SACRED STEPS PODCAST

Walking virtually alongside pilgrims and authors, the Sacred Steps Podcast connects a community of pilgrims from across the globe. From the Camino de Santiago through Spain to the Via Francigena across Europe to Italy, the podcast features updates and first-hand accounts from the footpaths of pilgrimage. A companion to the book Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal by Kevin Donahue, the podcast also introduces several lesser-known journeys, such as England’s Pilgrims’ Way to Canterbury and the California Missions Trail in the United States.

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Sacred Steps Podcast

Walking virtually alongside pilgrims and authors, the Sacred Steps Podcast explores the world’s most revered footpaths, connecting a community of pilgrims from across the globe. From the Camino de Santiago through Spain to the Via Francigena across Europe to Italy, the podcast features updates and first-hand accounts from the footpaths of pilgrimage.

A companion to Kevin Donahue’s pilgrimage books (The Pilgrims’ Table and Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal), the podcast also introduces several lesser-known journeys, such as England’s Pilgrims’ Way to Canterbury and the California Missions Trail in the United States.

Drawing on their experiences from walking both the Camino de Santiago and the Kumano Kodo, Dr. Michelle Oing, Ph.D. and Dr. Christian Greer, Ph.D. discuss the contrast of these two UNESCO pilgrimage routes for pilgrims and look ahead to how pilgrimage may play a deeper role culturally in the years ahead.

DISCUSSIONS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Sacred Steps Podcast
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BOOK: Kumano Kodo: Pilgrimage to Powerspots | Amazon.com
WWW: Dr. Michelle Oing, Ph.D.
WWW: Dr. Christian Greer, Ph.D.
SCHOLARLY PAPERS: Dr. Christian Greer, Ph.D.
SCHOLARLY PAPERS: Dr. Michelle Oing, Ph.D.
YOUTUBE: Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau

CONNECT WITH THE SHOW ONLINE:

MEET OUR GUEST: Dr. Michelle Oing, Ph.D.

Michelle K. Oing is a scholar of late medieval art and architecture, focusing on the intersection of sculpture and performance in Catholic Europe. She received her PhD in the History of Art and Architecture in 2020 from Yale University and is currently a Postdoctoral Mellon Fellow at Stanford’s Center for the Humanities. Her current project examines the role of moveable sculpture in Northern Europe through the conceptual framework of puppetry, paying particular attention to notions of play and discovery. Bringing together insights from art history and performance studies, Dr. Oing’s work seeks to highlight the dynamic interaction of humans and objects in the creation of meaning.

MEET OUR GUEST: Dr. Christian Greer, Ph.D.

Dr. J. Christian Greer is a scholar of Religious Studies and American culture, who specializes in psychedelic religion and spirituality. In addition to earning a BA (summa cum laude) from Boston University and an MDiv at Harvard Divinity School, he received his MA and Ph.D. (cum laude) in Western esotericism from the History of Hermetic Philosophy department at the University of Amsterdam. While a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Divinity School, he led a series of research seminars on psychedelic culture, which culminated in the creation of the *Harvard Psychedelic Walking Tour,* a free audio guide detailing how the Harvard community has shaped the modern history of psychedelic culture. His research addresses popular culture & religion, radical politics & religious activism, esotericism and occultism, ecological spiritualities, pilgrimage, countercultures and subcultures, and drugs & religion.

His latest book, *Kumano Kodo: Pilgrimage to Powerspots* (co-authored with Dr. Michelle Oing) analyzes the pilgrimage folklore associated with the rainforests of Japan’s Kii Peninsula.

MEET THE HOST: Kevin Donahue

Husband. Father. Backpacker. Pilgrim. Author.

Kevin Donahue began walking pilgrimage routes in 2019, joining the historical footprints of pilgrims seeking places and people to inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love. His passion for these historic footpaths and reflections from the journeys form the basis for his books: Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal and The Pilgrims’ Table.

BOOKS BY KEVIN DONAHUE:

Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal | Free Preview

At the crossroads of history and faith, a reluctant pilgrim embarks on a modern pilgrimage along some of the world’s most revered footpaths. Along the way, he discovers the places and encounters people that inspire questions and enlighten answers about faith, hope, and love.

Available from print and digital booksellers, Sacred Steps: A Pilgrimage Journal conveys both the historical context and the modern experience of pilgrimage through Portugal and Spain on the Camino de Santiago, along America’s Pacific Coast connecting the California Missions Trail, across receding tides to Holy Island, from London to Canterbury along Britain’s historic Pilgims’ Way, and onward towards Rome via Europe’s Via Francigena on a journey of discovery.

The Pilgrims’ Table | Free Preview
Brought together by fate for a memorable dinner, five pilgrims recall their emotional journeys along Spain’s Camino de Santiago. Powerful and moving, The Pilgrims’ Table is an emotional look at the transformational power of pilgrimage.

Born from the intersection of my experiences with those of other pilgrims, The Pilgims’ Table is the story of five pilgrims from divergent paths who come together at a Spanish albergue. The deeply personal stories shared over dinner transform their outlook on pilgrimage and connect them as one pilgrim family.

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