"Walk with the Wise and You Become Wise"
Third-year students Catalina Muñoz and Milo Paman share what their European pilgrimages meant to them this summer.
It takes only a moment to move someone to partake in the experience of a lifetime.
For Milo and Cata, this moment was when they first visited countries in Europe long before their journey at the University of Florida began.
“Since visiting Spain for the first time in 2014, I knew I wanted to do El Camino de Santiago,” Cata remembered. Known simply as El Camino, this pilgrimage ends at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which is located in northwestern Spain and is traditionally held to be the resting place of Saint James the Great. Cata continued, “My dad was in full support, and we planned to do it the summer after I graduated high school. Due to COVID-19, we pushed our plans to this summer.”
Milo’s pilgrimage took place in another part of Europe and was just as special.
“My pilgrimage was called ‘In the Footsteps of Ignatius’ and it was centered around St. Ignatius and his companions.” He elaborated: “We started from where they met each other in Paris and went to many major locations in their travels, specifically Rome. I went on this pilgrimage because I had gone on a similar pilgrimage when I was in high school, which was a pivotal experience in making my faith my own and recognizing how important Catholicism is to who I am. Now this past summer, I returned as an alumni counselor for these young high school men to be an instrument of the Lord in whatever way He asked of me and to help guide them in their faith.”
Proverbs 13:20 tells us, “Walk with the wise and you become wise.”
Such a verse applies in both a figurative and a literal sense to Cata’s pilgrimage in Spain.
“In our five days of walking, we met people from a variety of faiths. Aside from prayer, this was my favorite part,” Cata admitted. “Never in my life have I simply been able to walk and learn about people’s life stories. Many admired my young age and devotion, but I admired their wisdom and perseverance!”
Milo was also impacted by fellow Catholics in meaningful ways this summer.
“My favorite memory from the pilgrimage was when my small group took lime scooters all throughout Rome. Fr. Samuel Burke, O.P. was the one who really pushed the idea. There is something so hilarious about a Dominican priest, dressed in his full habit, riding around on a scooter with a huge smile on his face. Not only was it incredibly fun, but it was a pivotal bonding experience for our small group. At the end of our ride, we made it to the top of Aventine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, and there was a beautiful sunset happening, which was a true display of God’s wonderful creation right before our eyes.”
One can see how important Fr. Burke was to Milo as he went on, “He is a very wise and quite accomplished priest, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Edinburgh and a chaplain there as well. He was essential to the life-changing experience I had on this pilgrimage. He gave my small group a wealth of spiritual knowledge and wisdom, but he also was an intentional listener that took the time to listen to each of our thoughts and rambles, never failing to give a satisfying answer to each of our questions.”
Each pilgrimage is unique, so each bestows distinct virtues on its travelers.
For instance, Milo valued the intricacies of Catholic history he learned during his time in Europe while Cata appreciated the simplicity of routine and the abundance of prayer that her pilgrimage offered her.
“I learned much about the deep roots that Catholicism has in France, Italy, and Austria,” Milo explained. His favorite place was the Parisian Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. “Here, St. Catherine Labouré (then known as Sister Catherine) had apparitions of both St. Vincent de Paul and the Virgin Mary. In her apparitions of the Virgin Mary, she was instructed to make a medal of images presented to her of the Virgin Mary, which is now known as the Miraculous Medal.” This well-known medal contains an image of “Our Lady atop a globe with rays coming down onto the Earth, which represents the abundant graces that Mary pours down onto our world. Mary also instructed her to make the back side of the medal a letter M intertwined with a cross to represent the intimate relationship of Christ with His mother. The twelve stars around represent the 12 apostles, and the two hearts represent the Sacred Heart and the Heart of Immaculate Mary. This was just a piece of the many things I learned about the Catholic history in Europe!”
On El Camino, Cata learned the “importance of daily prayer and simplicity. As for prayer, after walking for a couple of miles in silence with my dad, we’d pray a rosary and participate in Mass every evening. Simplicity was relevant in the fact that it was just us and our backpacks, yet we could still participate fully in the sacraments.”
For any Catholic Gators discerning whether a pilgrimage is right for them in the future, Milo has some wise words. “A pilgrimage isn’t a vacation,” Milo said. “You must remember that you are there to grow your faith and bring greater glory to God. Nevertheless, have fun as well! Draw closer to those you are with or those you meet on this pilgrimage and allow God’s plan to work in you through the wonderful opportunity you have as a pilgrim!”
Cata provided sound advice for anyone considering a similar pilgrimage as well: “Overall, I am grateful to have gone on El Camino, and I’d recommend it to anyone seeking a spiritual and physical adventure.” Having a weak ankle after multiple sprains, Cata turned to Scripture for motivation during El Camino: ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden light.’ “This became my song of gratitude for the pilgrimage, and it is what I’ve been striving to live by ever since. To anyone thinking about it, I’d say go for it, and more importantly… ‘¡Buen Camino!’”