The ‘Camino’ of St. Francis: New California pilgrimage route offers a spiritual journey

The Camino de San Francisco, a new 24.56 mile pilgrimage route in California, has been established to coincide with the Jubilee Year of St. Francis. The route stretches from Mission San Rafael to Mission Dolores in San Francisco and uses a combination of streets, paths, and trails.

Father Christopher Iwancio, a Capuchin Franciscan friar and executive director of Modern Catholic Pilgrim, conceived the route after walking the El Camino de San Antonio Missions. He noted that the San Antonio route allows pilgrims to earn credit toward the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain by collecting stamps from each mission. Father Iwancio developed the California route after brainstorming with historian and author Christian Clifford.

The journey is divided into four segments to allow pilgrims to choose their walking distance. Modern Catholic Pilgrim works to prepare travelers for holy sites in the United States and build a hospitality network for those on pilgrimage.