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Varada Sambhus
JNU, Delhi, India
July 2026
The Sacred Journeys 13th Global Conference in Quebec brought together scholars from diverse disciplines to engage in enriching discussions on pilgrimage, religion, mobility, and cultural traditions. It was a privilege to present my work on the Vari pilgrimage, highlighting how movement, devotion, community participation, and sacred geography create a unique cultural ethos in Maharashtra. I am grateful to the organizers, fellow presenters, and participants for the thoughtful discussions and valuable feedback. Interacting with scholars from universities across the world also reinforced, more than ever, the importance of producing rigorous academic scholarship on India's rich religious and cultural traditions and their relevance to contemporary debates across disciplines. Representing India on an international academic platform was both an honour and a rewarding learning experience.
Holly Frystal
Boston Coillege, USA
July 2026
"Dia Daoibh" (Hello All)! My name is Hollie and I am from Northern Ireland. I presented at the 13th Global Sacred Journeys Conference on the Celtic pilgrimage panel on a newly established Celtic camino known as Slí Cholmcille or "Saint Columba's Way" demonstrating how it can be used as a model for peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. It was my first time presenting at a conference and I could not have asked for a warmer welcome from both organizers and the wider pilgrimage community. My key takeaway from this year's conference was Dr. Stanley Vollant's opening presentation called "Innu Meshkenu: From Santiago de Compostela to Kuujjuaq. A Journey of Healing". I found it extremely moving, informative and inspiring. It has certainly sparked a curiosity and a desire to learn more!
Emina Hodzic
University of Zagreb, Croatia
July 2026
The 13th Sacred Journeys conference in Quebec once again proved to be an outstanding platform that brings together a wide range of scholars and practitioners working on pilgrimage from different disciplinary and professional perspectives. Beyond the inspiring presentations, what I valued most was the opportunity to exchange ideas, engage in meaningful discussions, and build new professional connections and collaborations. The welcoming and supportive atmosphere made the experience both intellectually enriching and personally memorable. I am grateful to have been part of this wonderful community and I look forward to future Sacred Journeys events.
Christianna Soumakis
Independent Scholar, USA
July 2026
What I love most about pilgrimage conferences -- especially this most recent Sacred Journeys conference -- is that it's less like an academic conference and more like a family reunion. I always feel such freedom and enthusiasm speaking to all the scholars who attend because I've experienced the way they mentor me, educate me, support me, cheer me on, and model what it means to be a thinker, researcher, expert, and pilgrim -- to be a seeker in the fullest sense of the word.
Gaukhar Alzhanova
Astana IT University, Kazakhstan
July 2026
Participating in the Sacred Journeys 13 conference was a brand-new experience for me, not only because it was my first conference dedicated entirely to pilgrimage and sacred journeys, but also because of the visit to a new country and a new city. Everything went great because everyone was friendly and supportive. It was interesting to see the topics from different perspectives, as speakers not only referred to classical theoretical works, but also to the poetry of Rumi, Coleridge's Kubla Khan, William Blake, and other sources. This made the conference feel not only deeply academic but also personal and inspiring. The atmosphere of Old Québec, the welcoming Laval University, the coexistence of French and English, and the openness of the participants, who shared their stories and experiences, made the conference even more memorable. I left with new friends, new ideas, and many recommendations for books to read, places to visit, and pilgrimages to undertake. Thank you for organizing such a wonderful conference!
Sayyid Sameer Ali
Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (I.M.A.M), USA
July 2026
As a first time attendee of the conference, I was excited to see the camaraderie and the fellowship among long-standing attendees. The presentations covered a variety of disciplines and fields, and it was refreshing to see the topic of sacred journeys and pilgrimages woven through art, academia, religion, storytelling, and personal journeys. The location and setting in beautiful Quebec City was very enjoyable for the attendees. I would highly recommend this conference!
Douglas Challenger
Frankllin Pierce University, USA
July 2026
I am still glowing from the experience. It was the best conference I've been to in many years. Such a wonderful job organizing and hosting the event. A huge success for the Sacred Journeys Network and Quebec Network of Pilgrimage scholars, and pilgrimage studies worldwide. I am delighted to be a part of that community. Many thanks for all your hard work and visionary leadership.
