There's no way to know how many miles St. Francis of Assisi walked during his lifetime.
But fond as he was of the virtue of humility, his own two feet were surely a favored means of transportation.
And now a new pilgrimage route in his honor, the Camino de San Francisco -- inspired by the historic mission trails of California, and coinciding with the Jubilee Year of St. Francis -- has been founded, allowing pilgrims to follow spiritually in the saint's footsteps.
Stretching from Mission San Rafael Arcángel to Mission Dolores in San Francisco, the 24.56 miles of streets, paths and trails are broken into four segments, so a potential journey can be calibrated.
Father Christopher Iwancio -- a Capuchin Franciscan friar and executive director of Modern Catholic Pilgrim, an organization describing its work as "to prepare pilgrims, get them to holy sites in the United States, and expand a hospitality network to care for those pilgrims as they journey" -- had the idea for the Camino de San Francisco after visiting San Antonio.
As he walked the El Camino de San Antonio Missions, he learned of its partnership with Spain's famous Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims who walk the San Antonio route -- and obtain a stamp from each mission in their passport, paired with a distance certificate -- can be awarded 30 kilometers credit towards the Camino de Santiago de Compostela's English route, the Camino Ingles.
"It made me think of the missions in California," said Father Iwancio.
Brainstorming with Christian Clifford, a historian and author of "Pilgrimage: In Search of the Real California Missions," and with support from Peter Marlow in the communications office of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the route was soon formulated.
"We looked at the distances between the caminos and thought, what would make sense? What would be easy, to have a good experience?" remembered Father Iwancio. "It was like, 'Oh, San Francisco -- that makes sense!'"
And due to Father Iwancio's persistence, Camino de San Francisco pilgrims can also receive the Camino de Santiago de Compostela credit.
"It's great because it creates something that's permanent. People can walk with a group, or they can walk on their own," he explained.
And there's not just walking and visiting.
"The way Father Chris designed this was to have the ability to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy," noted Marlow. "They've had outreach to the poor -- sandwiches made for the unhoused, and other service-oriented activities like that. So there's not only the opportunity for personal reflection on your spiritual journey to our Lord, but also the ability to help and assist others who are in need in and around the city."
"It's a beautiful expression following up on Pope Leo's call for a special year of St. Francis," Marlow added. "And where better to be able to do that, than in the city named after him?"
Father Robert Barbato -- a Capuchin Franciscan friar and rector of the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in San Francisco -- agreed.
"He would like the camino here named after him, as it brings pilgrims from the quiet beauty of Marin County to the beautiful but at times harsh reality of life in the city named after him," Father Barbato told OSV News in an email. "Francis would be happy that pilgrims both experience the beauty of God's creation and the beauty of Jesus' face in the poor."
Father Iwancio also thinks pilgrimages can be an antidote to troubled times.
"We need to create more moments and spaces of encounter -- and the pilgrimage really provides an opportunity for people to encounter peace and encounter one another," he said. "People encounter Christ on the streets -- and then hopefully, by walking, they see the door open. They see the welcome, the warm welcome: 'Come on in.'"
