Research Thesis Chapters One and FourThe Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimage famous for i... more The Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimagefamous for its unique ambiance and its yearly festival commemorating the birth of the VirginMary. Visitors and pilgrims include Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. The purpose of thisstudy is to analyze various forms of devotion at Mariamabad from anthropological,phenomenological, and sociological perspectives. The focus is on the different confluences of Catholic and Islamic devotion, and the influence of the traditional religions of Pakistan on Catholic practices and vice versa. The unique encounter of devotees with the numinous in the form of Mary and spiritual satisfaction attained by pilgrims at Mariamabad suggest that religious belief transcends the barriers of cultures and traditions by absorbing native cultural roots and traditions within itself, thus creating unique and nuanced religious perceptions and distinct ritualistic practices. Conference PresentationsAMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION WESTERN REGION AARWR 2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Los Angeles, California , 2017The Marian Shrine in Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church and pilgrimage site famous for its... more The Marian Shrine in Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church and pilgrimage site famous for its unique ambiance, and its yearly festival commemorating the Virgin Mary’s birth. Visitors and pilgrims include Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. The focus of this paper is on the different confluences of Catholicism, the influence of the traditional religions of Pakistan on Catholic practices and vice versa. The belief system diverges from Western forms of Catholicism, while simultaneously providing a form of worship that transcends the boundaries of distinct religious communities. The primary purpose is to examine the trans-religious experience felt among pilgrims representing different religious groups during the three-day Mela festival in Mariamabad. Although devotees appear as a single large community, their individual belief systems play a critical role in perceptions of the National Shrine of Mary as a sacred site for multiple religions. The shared festival plays an imperative role in setting the shrine apart from the divisions that exist in the surrounding society. ] PapersThe Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimage famous for i... more The Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimage famous for its unique ambiance and its yearly festival commemorating the birth of the Virgin Mary. Visitors and pilgrims include Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. The purpose of this study is to analyze various forms of devotion at Mariamabad from anthropological, phenomenological, and sociological perspectives. The focus is on the different confluences of Catholic and Islamic devotion, and the influence of the traditional religions of Pakistan on Catholic practices and vice versa. The unique encounter of devotees with the numinous in the form of Mary and spiritual satisfaction attained by pilgrims at Mariamabad suggest that religious belief transcends the barriers of cultures and traditions by absorbing native cultural roots and traditions within itself, thus creating unique and nuanced religious perceptions and distinct ritualistic Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017 The Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimage famous for i... more The Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimagefamous for its unique ambiance and its yearly festival commemorating the birth of the VirginMary. Visitors and pilgrims include Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. The purpose of thisstudy is to analyze various forms of devotion at Mariamabad from anthropological,phenomenological, and sociological perspectives. The focus is on the different confluences of Catholic and Islamic devotion, and the influence of the traditional religions of Pakistan on Catholic practices and vice versa. The unique encounter of devotees with the numinous in the form of Mary and spiritual satisfaction attained by pilgrims at Mariamabad suggest that religious belief transcends the barriers of cultures and traditions by absorbing native cultural roots and traditions within itself, thus creating unique and nuanced religious perceptions and distinct ritualistic ACADEMY OF RELIGION WESTERN REGION AARWR 2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Los Angeles, California , 2017The Marian Shrine in Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church and pilgrimage site famous for its... more The Marian Shrine in Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church and pilgrimage site famous for its unique ambiance, and its yearly festival commemorating the Virgin Mary’s birth. Visitors and pilgrims include Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. The focus of this paper is on the different confluences of Catholicism, the influence of the traditional religions of Pakistan on Catholic practices and vice versa. The belief system diverges from Western forms of Catholicism, while simultaneously providing a form of worship that transcends the boundaries of distinct religious communities. The primary purpose is to examine the trans-religious experience felt among pilgrims representing different religious groups during the three-day Mela festival in Mariamabad. Although devotees appear as a single large community, their individual belief systems play a critical role in perceptions of the National Shrine of Mary as a sacred site for multiple religions. The shared festival plays an imperative role in setting the shrine apart from the divisions that exist in the surrounding society. ]The Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimage famous for i... more The Marian Shrine of Mariamabad, Pakistan is a Catholic Church, a site of pilgrimage famous for its unique ambiance and its yearly festival commemorating the birth of the Virgin Mary. Visitors and pilgrims include Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. The purpose of this study is to analyze various forms of devotion at Mariamabad from anthropological, phenomenological, and sociological perspectives. The focus is on the different confluences of Catholic and Islamic devotion, and the influence of the traditional religions of Pakistan on Catholic practices and vice versa. The unique encounter of devotees with the numinous in the form of Mary and spiritual satisfaction attained by pilgrims at Mariamabad suggest that religious belief transcends the barriers of cultures and traditions by absorbing native cultural roots and traditions within itself, thus creating unique and nuanced religious perceptions and distinct ritualistic Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017