A priest celebrates turning 70 by walking 500 miles on the Camino, and a friend of 80 joins him

To celebrate his 70th birthday in July, Father John Meyer, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Greensburg, walked 500 miles on the Camino. His 80-year-old friend, Shirley Kloepfer, was among the friends and family members who joined him for the last leg of his journey. (Submitted photo)

(Editor’s note: A record 499,239 pilgrims from all over the world walked the Camino pilgrimage route in northern Spain in 2024. The Criterion has invited people from the archdiocese who have made all or part of that pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain to share how that experience has influenced their life and their faith.)

Fourth in an occasional series

By John Shaughnessy

For Father John Meyer, the pilgrimage on the Camino this summer was partly a gift to himself for his 70th birthday.

By the end of his 500-mile walking journey from France to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Greensburg knew that this pilgrimage was a gift from God.

“After doing two smaller Camino pilgrimages, I finally was able to walk the 500-mile French Way this past summer,” Father Meyer says. “I walked alone—but not really alone—for 425 miles over 40 days. Then I was met by 28 nieces and nephews, friends and parishioners, to complete the final 75 miles, which included a celebration of my 70th birthday on July 21, and the feast day of St. James, on July 25.”

The impact of that birthday gift continues for him four months later.

“Being back now in the parish here at St. Mary, I’ve realized that the memorable encounters with pilgrims from around the world were the highlights of walking the Way.

“We shared faith and journey together, and that experience has transferred to my daily encounters in and outside the parish. I am more open and trusting and compassionate toward my family, parishioners and strangers on life’s journey here. I do feel closer to God.”

One of the friends who joined Father Meyer for the final part of his journey was 80-year-old Shirley Kloepfer.

‘A cleansing of mind, body and soul’

For Kloepfer, a member of Prince of Peace Parish in Madison, it was her third trip along the Camino.

“The Camino I did in July was with St. Mary Parish in Greensburg to surprise Father John Meyer [her former pastor in Madison], who was walking all the Camino in a couple months,” she says. “He was celebrating 70. My presence at 80 years old was a surprise. I, with others, walked 75 miles in five days.”

The scenes from her three journeys on the Camino are still fresh for Kloepfer, the first one at the age of 73 in 2018. On that trip, she walked nearly 525 miles from St. Pied de Port, France, to the tomb of St. James at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

“The first day crossing the Pyrenees was the most beautiful and most difficult,” she recalls. “What beauty with the wildflowers, the wild horses, the magical trees, the rolling fields with sheep, the different rocks and terrain.”

After training physically and mentally for a year, she made that journey with her friend, Julie Brown, and the pilgrims they met along the way. Then there were the other people that she felt were with her.

“I felt the spiritual presence of my deceased loved ones,” says Kloepfer, who celebrated her 74th birthday on that pilgrimage. “Even when I was physically alone, I never felt alone. We met people of all ages and from so many countries.

“In most albergues [pilgrims’ hostels], we ate together and slept in bunks. When we arrived at Santiago four and a half weeks later, we celebrated our fabulous pilgrimage Mass together. I loved this complete material freedom of my first Camino. It renewed my physical and spiritual being.”

She had the same feeling at the age of 78 in 2022 when she walked the Portuguese Camino, a pilgrimage route from Lisbon, Portugal, to St. James’ tomb in Santiago.

“We walked 335 miles. Again, we saw many inspiring churches and museums, and met people [from] all over the world,” she notes. “All the people who live along the Camino in Spain and Portugal are very supportive of the pilgrimage and the people who walk it. I was 78 for that one.”

She figured it would be her last. Then came the opportunity to be part of the celebration of Father Meyer’s birthday.

“Again, I only had my backpack with all I needed for a spiritual renewal,” she says.

Along with Father Meyer, his friends and family, Kloepfer once again felt the spiritual presence of loved ones who had died.

“I especially felt my parents and grandparents in the high wooded areas,” she says. “The trees extended high in the blue sky just like a cathedral. They were also with me in the sunflower fields, the grape arbors, the sheep herders in the small villages, climbing up every bell tower we could, and praying in every church that was open.”

Her three journeys on the Camino have left a lasting impression on her, similar to one that continues to mark Father Meyer’s life.

“The Camino isn’t a vacation. It is so much more than that,” she says. “It is a cleansing of mind, body and soul.” †