Seven seminarians from the United States and Canada participate in the Camino Program at the University of Navarra
During the month of June they combined learning Spanish with educational activities and pilgrimages to different places in Spain
30 | 09 | 2026
Seven seminarians from the United States and Canada participated during the month of June in the Camino Program , an initiative of the School of Theology of the University of Navarra that complements their training for the priesthood through learning Spanish, pilgrimage and approaching the Spanish spiritual and cultural tradition .
This year's participants included one seminarian from the Archdiocese of Toronto, two from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, and four from the Diocese of Houston. During their stay in Pamplona, they were accommodated at the seminar International Bidasoa and participated in different academic and training activities.
One of the main focuses of the program, whose second edition is scheduled for June 2027 , was learning Spanish. For three weeks, from June 1st to 19th, the seminar participants took an intensive course at the Institute of Spanish language and Culture (ILCE) at the University of Navarra, with four daily classes from Monday to Friday adapted to each participant's level. At the end of the training received a certificate accreditation.
The classes were complemented by educational activities on some afternoons and cultural and spiritual visits on weekends. Among other places, the seminarians made pilgrimages to the shrines of Lourdes and Torreciudad , visited the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza , and traveled to Barcelona , where they visited the Sagrada Familia Basilica.
During their stay they also had the opportunity to travel to Madrid to participate in a meeting with Pope Leo XIV coinciding with his visit to Spain.
After the three weeks of training In Pamplona, between June 20 and 25, the seven seminarians, accompanied by two priests from the School of Theology They traveled some stages of the French Way of the Camino de Santiago . They combined the conference The pilgrimage was made on foot, with moments of prayer in churches and monasteries located along the route. It concluded in Santiago de Compostela .
The final part of the program took them to Ávila and Segovia on June 26th and 27th. There, they were able to visit places especially linked to Saint Teresa of Ávila and Saint John of the Cross, within the pathway dedicated to learning about the life and teachings of some of the main Spanish saints.
Once the program was completed, the participants highlighted the impact the experience had had on their spiritual lives and on their training as well as the opportunity to improve their knowledge They also expressed their satisfaction with the experience of living together and staying at the Bidasoa International seminar and with the training activities carried out during the weeks in Pamplona.