Bishop James Conley, Bishop James Wall and Archbishop Paul Coakley traveled to Spain together this summer to experience the pilgrimage along El Camino de Santiago.

"During my recent #pilgrimage on the Camino in #Spain with two #bishops - friends, we walked 15 to 24 miles a day, just as pilgrims have been doing on the #camino for more than 1,000 years,” Conley tweeted this week. 

El Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage with ancient history. The route winds across the northern part of Spain and ends at the Cathedral of St. James the Greater, or Santiago de Compostela, the tomb of St. James. The pilgrimage offers different routes for hikers to follow, and it is popular all year long. 

Its origins date to the ninth century, the Camino de Santiago website said. The pilgrimage, which is colloquially called “The Way,” came about as Christians around the world would walk to see the tomb of St. James after it was discovered in Spain. El Camino has become a tourist destination, but the website notes that "the route has gained its prestige thanks to its spiritual value.” 

Conley, the bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln, got together with his colleagues—Wall of the Diocese of Gallup and Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City—to go on the venture. They walked daily for approximately three weeks. 

The bishops brought hiking necessities and a "simple Mass kit” so they could celebrate Mass each evening for pilgrims traveling along the route, the Southern Nebraska Register reported.

Conley said he embarked on his journey with a personal intention because he had struggled with anxiety and depression in the past.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity to offer it in thanksgiving, in gratitude to God for getting me through kind of a difficult time in my life,” he said in the Register report.

Conley further reflected on the trek’s purpose.

”The central idea of a pilgrimage is the fact that a pilgrimage is a metaphor for life,” he said in a letter published on the Register. “We are all pilgrims on this earth, making our way to heaven. We have no lasting home here on earth. We are always ‘on the way.’ And in the end, we can’t take anything with us."

Conley added that time slows; and pilgrims are reminded of the beauty of nature, of those around them and of their own spiritual journey.

If you’re interested in learning more about the journey, watch Conley, Wall and Coakley as they talk with Jonathan Liedl of the National Catholic Register about the trip.