Sponsored: This article is made possible by Follow My Camino, supporting quality and engaging Catholic content.
I have felt a deep pull toward pilgrimage for years. There is something powerful about walking ancient paths, praying where saints have prayed, and placing one’s intentions before the Lord in places shaped by centuries of devotion. Yet as a husband and father to four energetic children, long-distance pilgrimages are not possible in this season of life.
Still, God finds a way.
My “micro-pilgrimages” have become unexpected moments of grace: visits to our cathedral, celebrating feast days at home, praying novenas and litanies, and uniting our intentions with the Holy Father. These small steps, taken in the ordinary rhythms of family life, remind me of the truth expressed in the Catechism: “The Church…will receive its perfection only in the glory of heaven, when she will appear in splendor…toward which she is hastening” (CCC 769).
We are all pilgrims, whether we walk the Camino or pray in our living rooms. Some pilgrimages, however, shape a person for life, especially those preparing to become priests. This is why the mission of the Camino Pilgrim Foundation matters so deeply. They provide seminarians with a structured, prayer-filled, and transformative experience along the Camino de Santiago, the kind of formation that can remain with them for decades.
In partnership with Follow My Camino, the Foundation will guide two significant groups next year, each with its own focus on prayer, formation, evangelization, and community.
Pilgrimage as Formation: The Church’s Living Tradition
The Catechism describes pilgrimage as an image of the Christian life. The Church journeys as a pilgrim people, moving through trials and receiving God’s consolations while longing for the Kingdom (CCC 769). The Camino expresses this beautifully. Each day of walking becomes a school of the heart. Every encounter becomes an invitation to grace.
The Church also teaches that the People of God advance only by the narrow path of the Cross and through the ongoing need for conversion (CCC 853, paraphrased). Seminarians on the Camino experience this in a very real way. They surrender comforts, grow in discipline, and discover Christ in silence and simplicity.
The Catechism highlights how pilgrimages “evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer” (CCC 2691). The Camino provides exactly that. It is a space shaped by the sacraments, quiet reflection, shared meals, and deep fraternity.
In another place, the Catechism teaches that earthly liturgy offers a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy toward which we journey as pilgrims (CCC 1090). On the Camino, seminarians experience this with renewed clarity. Mass becomes the heart of their day. Prayer becomes the anchor of their walk. Community becomes the place where grace unfolds.
The Camino Pilgrim Foundation structures each pilgrimage around four pillars: Spiritual Life, Prayer Life, Evangelization, and Community. These pillars are not abstract ideals. They are the foundation of a life lived for Christ, and the Camino gives seminarians the chance to practice them from sunrise to sunset.
Two Pilgrimages of Hope: Forming Missionary Disciples
Next year, in collaboration with Follow My Camino, the Camino Pilgrim Foundation will guide two groups of seminarians whose formation will be shaped in lasting ways.
Camino Portuguese & Fatima (Archdiocese for the Military Services)
From July 14–26, 2026, fifteen seminarians and six priests will begin in Fatima, entrusting their steps to Our Lady. They will then walk the Portuguese Route to Santiago, arriving in time for the Feast of St. James on July 25.
This pilgrimage invites them to:
- Deepen their relationship with Christ in prayer and the sacraments
- Grow in genuine brotherhood
- Strengthen their vocational call
- Live evangelization joyfully as they meet fellow pilgrims
For future military chaplains, who will one day accompany soldiers and families through extraordinary hardships, this formation is invaluable.
Discipleship Camino Francés + Lourdes with Fr. Kevin McQuone
From June 8–July 27, 2026, seminarians will walk the entire 500-mile Camino Francés, concluding with a visit to Lourdes. Led by Fr. Kevin McQuone, this journey forms part of his doctoral work on missionary discipleship.
Each seminarian will invite one companion to join halfway in Léon. This mirrors Christ’s call to discipleship and allows the seminarians to practice evangelization through accompaniment. Together they will walk toward Santiago, lay their intentions at the tomb of St. James, and celebrate his feast day.
Both pilgrimages offer profound opportunities for discernment, fraternity, and spiritual maturity.
Why This Mission Matters
The Camino Pilgrim Foundation offers seminarians something rare: a formative experience that deepens prayer, strengthens fraternity, and prepares them to serve the Church as faithful shepherds.
Your own domestic-church experience reflects this truth. Even the smallest pilgrimage of the heart matters. Yet for seminarians who will one day offer the sacraments, preach the Gospel, and guide the faithful, a pilgrimage of this magnitude can clarify their calling and shape their ministry.
The Catechism reminds us that the Church advances “from Eucharistic celebration to celebration, proclaiming the Paschal mystery until He comes” (CCC 1344). On the Camino, seminarians live this pattern every day. They receive Christ, walk with Christ, and share Christ with those they meet.
These pilgrimages leave a lasting mark not only on their vocations but on the communities they will one day serve.
A Call to Give Without Expectation
St. Nicholas, whose feast day I celebrate as I write this, lived a life of joyful giving. He offered gifts freely and let God unfold the fruits. This is the heart of Christian generosity.
Most of us cannot walk the Camino right now. Yet we can help form the priests who will one day baptize our children, anoint our sick, preach the Gospel, and bring us the Eucharist.
If you are able to support this mission, I invite you to donate to the Camino Pilgrim Foundation.
Donate here:
Your generosity may help form a priest. It may strengthen a vocation. It may change a life, and through that life, touch many others.
The Catechism describes Mary as the model of the Church’s “pilgrimage of faith” (CCC 972). May she intercede for every seminarian walking the Camino. And may St. James guide their steps as they learn to follow Christ with courage, humility, and joy.
We walk different paths, yet we journey toward the same destination. Perhaps one day, in God’s timing, each of us will walk the Camino in person. Until then, we remain pilgrims of hope, moving step by step toward the Lord.
Thank you to today’s sponsor! Discover more by visiting Follow My Camino today.
