“As if the Road There is Covered with Honey”

In this chapter, ¹ I will look at pilgrimages of parishioners from one Russian Orthodox church in Southern California (local church) to a Greek Orthodox monastery in Arizona. I will consider these pilgrimage trips in the light of similarities and distinctions between communities of parish churches and monasteries. On the one hand, both are worshipping communities, part of the same Church body, and can therefore be seen as two complementary structures serving the same purpose. On the other hand, the parish-based church focuses on the lay community and emphasizes doctrinal instruction and the celebration of sacraments, while the monastery community focuses on asceticism and a “more personal and interactive approach through the spiritual father–spiritual disciple relationship” (Demacopoulos 2008: 90). In Orthodox Christianity, monasticism has always presented a draw for believers, who through centuries undertook pilgrimages to monasteries in search of more pure and authentic practices of faith.