By Linda Reeves
Professor David Sheffler transported his audience on a European trek, recounting the experiences of walking and studying along a footpath that millions of pilgrims have traveled over centuries, leading to the apostolic tomb of St. James. “The impact of the experience has been transformational for many of my students, and it has clearly become important to me,” said Sheffler, a history professor at the University of North Florida and a speaker at the St. Augustine History Festival in May.
Sheffler’s talk, entitled “The Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage Past and Present,” focused on the well-trodden “Camino de Santiago,” which leads to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Here, relics of St. James, discovered in the ninth century, are safeguarded. The Camino, also known as the Way of St. James, is one of the most popular Catholic pilgrimages, attracting over 250,000 pilgrims annually. Among these are countless people of various beliefs or none at all, journeying on the holy grounds for various reasons.
Dr. David Sheffler
Sheffler has been at UNF since 2005, earning history degrees from the University of Washington and Western Washington University, and a doctorate in medieval history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has published works on medieval heresy, the Crusades, pilgrimage, and medieval education. He has experienced the Camino five times in the past decade, taking students there in 2015, 2017 and 2019. “A course on medieval pilgrimage that included an actual pilgrimage seemed like a great way for my students to engage with many of these topics,” he said. “I’m hoping to take students again in the summer of 2025.”
What is the Camino de Santiago?
The Camino is not a single route with a unique starting and ending point; rather, it encompasses several routes that start in different areas of Europe, all converging and continuing to Santiago. The most popular path, the French Way, starts in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, and travels westward across Spain, ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral, the gem of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, features magnificent religious art, statues and a giant incense thurible dating back to the mid-19th century, and is still used for Mass. Pilgrims can venerate St. James, beheaded for his faith in 44 A.D., in the crypt beneath the main altar.
Experiencing the Camino
Sheffler and his students spend about three weeks in Spain, studying, experiencing the culture and walking the Way. He emphasizes that the Camino is not just about reaching the destination but also about the experiences and opportunities along the way. His class itinerary includes two days in Roncesvalles, seven days in Burgos, and six days of walking from Sarria to Santiago, covering a 70-mile portion of the 500-mile French Way. “I chose the French Way because it is the best documented and developed,” he said.
Each day on the walk, the students read relevant passages from medieval accounts of pilgrims and talked to modern-day pilgrims they met. “I have always been struck by the incredible diversity of backgrounds and motives,” Sheffler said about the diverse people on the Camino eager to share their stories and reasons for walking. “Even though the motives of each pilgrim vary dramatically, I find the sense of common purpose and community striking.”
“I have never done anything like this before,” said Jennifer Garcia, 33, from California, in an interview with students. “I have visited all the churches along the way. Walking the Camino is my way of showing God that I am committed to him. I am asking Him to show me what I can do in my life for Him.”
At the Finish Line
The Pilgrim’s Reception Office at Santiago welcomes pilgrims upon their arrival, collecting data on visitors and recording their thoughts about their pilgrimage motives. Common reasons include seeking the meaning of life, growing in faith, healing and discerning vocations to the priesthood.
Amarilys Sánchez of Jacksonville, a parishioner of Christ the King Parish and a cantor at Assumption Parish was part of Sheffler’s 2017 class in Spain. Finishing her freshman year in astrophysics studies, she was inspired by the 2010 film The Way, starring Martin Sheen. Her main reason, however, was to spend quiet time alone with the Lord and do some soul-searching. “Throughout my time on the Camino, I found myself coming face-to-face with Christ in the Tabernacle, often by accidentally stumbling into a church along the way,” she said. “This helped renew my relationship with God and taught me to trust him and myself.”
By the end of her Camino, Amarilys realized she had found her true calling, changing her course of study. She graduated in 2022 with a master’s in history. “I am now set to begin my doctorate this fall in Latin American history at the University of Texas at Austin,” she said. “God had given me the gift of the Way to be able to discern his will in my life.”
A Spiritual Certificate
Pilgrims making the pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons can receive an official certificate of completion called “Compostela.” To receive this sealed and signed document, pilgrims must complete the last 100 kilometers or about 62 miles of the Camino on foot. Sheffler visited the office upon arriving in town in 2015. He had some blisters on his feet and was tired but was dramatically pleased about his journey. “I explained that I was a history professor traveling with my students. The woman then asked if I had any experiences I would describe as spiritual.”
Sheffler, reflected on the question, thinking about the witnesses of faith he saw and the many miracle stories he heard along his journey. “I thought about one of my students undergoing chemotherapy who still managed to walk one day from Sarria to Portomarin, and about the sheer beauty of the Galician countryside on a cool dewy morning, and I answered yes.”
What advice does Sheffler have for those considering a Camino pilgrimage? “Find the time and go,” he said. “Wear good shoes, take your time walking along the way, and talk to people.”
Sidebar
In the Diocese of St. Augustine, the Order of Malta American Association hosts the annual Baby Steps Camino, a three-day beach-walking pilgrimage from Jacksonville Beach to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, covering 30 miles. The 8th annual Advent Beach Walking Pilgrimage is set for Dec. 13-15. Participants can join for one, two or all three days, with multiple starting points for shorter distances. For details, visit babystepscamino.com.
