We both know you can’t make someone believe in God and religion, so I think I got the better end of the deal. -“Pilgrim in Name Only”

In walking the Camino de Santiago and later the Via Francigena, my husband and I quickly realized that we were some of the only ones walking for the original purpose of a pilgrimage – “a journey to a sacred place undertaken as an act of religious devotion.” Most pilgrims today take these ancient religious routes for a variety of non-religious reasons including adventure, travel, nature, reflection, exercise, history, culture, and camaraderie. While about 35% – 45% of pilgrims say they had mainly religious motivations, it is important to note that for the Camino, one must state a “spiritual” reason in order to obtain the coveted completion certificate (Compostela). In talking to pilgrims enroute, it seemed far fewer folks than this had pious purposes in mind.

The non-religious reasons people go are all good, and I am not finding fault. Yet, as a veteran pilgrim, I know their pilgrimages could be more deeply fulfilling if they partook of all that there was to experience along the way. There we were on a path literally filled with churches, monasteries, and shrines of timeless sacred art and architecture. That kind of beauty speaks to the soul! Often we were the only ones stopping at them. Our fellow hikers professed ignorance or indifference if we mentioned entering a church – even the Christians. It seemed not much thought was given to their habit of just passing by these holy places. Thousands of opportunities were being wasted.

It stayed on my heart that a considerable number of “pilgrims” were missing out from a faith perspective. They were of course pilgrims in one sense but not in the original sense- not in the sense that had the potential to transform their lives.

And so, I decided to explore what kind of transformation a non-religious recent college graduate pilgrim might go through in making the 1,240-mile Via Francigena if he had some “rules” to follow as he hiked. What might it take to open his heart just a bit? Enter his beloved Catholic uncle who offers his classic Alfa Romeo as the motivation for his insecure lazy, yet well-meaning nephew, and creates the list of rules including keeping a journal, doing an act of kindness, and sitting in a church 10 minutes each day. In a nod to my mom’s heritage and my dad’s talent, the uncle is a wise big-hearted Sicilian and a winning wrestling coach.

Sure, I wanted our hero to get the car, but more than that I wanted him to experience the richness of the faith all around him. Will he tear up the list in frustration? In traversing four countries and rugged terrain, how will he hold up? Who will he meet? Will his outlook be different afterwards? Is he just going through the motions to get the prize?  

One thing is sure, like every pilgrimage, his will not go quite as planned.

Laura Ruberto and her husband John blog about pilgrimages and more at hallowedway.com.

Read “Pilgrim in Name Only,” and other short stories by the Catholic Writers Guild in Pilgrim Tales: a Catholic Writers Guild Short Story Anthology available now on Amazon in print and e-book.

Feature Photo by Laura Ruberto

© Copyright 2026 by Laura Ruberto

Edited by Rietta Parker