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

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

Father Christopher Iwancio, a Capuchin Franciscan friar and executive director of Modern Catholic Pilgrim, conceived the route after observing the partnership between the El Camino de San Antonio Missions and Spain's Camino de Santiago de Compostela. He developed the idea alongside historian Christian Clifford. The California route is divided into four segments to allow travelers to adjust the length of their journey.

Modern Catholic Pilgrim works to prepare pilgrims for travel to holy sites in the United States and to grow a hospitality network for those on journey.