock, a sacred landmark in Navajo culture. The pilgrimage visit with a service led by the Bishop of Pennsylvania, the Rt Revd Daniel Gutierrez, a native of New Mexico, at the Roman Catholic Church of Santuario de Chimayo.
The Presiding Bishop in the United States, Dr Sean Rowe, was unable to join the pilgrims, but said in a statement that he welcomed the creation of the new diocese.
“I celebrate this opportunity for the people of Navajoland to host a pilgrimage with our Indigenous and Anglican siblings from around the globe,” he said. “May this be a time of fruitful exchange and reflection as you celebrate the new Missionary Diocese of Navajoland — and a source of great encouragement for Indigenous leadership in the church.”
The diocese covers parts of the Navajo Reservation, and of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.