Anne Born
Independent Scholar, USA
July 2026
It has been such a delight connecting with the work of the Sacred Journeys Network and its members. First in Australia and just recently in Canada, I have met the most interesting and committed scholars who have expanded my world view of pilgrimage and challenged me to keep searching, to read more, and absolutely to keep writing. The world of pilgrimage is vast and it is encouraging to find a group that will discuss indigenous trails, modern trails, and offer such a fascinating array of pilgrimage sites to explore.
Aug 23, 2025
It was a great pleasure and honour to attend the 12th Sacred Journeys Conference in Canberra, Australia. From the very beginning, I was impressed by the warm, open, and welcoming atmosphere. There was a rare sense of intellectual generosity, where curiosity, respect, and sincere engagement shaped every session and conversation. The diversity of presentations, from various disciplines, perspectives, and cultural contexts made the programme truly enriching. Each contribution offered new insights into the meaning and practice of pilgrimage, and together they formed a deeply inspiring and thought-provoking experience. Sharing my own work in such a supportive environment was both professionally rewarding and personally meaningful. The conversations that unfolded beyond the formal sessions helped deepen the sense of connection. Special thanks and heartfelt appreciation go to the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture for their exceptional organisation and warm hospitality. I left Canberra with a notebook full of ideas, a heart full of gratitude, and a strong sense that this is only the beginning of my journey with the Sacred Journeys community.
Jul 10, 2025
Once again in Canberra, Sacred Journeys provided an inspiring forum for deep thought and careful contemplation, as well as the opportunity for authentic fellowship: a rare but welcome experience.
Jun 30, 2025
Once again an excellent conference and I especially appreciated it being in the Southern part of the globe. This brought some excellent papers from local people. However, the papers from up north were excellent too, their diversity broadened the concept of pilgrimage. The organisation, location and added events were excellent.
Jun 24, 2025
When I first arrived at the 12th Sacred Journeys conference in Canberra, I felt very anxious. I had never met most of the people in attendance, and I knew that the perspective of my paper might be very different from that of others. However, my fears vanished nearly instantly when I began to talk to the warm and generous people that made up this gathering. It is true that many different perspectives were represented, but I found that this fostered a spirit of curiosity and learning without competition that I have rarely experienced in an academic conference setting. I look forward to continuing to be a part of this community.
Jun 20, 2025
There was something about the entire experience at Sacred Journeys Conference that made it feel genuinely blissful. Though I had gone to Canberra for an academic conference, the SJ12 Conference turned into something much deeper for me — a spiritual experience in its own way. The diverse group of scholars, from across the world, did not merely present their research on pilgrimage; they embodied the very spirit of what they spoke about. Each session felt like a shared offering, and every conversation carried the sense of a community. I felt truly blessed to be part of such a soulful gathering. Grateful for the opportunity to learn, unlearn, and most importantly — to just be. It was an honour to be a part of this journey.
Dan Mullins
Jun 15, 2025
I had the most wonderful experience at the 12th Sacred Journeys conference in Canberra. It was insightful, inspiring and I just learned and experienced so much. I would not hesitate in recommending the Sacred Journeys conference for anyone wanting to learn more and experience more in relation to pilgrimage. You will love it!!
Jun 11, 2025
Attending the Sacred Journey's Conference in Canberra was like a treasure hunt. I've come away with a whole box of gems and beautiful memories. There is a lot to ponder and digest and I feel greatly privileged and blessed.
Jun 11, 2025
I had the pleasure of attending both the 2024 Sacred Journeys conference in Kyoto, Japan, and the 2025 gathering in Canberra, Australia. Each event provided an outstanding intellectual platform for sharing my research and receiving thoughtful, constructive feedback from a truly multidisciplinary audience. The smaller, more intimate setting allows for more meaningful conversations among participants—including academic researchers, novelists, and practitioners—making each exchange feel both personal and enriching. I'm deeply grateful to be part of the Sacred Journeys community. I always come away inspired, having learned so much from this warm and insightful group of like-minded scholars.
Jun 11, 2025
I attended the Sacred Journeys 2025 conference in Canberra, Australia. The presentations were thought provoking and relevant. There was a strong sense of connection among participants and an ease of sharing on a professional and personal level. Most meal times were an enjoyable continuation of the conversation generated by the content of the presentations. I will work hard to be at the next SJ conference in 2026.
Jun 11, 2025
I attended the 2025 Sacred Journeys Conference in Canberra. What a memorable meeting - like minded colleagues who became members of the great pilgrim family.! Thank you Ian for arranging such a wonderful conference.
