USD-Magazine-Spring-2025

SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA - 8.07 miles

The Wellness of the Shell The symbolism of the shells is an important one; they have come to represent the Camino in that just as the ridges of the shell come together at the base, the many Caminos in life will all bring you to the same place of enlightenment and faith in Santiago de Compostela. Wellness is a big part of the journey, and today, those who find themselves at USD will also find a bronze shell embedded in the ground of the new Palomar Health Student Wellness Center, a gift from Camino de Santiago tour guide Dan Mailhiot commemorating the school’s 75th anniversary and our Camino to a better life. Buen Camino

TEO - 7.45 miles

PADRÓN - 11.18 miles

CALDAS de REIS - 13.67 miles

PONTEVEDRA - 7.45 miles

Throughout the journey, pilgrims come across spaces on the Camino where others before them have left their mark. Mementos, shoes, photos and shells. The items are comforting to those walking by, a testament that many have passed through and that they’re not alone on the journey.

ARCADE - 4.97 miles

REDONDELA - 9.3 miles

VIGO

Quinceañera on the Camino Tania Ortiz ’04 was on a healing journey on the Camino. As a therapist, she helps others navigate their feelings and lives. She traveled across the world in the hopes of learning to navigate her own bouts with anxiety. Traveling with the mother of three was her oldest daughter, Isabella, just a few weeks shy of her 15th birthday. Bella, as she’s lovingly known in the group, decided to forgo the traditional quinceañera, a Hispanic coming-of-age celebration. Instead, she took the opportunity to join her mother, hoping to connect with her and with nature. Not only did the mother daughter duo accomplish their mission, but the youngest in the group quickly became everyone’s daughter on the Camino.

The Maher Cross USD President James T. Harris III , DEd, holds a very special cross as he reaches Santiago de Compostela. Throughout the journey, the Traveling Toreros took turns walking with the sacred cross. The cross was made from a popular tree that had to be cut down as its tilted nature posed a structural threat to Maher Hall in the heart of USD’s campus. Sister Virginia Rodee, RSCJ, ’57 (BA), ’74 (MA) had the cross made and gifted to Claudia Iracema Gonzales ’99 (BA), ’03 (MA) in Alumni Relations so that

it may travel around the world wherever Toreros are found. The cross became a unique item on the journey, connecting our past, present and future.

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