Pilgrimage of Carmel: Netherlands & Germany, May 18–28, 2026

The Carmelite Institute of North America warmly invites you to join a very special pilgrimage through the Netherlands and Germany from May 18 to May 28, 2026. This journey will be led by Fr. Nepi Willemsen, O.Carm., a German-American Carmelite friar originally from this region, alongside Lourdes Crabtree, Director of the Carmelite Institute of North America.

At the heart of this pilgrimage are two extraordinary witnesses of faith:
St. Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), philosopher, convert, Carmelite nun, and martyr at Auschwitz.
St. Titus Brandsma, journalist, scholar, and Carmelite friar, who courageously resisted Nazi oppression.

Pilgrims will visit the places that shaped their lives:
Amsterdam, with its canals and historic streets, to begin the journey.
Friesland, the birthplace of Titus Brandsma, including Mass at a parish dedicated to his memory.
Echt, where Edith Stein lived in the Carmelite monastery before her arrest.
These visits offer a living encounter with the courage, suffering, and faith of two saints who embody the Carmelite spirit in the modern world.

The pilgrimage then continues across Germany through  Sacred Landscapes & Spiritual Beauty:
Arnhem, Cologne, Munich, and Dachau, places marked both by beauty and by the resilient faith that rose from deep suffering.
The Bavarian Alps, with their majestic peaks, offering natural beauty as a backdrop to prayer and reflection.
The fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle and Mass at the Wieskirche Chapel.
The Marian shrine at Altötting, Germany’s most cherished place of pilgrimage, radiating quiet grace.
Along the way, pilgrims will celebrate Mass, share prayer, and reflect together, allowing the rhythm of Carmelite spirituality to shape each day.

This pilgrimage is more than a trip… it is an invitation to:
Deepen your prayer life through the Carmelite tradition of contemplation.
Be renewed spiritually while walking alongside the legacy of Carmelite saints.
Encounter beauty and history—from waterways and flatlands of the Netherlands to the Bavarian Alps.
Share community with fellow pilgrims, guided by the Carmelite Institute of North America.

In the words of Fr. Willemsen: “This will be a time of spiritual renewal, of prayer, and of deep inspiration. We will walk with Carmelite saints who stood firm in the face of darkness and who now walk with us in faith.”

Join us in 2026 to experience the beauty, history, and spirituality of Carmel in Europe. Walk with the saints, encounter the depth of Carmelite prayer, and return renewed in faith and spirit.