Jun 11, 2025
My second Sacred Journeys conference did not disappoint. The topics were challenging and rigorous, the venue was excellent, the "field trip" activities after the conference were enjoyable and thought-provoking. But my favorite part of Sacred Journeys is the people. This group is more than just a collection of like-minded scholars; it's a compassionate, wise, interfaith/post-secular group of kindred spirits who support each other's diverse journeys and interests with energy and joy. Always a pleasure to attend, and I can't wait for next year!
Jul 18, 2024
The 2024 conference in Kyoto, Japan was my first Sacred Journeys Conference, and it was absolutely delightful from both an academic and personal perspective. I encountered a wonderful, supportive, global community of pilgrims and enjoyed days of inspiring/informative lectures on the practice of pilgrimage and related phenomena around the world. I recommend this conference, and the community of researchers, intellectuals, practitioners, and thinkers who are a part of it, without reservation.
Jul 17, 2024
Having previously participated in the 4th Sacred Journeys symposium in Beijing, China, I found the 11th Sacred Journeys symposium in Kyoto, Japan, to be, once again, an exceptional platform for intellectual exchange in the field of pilgrimage studies. The event brought together scholars from diverse fields such as history, anthropology, law, etc., broadening my theoretical framework beyond the literary world. Engaging with experts from these varied disciplines opened the possibilities for the type analysis that can be accomplished within pilgrimage studies. The insights and feedback I received were invaluable, highlighting the interconnectedness of literary studies with other fields. The symposium underscored the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of it.
Nov 30, 2023
I have only missed one Sacred Journeys Global Conference since its inception. It is a personal and professional highlight every year. I cannot imagine a finer group of international scholars to call my colleagues. Each year, Sacred Journeys offers rich academic exchange in an exciting new setting. My research and scholarship are thriving thanks to the important connections I have made at these conferences.
Sep 13, 2023
The Sacred Journeys 10th Global Annual Conference held in Malta in June 2023 was wonderful on so many levels...small group, lots of chances to share information and get to know one another and hear about people's interests, fascinating research, and interdisciplinary work, warm welcome from the organizing committee, opportunity to travel in the footsteps of Saint Paul and take in all the beauty and history that is Malta. Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of such a peak experience.
Aug 24, 2023
It has been such a pleasure to have participated in two Sacred Journeys conferences (Piran & Malta). The presentations were truly interdisciplinary, diverse, and thought provoking. I have made new friends and colleagues. It is a well-organized, affordable, friendly conference, and I am happy to have been invited to it!
Rabbi Amir Mashiach
Jul 30, 2023
I joined the SJ family in 2019 in Ireland. Since then, I have also been to Piran and Malta. Very happy for the opportunity to join a group of successful researchers. They are all good and smart people. It's fun to be a member of such an academic family. thank you for the opportunity.
Laura Lewis
Jul 28, 2023
I was a participant in Sacred Journeys 10th Global Conference 2023 held in Malta. The conference itself was a fantastic opportunity to engage with welcoming and interesting people who were creating many different types of scholarship related to themes of sacred and secular pilgrimage, and human journeying of various kinds. The conference experience was engaging and well-planned - showcasing a magnificant country steeped in history. Overall, a terrific experience, which allowed for professional relationship building, with kind and interesting attendees from all over the world.
Jul 28, 2023
My experience with the Sacred Journeys 10 conference was spectacular! The conference was organized well. A wide variety of presentations from a multi-disciplinary group of scholars from across the globe made the experience worth the pilgrimage to Malta. Malta was an exceptional location. From the opening reception at the fine arts museum in Valletta to the venue of Fort St Elmo’s to the extra trip to the neolithic temples and to the island where St. Paul was shipwrecked—the conference was memorable and engaging. The collegiality among scholars was commendable. I recommend the Sacred Journeys conference to all those interested in exploring themes associated with religious and spiritual explorations.
Jul 26, 2023
I've participated in the Sacred Journey's conference in 2023, Malta, for the very first time, and was very happy to discover a network of scholars, interested in a variety of topics which somehow always prove to be interconnected, who sustain each other and thus progress together like a group of good friends. Each conference seems indeed to be a true pilgrimage !
