Walking the Camino Nova Scotia

Sister Maggie walking the Camino Nova Scotia

July 2, 2026, marked my 60th year as a Sister of St. Joseph. Reflecting on the significance of this time, the many blessings and graces, the challenges, rich experiences, the ups and downs of ordinary life, I wanted to experience a different kind of retreat. A friend told me about Camino Nova Scotia. Once I Googled the site, I knew this was exactly what I had on my heart to do. The pilgrimage would be an opportunity for personal growth, and spiritual nourishment, as well as a physical challenge. For me it would involve a willingness to let go of my need for control and surrender to the unfolding of each new day.

Camino Nova Scotia is sponsored by the Atlantic School of Theology. Dr. Rob Fennell, of the Atlantic School of Theology was aware that many people he knew would have loved to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but finances, employment, and family responsibilities were often real barriers. Thus, Camino Nova Scotia was born, using trails in beautiful Nova Scotia. After exploring former rail tracks that were now walking trails in the province, four trails were chosen as suitable for a pilgrimage experience.

Sister Maggie training at the Rec Centre

At the beginning of March 2026, I registered to be a pilgrim walking the South Shore from Bedford, Nova Scotia to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. It would be a 6-day experience with 5.5 days of walking. I began training March 18th at our indoor walking track in Hay River, Northwest Territories. When I first started, I could walk only 35 minutes before I needed to stop. Gradually I was able to walk for one hour easily. I did not concentrate on distance but on endurance. I soon realized that as my endurance improved, so did the distance. I trained every second day from March 18th indoors until our snow and ice finally left the first of May. Then I could walk outside!

Listening to my body, especially my arthritic knees, wearing excellent hiking sneakers and Merino wool lightweight socks, eating healthy snacks and drinking sufficient water, kept me in shape to advance my progress. On May 18th I walked my longest distance of 7.5 km in 2.5 hours.

Leaving from Yellowknife

I flew from Yellowknife, NT to Halifax, NS on July 3rd. I was filled with mixed emotions. Joy, expectation, apprehension, excitement, openness, were a bundle of emotions. I was overwhelmed with the support of prayers, encouragement and positive energy from my Sisters in community and friends. I knew I would be okay!

Fellow pilgrims on the journey

Our first day together was July 5th, 2026. 13 pilgrims gathered in Bedford with a supportive team of three. I knew no one. There is a saying that “Strangers are friends we have not met”. How true! The bond that developed among us during the week was amazing.

Each day we were up at 7 am. A healthy breakfast was ready, supplies to make our lunch were laid out, and our sleeping gear and belongings packed and put in the cargo van. At 8:30 we gathered for morning prayer, singing hymns, and a short reflection. Then we went to the trail to begin our walk. That day I managed 14.5 km and the next day 23 km. Usually walking about 6 hours each day, stopping for lunch at our leisure, walking at our own pace, we arrived at our place of rest for the night. We slept in churches along the way. Each evening at 8:30 we gathered for prayer and sharing how our day unfolded. Then lights out at 10 pm.

My camino companion, Victoria

I was by far the slowest walker and Victoria from Ontario walked with me. We had wonderful conversation and sometimes walked in silence. The scenery was beautiful including wildflowers, lakes and rivers, a mother doe and her fawn. One day as we walked, coming down an incline were a group of children from a day home, running and waving at us, big smiles on their faces and full of young energy. This was the last sight we ever thought we would encounter! I must say that the children gave us new energy!

I had decided to walk very intentionally for specific persons in my life who are experiencing challenges of one kind or another in their lives. These folks helped me to walk as I prayed with each step.

Completing the Camino Nova Scotia

Our last evening, Keith, who led the prayer sessions reflected how all week we had been gathering pollen through what we saw, conversations we shared walking, being together at meals and helping each other whether with encouraging words or helping to roll sleeping bags and sleeping mats. Then Keith asked, ”What is the honey that you will make with this pollen as you leave from here?“

And that is the question I take to prayer these days. The experience will stay with me weaving in and out of my prayer, my ministry, and relationships.

