JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — A local pilgrimage started Friday on the First Coast. It's an age-old exercise to find peace during a challenging year.
Bob and Maria Alvarez of St. Augustine are modern-day pilgrims.
They are some of the people who are walking in what’s called the Baby Steps Camino.
"A camino is a pilgrimage," Maria Alvarez noted.
This pilgrimage started at Jacksonville Beach Friday and ends Sunday at the Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine.
It’s 30 miles in three days, almost entirely along the beach.
This is the fourth year for the Baby Steps Camino. It started with 28 people lacing up their sneakers. This year, 200 people registered.
"Each person has their own way they do it, and their own reason for doing it," Maria Alvarez said.
Judy Williams said the walk, "helps me focus on what Christmas is about."
Jill Kapron said she is walking, "just to get closer to the Lord."
Liz Ferrell traveled from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to walk.
"What I’m looking for from the camino is a little peace and calmness in my life," Maria Alvarez said. Her husband, Bob, said, "This is a way of thanking God, thanking Jesus for the wonderful things we have in our life."
This trek is put on by the Order of Malta which is one of the oldest religious orders of the Catholic Church.
Beth Gutman of the Order of Malta said, "We’re dedicated to taking care of the poor and the sick."
The Order of Malta’s Northeast Florida chapter created this pilgrimage "to increase spiritual growth for the pilgrims during advent. So to bring us all closer to the Lord," Gutman explained.
Pilgrims don’t have to be Catholic to walk in this event.
Tom Eagan with the Order of Malta said, "It’s good for anyone of faith, or of no particular faith, to spend time in solitude and contemplation, but then again in fellowship."
And in a turbulent year, the Alverez’s and many of their fellow pilgrims are seeking some calm and clarity on the coast.