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

A new pilgrimage route honoring St. Francis of Assisi, called the Camino de San Francisco, has been established in California. The route stretches 24.56 miles from Mission San Rafael Arcángel to Mission Dolores in San Francisco using various streets, paths, and trails.

The Camino de San Francisco coincides with the Jubilee Year of St. Francis and is inspired by historic California mission trails. To help travelers plan their trips, the route is divided into four segments.

Father Christopher Iwancio, a Capuchin Franciscan friar and executive director of Modern Catholic Pilgrim, conceived the idea for the route after visiting San Antonio. His organization works to prepare pilgrims for travel to holy sites in the United States and builds hospitality networks to support them during their journeys.