Peregrino da Esperança

The Pilgrim: Stories

🕊️ “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

🥾A Pilgrim's Tale: When the Heart Walks with the Feet

My name is David. I am 42 years old, a father, husband and engineer. I walked the Camino da Fé from Águas da Prata to Aparecida. It was more than 300 kilometers of silence, sweat, landscapes and prayer. I thought I was ready physically - but I discovered that it was my soul that needed to walk the most.

At first, I confess, it was difficult. The backpack seemed too heavy. The pain in my feet, the rain, the loneliness in certain stretches... But with each step, something inside me changed. Over time, the backpack became lighter - not because I took anything out of it, but because I learned to carry the essentials.

Each encounter with other pilgrims was like a mirror: people with incredible stories, with wounds, with faith. I saw people praying the rosary, others singing, others crying. And I realized that the Camino unites what the world separates: age, social status, beliefs, pain and hope.

When I reached the viewpoint of Aparecida and saw the Sanctuary in the distance, my legs were shaking - not from tiredness, but from emotion. I entered the Basilica with my heart bursting with gratitude. I prayed for my family, for a sick friend, for myself.

I did not return home the same man I once left. Today, I am simpler, more confident in God, more aware that life is like the Path: full of ups, downs, stops and rewards. And that there is no greater pain than walking far from your purpose.

The pilgrimage taught me that the miracle is not only in the arrival. The miracle is in continuing - even when everything inside us tells us to stop. Today I am, with pride, a pilgrim of hope. David M. – Santos/SP