New edition reflects on the enduring lessons of pilgrimage and the Christian journey.
STEUBENVILLE, OH—Twenty years after Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, walked 500 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago, his account of the life-changing pilgrimage has been republished in a new edition by Ave Maria Press.
Hiking the Camino: Stories and Lessons from Walking 500 Miles with Jesus follows Father Pivonka, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, and his friend and fellow Franciscan Father Joe Lehman, TOR, along the ancient pilgrimage route to the tomb of St. James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela.
Father Pivonka undertook the month-long pilgrimage in 2006 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his priestly ordination and to thank God for the gift of his priesthood. The book, originally published in 2009 as Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus, recounts the physical hardships, friendships, humor, prayer, and unexpected encounters with God that marked the journey.
The new edition features a newly written introduction in which Father Pivonka looks back on the Camino two decades later and reflects on how the lessons he learned on the road have continued to shape his life.
“I’m a bit further along than I was 20 years ago, but today’s path seems oddly similar,” Father Pivonka writes. “The lessons, memories, and stories continue to enlighten my present journey.”
In the new introduction, he reflects on the joys and losses of the intervening years and on his return to walking pilgrimage in 2024, when he joined Franciscan University students and faculty on a portion of the Way of St. Francis in Italy as part of a pilgrimage course connected to the University’s Austrian Study Abroad Program.
The new edition also includes updated material and retains Father Pivonka’s blend of storytelling, humor, and spiritual reflection on themes including surrender, perseverance, suffering, friendship, and recognizing God’s presence in the ordinary circumstances of life.
The 160-page paperback is published by Ave Maria Press and is expected to begin shipping September 11.
Learn more about Hiking the Camino at Ave Maria Press.
