The 2025 Pilgrimage of Discovery (POD), an annual program of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, completed another successful pilgrimage to Constantinople with 16 young adults from across the United States.

The young adults were selected from a large number of applicants to participate in the pilgrimage, which took place from August 1-8 and included visits to many important spiritual sites and a special audience with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

The Ecumenical Patriarch addressed the young adults in an inspiring speech, saying: “Your presence here, as part of the commendable initiative known as the Pilgrimage of Discovery, brings light and consolation to our hearts. For in you, we behold the luminous faces of our future: faithful and professional young men and women who seek Christ, not only in the quietude of personal prayer, but within the living and life-giving tradition of His Holy Church.”

His All-Holiness’s speech captured the essence of the Archon POD program, which traveled to Constantinople for the first time two years ago with a pilot program of 5 participants and has now sent 37 American young adults on this life-changing pilgrimage.

“Your pilgrimage,” said His All-Holiness, “is not merely a journey across the Atlantic, nor simply a visit to historic sites, but a spiritual ascent. It is a sacred encounter with your deepest roots in the Orthodox faith, roots that stretch back to the Apostles and the Holy Fathers, roots nourished by the blood of martyrs, and roots that continue to draw life from the living waters of the apostolic see…. During your time in this queen of cities, you walk upon paths made smooth by the prayers of the saints. You enter temples where emperors once knelt, where confessors of the faith preached and served, and where the same Divine Liturgy that sustains us today has been offered for centuries.”

In his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch also expressed his appreciation to the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the POD program, and beautifully described the profound impact of the program, which demonstrates that the POD’s mission is being fulfilled.

“We are profoundly grateful to the Order of St. Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch, “for their steadfast support of this visionary program. Through their labors and your openness of heart, a bridge is being built linking generations, cultures, and continents through the living experience of Orthodoxy.”

The 16 young adults that participated in the 2025 POD, representing all Greek Orthodox Metropolises in the USA and the Archdiocesan District, are:

George Anagnostopoulos
Thomas Benis
Lucas Carroll
George Dalianis
Anastasia Friesen
Johnathan Leara
Jack Koulos
Anastasia Maragos
Heather Marcella
Joanna Nikolakakos
Steven Pakes
Alexandria Palmerton
Mallorie Papadelias
Stavros Piperis
Lenie Tsakonas
Demetra Zouzas

“The Archons are very proud to be ‘building the bridges’ to which His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew refers,” said Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis, National Commander of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “These wonderful young adults had a unique opportunity to engage with the Ecumenical Patriarch, experience amazing historic relics and sites of our Mother Church, meet the Orthodox faithful that still live in Constantinople, and learn about our Church and struggles we face in the very place the Church began.”

Highlights of the pilgrimage included visiting the historic Chora Church (recently converted to a mosque) and its famed Byzantine mosaics, praying at Panagia Blachernae Church associated with the hymn “Τη υπερμαψς,” receiving holy water from the life-giving spring at St. Demetrios Church Kuruçesme, journeying by boat to experience Halki Seminary, meeting local Orthodox Christians at the community of Neochori, witnessing the splendor of Hagia Sophia, and engaging personally with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar.

“Yet beyond your itinerary and the beauty of sacred places,” said the Ecumenical Patriarch, “we urge you to listen carefully to what God may be whispering in the depths of your soul. This pilgrimage is not only a discovery of the Church’s past, but also of your personal vocation within the body of Christ.”

The Archons are grateful to the POD Committee for all their hard work: Archon Regional Commander Perry Siatis, Esq., Hon. Archon Jeffery Chrones, Hellena Chrones, Archon Dr. John Fotopoulos, Dr. Eleni Makris, Archon Regional Commander John Manos, Archon Regional Commander Steven Counelis, Archon Regional Commander Nicholas J. Tranto, Archon Regional Commander Nicholas Terezis, Archon Dr. Alexandros Kyrou, Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Archon Dr. James N. Schooley, Joan Berg, Esq., Tina Manikas, and Anna Kallis. They are also profoundly grateful to Archon Michael Psaros, whose philanthropy contributes to the continuation of the Pilgrimage of Discovery Program.

The returning pilgrims carry the responsibility of speaking about their experiences now that they are back home in the United States, as the Ecumenical Patriarch urged them to do, saying: “Our trust [is] that you will carry the light you have received here and reflect it in your communities, your parishes, your metropolises, your professions, and in every corner in your daily lives.” The POD application process for 2026 will be announced later this year. For more information about the Pilgrimage of Discovery, visit the website at www.pilgrimageofdiscovery.org.