USD-Magazine-Spring-2025

The Shepherdess With a graceful gaze and two symbolic Camino shells hanging from her backpack, Claudia Iracema Gonzales ’99 (BA), ’03 (MA) led the way into the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. There, Gonzales, who organized the inspirational trip, surprised the USD pilgrims with a rare experience: the flight of the Botafumeiro. The Botafumeiro is the world’s largest incense burner, which swings across the nave of the cathedral, blessing those in attendance. Not only did Gonzales secure a front-row seat for the USD group to this magnificent event but she was also able to procure a concelebrant placement for Father Greg

McGivern during the Mass — putting a fitting and memorable end to the spiritual journey.

Anything Can Be a Camino On the Camino, Victoria Cabot ’11 (MSEL) was looking for purpose and to make an impact in the last third of her life. She acknowledged the privilege of being able to take a trip of a lifetime. As she walked to Santiago de Compostela, she came to an enlightening realization that seemed so clear and so profound. While many can’t make the cross country trip to the cathedral, all can embark on their own journey in life. “Anything can be a Camino — you don’t have to leave your home to be on a journey,” shared Victoria as the nearly two-week trip came to an end. “If you set yourself up for something hard and achieve it and work through the pain, you’ll feel extremely different at the end.” Beauty, as with most things in life, is in the journey, not the destination.

Walking Friendships Joan Shurance ’87 and lifelong friends Karen Derenthal Schmidt and Jacquellyn Martin embrace in tears as they arrive at Santiago de Compostela. The three women have been walking several times a week for decades. They’ve walked each other through marriages, children, college and many other milestones in life. They even attempted to complete the Camino de Santiago a few years back before falling ill and returning home. Today, they walked hand in hand into the plaza outside the cathedral, finishing what they started in 2022.

READ MORE stories and watch a video about our USD Camino pilgrimage. sandiego.edu/camino

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