“The thing I could do to bring about the radical reconversion of California was to pray…and to walk the missions of California as a prayer and penance for the salvation of California. I decided to do it in Lent and start off on Ash Wednesday.” Hope Waterman Apr 22

Hope Waterman’s example is the heart of the California Camino - to walk and pray for the conversion of California, walking from parish to parish as pilgrims on a mission.

The California Camino connects parishes on the route to all 21 Missions, which were built for evangelization and designed to be walking distance apart.  It’s our prayer that the California Camino, it’s Missions and the pilgrims that journey to them will once again inspire hearts and minds for Christ.  

Beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding Holy Saturday, each of the Lenten Pilgrimages fits within the larger Camino.  Pilgrimage, repentance and Lent complement each other.  Here’s the California Camino in total.  We hope to encourage thru walkers and section walkers by journeying with them along the way.  Each week starts with Sunday Mass in a Mission.  Past pilgrims advise walking the entire Camino during Lent is extremely aggressive, so we’ve introduced a bike leg.

Please let us know if you or your church would like to sponsor one of these Pilgrimages or would consider hosting pilgrims on their California Camino!

The routes of the California Camino were built with insights from the inspiring folks at California Mission Walkers, a wonderful community of avid mission trekkers, organizers, ambassadors and pilgrims. They are a fantastic resource for any pilgrim walking any part of the California Camino, including The Hiker’s Guidebook, 2nd ed.  https://missionwalk.org/?fbclid=IwAR1EjOtuo9h8TDSymfRpEBoYJ4Ubcm5i1dJnbjpJjYSNvxPEid-xnGwR7Ks

El Camino de Santiago Guidebook Author Sanford Brown and Cicerone Press issued a new guidebook for the California Missions Trail. https://californiamissionstrail.org/travel/walking-the-trail/

California Missions Trail also published an interactive routes map.  https://sbctc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b456e5a1be41435784bb10495c4d312b