Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus [Paperback]

Dave Pivonka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2009

You might reasonably wonder why anyone would shoulder a heavy backpack, grab a walking stick and hike across Spain. Whatever happened to planes, trains and automobiles? But Father Dave Pivonka knew that the Camino the ancient pilgrim path to the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago offered an opportunity to focus on God in the stripped-down environment typical of the religious journey known as a pilgrimage.

Father Dave takes you along with him, eager to show that God wants to take care of you whether or not you can see down the road or, if tired and sore, you re tempted to quit. His Camino hike holds real lessons for your own life s journey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Father Dave does a wonderful job of walking us through the Camino with him, drawing lessons for the spiritual life all the way. It is a powerful journey--I felt like I was there. With each insight I found myself being drawn into a spiritual journey of my own! --Jim Beckman, author, God, Help Me: How to Grow in Prayer

About the Author

FATHER DAVE PIVONKA, T.O.R., is the director of seminary formation for the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. He has been a priest for ten years and absolutely loves his calling. Father Dave preaches at conferences around the United States and leads pilgrimages around the world. He wrote Spiritual Freedom: God s Life-Changing Gift.

Product Details

• Paperback: 135 pages
• Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press (May 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086716882X
• ISBN-13: 978-0867168822
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Travel > Europe > Spain
  • #94 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Holidays

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a 500 mile walk..., November 26, 2009

By 

William E. Malecki - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus (Paperback)

People of all faith backgrounds or even those with none at all will appreciate Fr. Dave's description of his 500 mile hike to the church Santiago De Compestela in Spain. There is a refreshing honesty throughout as the author considers, decides and ultimately takes the journey through the Spanish countryside with people from all over the world. Walking up to 23 miles a day, but usually less, the story moves along from stop to stop as Fr. Dave, his fellow priest, and the others along the trail share meals, lodging, and a small slice of their lives with each other.

The author describes the humble accomodations, the simple meals and the surprising fellowship among those on the journey. There is also Fr. Dave's reflections on his life as a priest in the Catholic Church, along with his doubts and struggles in his vocation. The book details both a physical as well as a spiritual journey. Those interested in reading about the physical journey will be surprisingly move by teh spiritual reflections while those interested in the spiritual side will likewise be entertained by the details of the journey itself. It's not a day-by-day diary so it's a fairly quick read and an enjoyable one.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Walking the Camino de Santiago [the way of St. James], September 7, 2009

By 

Beth Williamson "Queen of the Book Worms" (Huntsville TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus (Paperback)

I have been reading and collecting books on the subject of the pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James in Santiago de Campostela, Galicia, Spain for a number of years.
I first went to Spain 36 years ago and have been back once. I hope to go again and walk at least part of the pilgrims' way across the north of Spain. It is what was called "the great pilgrimage of the Middle Ages."

This book, written by a priest who is a professor of theology is a wonderful example of the universality of human experience and the very special experiences of the individuals who walk the Way.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hiking the camino, November 5, 2009

By 

bookie "dot" (brick, NJ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus (Paperback)

I just loved the personal testimony of this holy priest. It made me want to hike the camino as he did. It was a spiritual journey filled with poignent and comic situations.