Twenty-four students from Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Flourtown walked 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) across northern Spain this summer, completing the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in 15 days through mountain passes and extreme heat, according to Mainline Media News.

The group of young women and five chaperones set out Tuesday, June 16, from León and reached the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela on Tuesday, June 30. An anonymous donor covered the cost for students on need-based financial aid, ensuring every interested student could participate regardless of ability to pay.

Sister Charlene Diorka, SSJ, the school's president, walked the full route alongside the students. "Walking the Camino alongside our students was one of the great privileges of my time as President," Diorka said. "Day after day, I watched them grow in resilience, in patience with one another, and in their relationship with God as they engaged the dear neighbor along the way."

The route crossed Spain's Castilla y León and Galicia regions, including a grueling 18-mile stretch through the mountains. For several consecutive days, temperatures climbed into the upper 90s, forcing the group to rise before dawn to log miles in cooler morning hours.

At Cruz de Ferro, the Camino's highest point, students laid down stones they had carried from home, a traditional pilgrim's act of releasing burdens. They paused for prayer before continuing their descent. Along the way, the group explored the partially excavated ruins of an Iron Age village near Castromayor and threw an impromptu birthday party for a chaperone, complete with ice cream cake. They also donned red and yellow face paint to cheer on Spain's national team during the FIFA World Cup.

Principal Dr. Melissa Sullivan, Director of Enrollment Kiera McCloy and Registrar Bethann Leaming each gave two weeks of their summer to walk the full route. Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ, a member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, chronicled the journey daily in writing, reflecting on both the physical walk and the spiritual dimension of the pilgrimage.

Near the journey's end, one senior told Sister Colleen that walking with a group for two weeks taught her as much about patience and grace as physical endurance.