Order of Malta

Baby Steps Camino™

About the Baby Steps Camino™

The Order of Malta, American Association presents the Baby Steps Camino™, a three-day beach-walking pilgrimage from Jacksonville Beach to Our Lady of La Leche National Shrine at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city and birthplace of Catholicism in the United States.

Join us for Mass, Confession, Holy Hours, and pilgrim socials each day as we walk in this ancient method of prayer during the Holy Season of Advent. This pilgrimage is offered for the pilgrim’s personal spiritual growth and all are welcome to join us 1, 2, or all 3 days of the pilgrimage. A guided “mini pilgrimage,” the Bambino Camino™, a 2 mile walk from Vilano Beach to the Shrine on Sunday, the final day of pilgrimage, is an easy walk for pilgrims of all abilities. Non-walkers are also most welcome to join us on the final day for the events at the Shrine, and our closing Mass at the Cathedral of St. Augustine, America’s first parish.

The Baby Steps Camino™️ is officially recognized by the Cathedral de Santiago Foundation and International Tourist Office as an integral part of the celebrated Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Miles walked and documented by pilgrims on our route can be applied toward the miles required in Spain to achieve an official Compostela at the Cathedral de Santiago.

Welcome, Pilgrim

Welcome, dear pilgrim, to the annual Baby Steps Camino™️, the Order of Malta’s three-day Advent sojourn of prayer, reflection, sacrifice, worship and fellowship. The word “pilgrim” comes from the Latin “peregrinus,” meaning stranger or crusader. And that is what people of faith are; a people whose home is not this world, but the Heavenly Jerusalem toward which our faith impels us. 

On this spiritual pilgrimage, many will meet as strangers; some of us will be reunited as Baby Steps Camino™️ friends. We all proceed by our own lights, at our own pace, to each his own intention or burden, yet united in spirit for these few blessed days set aside for God. By the end of our pilgrimage, we hope our efforts on “the way” will unite us all in unique ways that enrich faith, nourish friendship, and better prepare us for the coming of our Lord.

To sign up for the Baby Steps Camino™️, please visit www.babystepscamino.com.

Order of Malta

American Association, U.S.A
St. Patrick’s Cathedral Parish House
14 E 51st Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 371-1522