Baby Steps Camino® pilgrim Jackie and her husband Javier know firsthand that God is faithful and answers prayers. They experienced their own miracle after walking Baby Steps Camino® and praying for a child at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche.

For many years, Jackie and Javier hoped and prayed for a child, despite medical specialists informing them they would never conceive. Throughout their trials, they retained their faith. After an exceptionally difficult period, Jackie made a spur-of-the-moment decision to walk the Camino de Santiago from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, praying continually for a child.

Upon returning home, Jackie’s co-worker Ely told her about Baby Steps Camino®, explaining that its destination is a holy site dedicated to prayer for mothers, infants, and new life. Ely’s sister had previously experienced her own miracle at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, FL.

In 1565 Don Pedro Menéndez de Aviles claimed this land for Spain and named the settlement St. Augustine. Father Francisco Lopez offered the first Catholic Mass of Thanksgiving in what is now the United States, beginning the oldest continuous parish in the country. In the 1620s, to pray for pregnant mothers and infants during a devastating disease, the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Safe Delivery) was established on the mission grounds.

In December 2024, Jackie, Javier, Ely, and her sister Olga walked all three days of Baby Steps Camino®. Upon completing the pilgrimage, they placed their prayer intentions at the altar of the historic chapel.

In March 2025, Jackie and Javier were overjoyed to learn they were expecting. In November, Jackie gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Mia. Three weeks later, the family, joined by Jackie’s parents and several other family members, walked Baby Steps Camino® once again in thanksgiving. “Everything is in God’s timing,” says Jackie. “God is faithful and answers prayers” is the message she and Javier wish to share with all pilgrims.

Do you have your own prayer intentions? Come walk Baby Steps Camino® with faith and hope. Registration for this year’s pilgrimage opens October 1st. Write your intentions down on the first day, carry them with you, and place them at the feet of Our Lady upon arrival. You can also view the “Book of Miracles” in the back of the chapel, which contains documented accounts of answered prayers.

This year’s pilgrimage is December 4, 5, and 6, 2026. Click here for more information.