May 16, 2021
I have joined Sacred Journeys Conferences since 2015 starting my journey with SJ at Oxford, UK. In the following year 2016, my bond with SJ consolidated in the form that we co-hosted next SJ conference with the core team led by Prof. Ian Mcintosh in Delhi, India. Then later I joined the SJ conference held at Indiana University, Europe Gateway, Berlin to participate as well as perform classical music notes from Indian culture weaving several spiritualities together. Since 2015 there has been no looking behind and I as a scholar of counter-cultures, pilgrimages upside-down and dalit studies in India and abroad have been evolving with Sacred Journeys that emphasise on the transformational power of journeys within and outside. Sacred Journey conferences , themes, organising principles , publications, and the network of scholars, academicians, practitioners have ignited in me both hope for future and value in the global inter-disciplinary dialogues like this. I wish SJ to lead us to lights , the principles of peace and love that we need most in the times we are.
Apr 27, 2021
The physical Sacred Journeys conferences venued in the beautiful and historical surroundings of Oxford in 2015 and Maynooth in 2019, were a wonderful experience and exchange of both knowledge and culture, an opportunity to bond scholastically as well as socially in an informal manner with sight-seeing and soirees, and to give valuable feedback on each other's presented works. Although the virtual Sacred Journeys 2020 conference missed the physical presence of each other, the all-embracing spirit of the Sacred Journeys was none-the-less the same online. The publication processes of the conference papers are very professional and published in acknowledged peer-review journals, giving scholars the opportunity to share their research worldwide on a high academic level. I strongly recommend participation in the Sacred Journeys - it becomes not only a memory, but also a family of friends, for life:) Show
Anne Blankenship
Apr 07, 2021
Sacred Journeys is truly interdisciplinary in the best sense of the world. I presented at the conferences in Prague, Beijing, and Berlin and each experience was valuable as I received feedback from a diverse array of fields. The comradery and collaboration amongst attendees makes Sacred Journeys one of the most enjoyable scholarly communities that I am a part of.
Sawsan AlSaraf
Apr 05, 2021
My experience with Sacred Journeys was unique and unforgettable. The conference was in China 2018. I was the only visual artist within the scholars and the academics. But I felt at ease with the friendly environment of the Sacred Journeys team and the participants. I was impressed by the variety of presentations and topics. Most importantly I was moved by the different spiritual experiences each participants shared with us in the conference.
Matthew R. Anderson
Apr 05, 2021
Sacred Journeys conferences are richly diverse; I find this to be a great strength. I've attended two physical conferences and one virtual: the presentations, people, and methodologies come from a wide variety of multidisciplinary start-points, and the emphasis is always on how we can learn from each other. There's a lot of good humour, and none of the academic posturing one sometimes encounters. I look forward to continuing to be involved in this worthwhile enterprise!
Apr 05, 2021
I attended the conference in Prague, Chequia, some years ago. And I collaborated to the book. I liked showing my research of international pilgrimage in the trail of Saint James. I hope SJ will be held in Santiago de Compostela in the near future. A big hug to my colleagues.
Suzanne van der Beek
Apr 05, 2021
I have been attending this conference for a number of years and it has never disappointed. The Sacred Journeys meetings are unique because they are a great combination of solid discussions on high quality research and a convivial surrounding that supports free conversations and exchange. There is room for all different kinds of research interests and methodologies, which means that the conference is always enriching in ways that I did not foresee.
Apr 05, 2021
I attended the Sacred Journeys Online Global Conference in 2020. It was very well organized, the presentations, representing material from all over the world, were very interesting, and I plant to attend the next one as well.
Apr 05, 2021
I have been associated with Sacred Journeys since 2016. I feel privileged to have presented papers in 2016 at Gurgoan, India and at Maynooth, Ireland in 2019. It made huge impact on my research and knowledge, moreover it was an inspiring experience to meet many participants from all over the world covering a wide range of topics and yet were all connected by our common research on Pilgrimage. The conferences were very well organised and successful, my heartfelt thanks to Professor Ian McIntosh of IUPUI. He is not only a great scholar but wonderful human being, he goes the extra mile to make the participants comfortable, takes personal care of each, makes it point to organise cultural program or site seeing which is very enriching and creates a bond or network among the participants. I am extremely glad and grateful that my both presentations were published by the wonderful team of "International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage" which has a huge view-ship and my research work has been read widely.
Apr 01, 2021
I attended the conference in Maynooth, Ireland. It was one of the best conferences I have attended in my entire academic career. The organization was well done, the presentations were top-notch, and the people were just so wonderful. I hope to attend in 2022, as I will not be able to make it this year.
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