About Camino Nova Scotia

A Philosophy and Theology of Local Pilgrimage

Founder of Camino Nova Scotia, Dr Rob Fennell of the Atlantic School of Theology, reflects back:
 

"Almost ten years ago, I had the idea that we needed a local pilgrimage opportunity in Canada. I had friends and acquaintances who walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the famous pilgrimage route in Spain. I was happy they were able to go. But there was a knot in my stomach, because I knew that a lot of people, maybe even most, will never be able to spend a month in Spain. Financial, employment and family responsibilities are all real barriers.

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So how could I combine my love for the outdoors with this desire to help people go on pilgrimage? I started to talk about this strange idea with my spouse and some friends and colleagues. I mentioned it to some of my students. Almost everyone thought it was a good idea.

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After many years of dormancy among Protestants, pilgrimage has become an enormous worldwide phenomenon.

It took a few years, some seed money from the United Church of Canada Foundation and the support of my employer, but I finally managed to develop a local pilgrimage in Nova Scotia. I walked many kilometres to scout the route and to work out the logistics, details like where to sleep, where to shower, locations of grocery stores, how to transport gear and how the budget would work.

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At last, in 2014, the first cohort of pilgrims joined two student staff and me along the beautiful south shore of Nova Scotia. A brand-new pilgrimage was born."