-Sister Maggie Beaudette, CSJ

Photo Credits: Maggie Beaudette, Joy Waterbury

I Am The Dear Neighbour, Too.

I was recently blessed to be in a gathering for someone interested in the CSJ Associate experience and program - a program of lay women and men in ministry alongside the Sisters of St. Joseph. We began with singing along with a prayerful song with the words, ’Take this bread, bless it, break it, and give this to all we meet today’. This was followed by a Maxim (100 wisdoms from 17th century Father Medaille in living one’s faith) that centred on humility. It may be helpful to note that the CSJ charism is unifying love, and it calls Sisters and Associates to serve the “dear neighbour” without distinction. My reflection touched on humility. I shared a realization I had had early on as an Associate that,  I am the dear neighbour too.  In the awareness that I too am the dear neighbour, there is humility and reciprocity, giving and receiving, diversity and unity - oneness in relationships whether human, in Creation, and beyond. This helps me to keep my heart open in all my encounters. 

As I shared with the small group, I remembered an experience on unity and oneness in community that I had while on a tour in India. There was a Sikh temple in Delhi we visited that had an accompanying community kitchen. We took off our shoes, covered our heads and entered what seemed to be a very large and long community kitchen. Donations were dropped off daily outside the kitchen and seemed to just appear. The meal was prepared by many with people coming for a short time to help or full-time to prepare, serve, enjoy and clean up. We helped make flat bread during our time in the kitchen. 

I would have loved to be able to stay for a community meal experience. Our guide shared that everyone eats together, sitting on the floor, side by side… A community meal prepared and shared by community ‘without distinction’. The experience resonated for me with our opening prayer in song, ‘Take this bread, bless it, break it, and give this to all we meet today’. Then some folks clean the trays for the next sitting. 

There are several seatings, every day, hundreds and up to a thousand people receive a free simple meal together, regardless of background, religion, or social status. Giving and receiving, breaking bread and blessing one another, without distinction… Amen. 

-Sandy Bell-Cameron, CSJ Associate

The Sisters of St. Joseph currently lead a similar ministry serving those most in need in our community, detailed below.

A Living Expression of "The Dear Neighbour"

The mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph is not simply a legacy of the past—it is a living invitation to respond to the needs of our time. Downtown in London, Ontario, that mission is embodied through St. Joe's Café, a ministry that welcomes and nourishes those who are most in need in our community.

The Sisters over the years - St Joseph’s Hospitality Centre to the recent St. Joe’s Cafe. A ministry of love for the dear neighbour.

Guided by the CSJ charism of responding to the "dear neighbour" without distinction, St. Joe's Café is more than a place where meals are served. It is a place of encounter, dignity, and belonging, where every person is welcomed with compassion and respect. In sharing food, conversation, and hospitality, the ministry reflects the Gospel call to love our neighbour and to recognize the presence of God in one another.

“You pray for the hungry, then you feed them. That’s how prayer works.”
— Pope Francis

The Sisters of St. Joseph have long understood that transforming the world begins with relationships rooted in love, justice, and service. St. Joe's Café continues that tradition each day, reminding us that welcoming the dear neighbour means meeting people where they are, accompanying them with compassion, and building a community where everyone has a place at the table.

If this ministry speaks to your heart, we invite you to consider becoming part of it. Whether through volunteering your time, sharing your gifts, or making a financial contribution, your support helps ensure that St. Joe's Café remains a place of welcome, nourishment, and hope for our dear neighbours. Together, we can continue the mission of serving Christ in one another and extending compassionate hospitality to all.

Interested? Please contact our Cafe Administrator, Tracey at St. Joe’s Café, 101-602 Queens Ave | London, ON | tel: 519.432.0660 | email: stjosephshospitalitycentre@csjcanada.org