A STORYCORPS STUDIOS SPECIAL COLLECTION

Since 2013 Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs has partnered with StoryCorps Studios on The American Pilgrimage Project. The project invites Americans of diverse backgrounds to sit together and talk to each other one-on-one about the role their religious beliefs have played at crucial moments in their lives. Together over the past decade, we have recorded over 250 stories from communities across the county. Log into the archive to see the full range of stories on this page.

To learn more, contact Paul Elie at [email protected]

All American Pilgrimage Project Interviews

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40:40
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36:52
Noreen (Patience) DeWeese and Keturah DeWeese

Keturah DeWeese (18) speaks with her mom Patience DeWeese (47) about her growing up in a family of Jehovah's Witnesses, her difficult decision to leave the church and how she sought a sense of place and community in Charleston, WV....

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37:19
Zachary Markwith and Maha Elgenaidi

Colleagues Zachary Markwith (43) and Maha Elgenaidi [no age given] discuss their conversion to Islam, their experiences following 9/11, and the interconnectedness of different religious communities.

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38:54
Marielle Verano and Aimee Fritsch

Marielle Verano (23) talks to her roommate and friend, Aimee Fritsch (22) about growing up as a filipino catholic in the bay area, attending World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and how doing service work in St. Paul...

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42:01
Michael Gruszyk and Nicholas Denysenko

Nicholas Denysenko (46) interviews his church member Michael Gruszyk (55) about how he started coming to the Eastern Orthodox Church as a teenager, his education at Valparaiso University, and how the death of family members influenced his faith.

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42:29
Ronné Wingate Sims and Hazel Wingate

Daughter and mother Rev. Dr. Ronné Wingate Sims (51) and Hazel Wingate (78) talk about their family background, their experiences as women in the Black Church, and their relationships to God. They reflect on some of the watershed moments of...

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40:57
Nicholas Cochran and Uneeke Ferguson

Nicholas Cochran (27) speaks with his friend Uneeke Ferguson (21) about their involvement at the House of Hagar Catholic Worker Community in Wheeling, WV, and how those experiences have informed their faith. Both discuss their childhoods and the lessons they...

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37:43
Martin Kelliher and Bill Creed

Martin Kelliher (54) and Father Bill Creed SJ (77) talk about how they came to know each other, and Martin's journey from being imprisoned for attempted burglary, to the successful person that he is today.

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39:03
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Silena Layne and Jeb Backe

Silena Layne (44) speaks with StoryCorps facilitator Jeb Backe (26) about her faith journey in the face of struggle and loss. Silena reflects on her relationship to the Black Church and on the impact of gun violence on her family.

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40:57
Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez and John Law

Eugene Ashton-Gonzalez (37) talks to his friend and mentor John Law (64) about pilgrimage, community, and life in the Bay Area underground arts scene. They reflect on their time using the signal tower on Yerba Buena Island to host events...

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36:24
Ameeran Ali, Attrice Stamps, and Wanda Ellington

Friends Ameeran Ali [age unknown], Attrice Stamps [age unknown], and Wanda Ellington [age unknown] discuss religious faith, their church community, and life with a large, mixed family.

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36:33
Aaron Newell and Amberly Newell

Aaron Newell (42) talks with his daughter, Amberly Newell (13), about the way his faith influences his decisions, his experience adopting Amberly, and their work in the community.

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37:43
Farah Mahesri and Sabiha Basrai

Childhood friends Farah Mahesri (40) and Sabiha Basrai (40) recollect their upbringing through to their adult lives. They discuss their Muslim identities, their activism, and how those two things interconnect.

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40:57
Daniel d’Abreu Noronha and Alejandro Eros

Friends Daniel d'Abreu Noronha (19) and Alejandro "Sasha" Eros (21) talk about their upbringings, their experiences as young practicing Catholics, and their spiritual lives. They reflect on their lives as students at Santa Clara University and on how their Catholicism...

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44:03
José Rangel, Angel Martínez, and Roberto Narvaez

José Manuel Rangel (65) y sus amigos, Angel Martínez (48) y Roberto Narváez (58), discuten las dificultades que han enfrentado al emigrar a los Estados Unidos y cómo la religión católica y Dios los han ayudado y continuarán ayudándolos con...