Pilgrimage: Camino de Santiago

Participants enrolled in a spring semester half-unit course that introduced them to the religious, cultural, and aesthetic landscape of the region and helped them cultivate their own spiritual practices and reflective imaginations. The hope was that each pilgrim emerged from the experience with a deeper spiritual life and a greater sense of purpose and place in the world.

During spring break, students engaged in a walking pilgrimage along the last 100 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) in Northern Spain, the most famous pilgrimage in the Western World. Pilgrims walked 12 to 15 miles per day, staying in comfortable accommodations in small villages each night. The pilgrimage drew on the rich Catholic spirituality that has shaped the route for many centuries as a means of introducing students to profound spiritual questions around meaning, purpose, prayer, and well-being.

The Chaplaincy led four semester-long courses with accompanying pilgrimages along the Camino de Santiago. The 2018 and 2024 Pilgrimage teams traveled along the last 71 miles of the French Way from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. The 2019 and 2023 Pilgrimage teams traveled along the last 65 miles of the Portuguese Way from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela.