Faith on the Move
April 22, 2025
“As you walk the questions melt away and new answers begin to appear.” In a few words, Rev. Sandy Brown (G-ETS 1982) captures the allure to the walking pilgrimages which, for almost two decades, have formed the heart of his ministry. When he read Paulo Coehlo’s description of the Camino de Santiago, he became captivated by the lure to walk hundreds of miles through the Spanish countryside to the apostle James’ tomb. He traveled the Camino for the first time in 2008 but, a couple years later re-walking the pilgrimage on a minor route, he found he had to rely on Spanish and French guidebooks, since an English-language version did not exist. Recognizing an opportunity to assist English-speaking travelers on their pilgrimages, he began writing books to accompany people on their spiritual quests. Today, he is the author of six pilgrimage guides and founded Pilgrim Paths—a boutique travel business that specializes in custom, self-guided and group pilgrimage trekking adventures, lending insight from his experiences walking and biking more than 10,000 miles on trails throughout Europe and the United States. But he’s discovered something else along the way: a relationship with fellow seekers who follow in pilgrims’ well-trod footsteps.
In many ways, it’s a natural extension for what he learned in his Garrett MDiv program, if albeit an unconventional one. “Writing pilgrimage guidebooks is a form of teaching,” he explains. “When I’m describing a church, for instance, I need to place it within its historical context. Soon I’m talking about church history.” In his four-volume series about the Via Francigena, for example, he describes a medieval route from Canterbury to Rome, traveling through four countries, visiting Anglican, Reformed and Catholic churches. To properly explain the significance to travelers, he draws upon the theological grounding he received and Garrett and subsequent study—an adult education class on the road. “Jim Stein’s class on Martin Luther is one of the most important I ever took, and it wasn’t until that class that I really understood the Reformation,” Rev. Brown reflects. “I loved the voices of bishops and preachers I heard in chapel. Garrett was an amazing place to learn and I cherish the memories.”
While some guidance he offers is grounded firmly in the factual, other parts veer into decidedly existential terrain. One of the unique elements of spiritual pilgrimages is that they often draw people who have complicated or ambivalent relationships to organized religion. “The common thread is the desire to take a break from life and take a long walk to sort out their relationships, priorities, and hopes,” Rev. Brown says. “They are often quite negative about church but quite curious about spirituality. I’ve had long debates held over days…I’ve learned a lot and think I’ve been a pastor to many struggling people who, in turn, have helped me in innumerable ways.”
Perhaps it should be unsurprising that long walks afford space for earnest reckoning with the deepest questions of faith, identity, and belonging. It is, after all, a core part of our Christian story. “As you walk, the questions melt away and new answers appear,” Rev. Brown notes. “St. Francis was a walker. Jesus was a walker. There’s a fine tradition and it’s not there by accident.”
What’s clear when communicating with Sandy is how deeply he cherishes the chance to be welcomed into an intimate part of people’s lives, the humble responsibility he accepts when providing information. “Pilgrim walks are international, they get people out of their nationalistic ruts so they can see into the hearts and minds of people from other places,” he says. “I’m so happy if I have any part in making their pilgrimage trek a success.” The truth about being an author is that you often will never hear about the lives your words have touched, but every so often the universe offers a glimpse into that beautiful impact. “In a podcast, a Catholic nun was walking to Rome and was asked, ‘Are you scared?’” he recalls fondly. “She said, ‘No, I have Sandy with me!’”
Rev. Brown’s seventh book has just hit stores! Click here to learn more about his guide to the Via Francigena