As I prepare for the Camino de Santiago, I’ve been walking more at home — on quiet local trails, through town, along rivers and wooded paths.
And something beautiful keeps happening.
I keep meeting people.
Some stop to chat. Others smile in passing. A few become brief companions on the road — a dog walker, a fellow hiker, someone who just needed to talk that day.
And I’m beginning to understand something that seasoned pilgrims say all the time:
The Camino isn’t just about where you’re going. It’s about who you meet along the way.
A Ministry of Presence
Not every encounter will be deep. Some will be silent.
Some will be frustrating, others deeply moving.
But each one is part of the story.
When Jesus walked the roads of Galilee, people interrupted him constantly. He didn’t avoid them — He met them, listened, healed, blessed.
That’s part of what I want to bring to the Camino. Not just a destination mindset, but a pilgrim’s heart — open to surprise, interruption, and shared humanity.
And that begins here, not just in Spain.
Because even on our local trails, sidewalks, and parking lots, God is placing people in our path.
Hospitality, On Foot
There’s a kind of hospitality that happens when you walk. You start to share space — both literal space and spiritual space — with others who are also moving through something.
A shared nod.
A laugh about the weather.
A deep conversation with someone you may never see again.
This, too, is grace.
The Invitation
Whether we’re walking through neighbourhoods or navigating ancient trails, the invitation is the same:
Be present.
Be open.
Be kind.
You never know who you’ll meet — or how God might speak through them.
And perhaps even more importantly: you never know who might need your kindness on their own walk.
As I prepare to walk the Camino, I’ll keep practicing that presence here at home—one trail, one smile, one sacred encounter at a time.
Thanks for walking with me.
Buen Camino,
Fr. Don+
A Pilgrim’s Blessing for the People We Meet
Gracious God,
You have made us for connection,
and you place people in our path not by chance but by grace.
Bless those who walk beside us—
for a moment or for many miles.
Bless the silent ones,
whose presence is steady and kind.
Bless the joyful ones,
who remind us to laugh and be light.
Bless the burdened ones,
who carry more than their faces show.
And when we are the ones who are tired, or unsure,
send someone to walk beside us—
someone to offer kindness without condition.
Teach us to see each encounter as holy,
each face as bearing your image,
and each shared step as a prayer.
In every meeting, may we honour your presence.
In every goodbye, may we leave behind blessing.
And in every mile, may we walk humbly with open hearts.
In the name of the One who walks with us always—
Christ our Companion, our Way, and our Peace.
Amen.