We Pilgrims

*A Man with his café con leche*
(photo by Callie Starks)

Thom

Thom is a Catholic convert, an Oblate of the Order of Saint Benedict, and a writer. He has a great love of the sacred liturgy, history, and his beautiful bride (though not necessarily in that order).

In addition to his day job as a professional writer and editor, he somehow finds the time to write on all sorts of side projects, putter around the house, volunteer at his parish, read voraciously, play games, and work (poorly) with wood. He’s one of the volunteer copy editors for La Concha, the magazine of the American Pilgrims on the Camino.

He’s author of Practical Pilgrimage, and he’s been noodling on a novel about the Camino through time, though he never seems to get anywhere with it. Maybe he’ll find the required inspiration and discipline after his next Camino…

Check out his blog, Mundus Tranquilare Hic.

An urban farmer with one of her flock. — *An urban farmer with one of her flock*

Francine (1962 – 2025)

For 17 wonderful years, I was married to Francine my Muse, my beautiful bride with whom I shared many, many adventures.

She was taken by the sudden onset of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, and she passed to God on June 21, 2025, just one month shy of her 63rd birthday. She entered hospital just after the celebration of the Easter Vigil, and she died on the eve of Corpus Christi.

Francine was also a Benedictine Oblate, a writer and content creator, and the head of our little urban farm, known as Pistachio House.

She was a USA Today bestselling author with numerous books constantly in various stages of being written and edited and published under several nom de plume, an enthusiastic volunteer hospitalera who served in several Spanish pilgrim albergues over the years, as well as being the Creative Director for La Concha, the magazine of the American Pilgrims on the Camino.

She had more hobbies and interests than you can count, including cooking, playing the ukelele, knitting, board games, video games (the cozy ones, mostly), TTRPGs, miniature painting, graphic design, baking, sewing, gardening, chicken whispering …

And I miss her mightily.

Thom lives with an ancient cat named Sophie, a flock of chickens, and occasional relatives at Pistachio House.

Pray for us, and pray for all pilgrims upon the earth.

“The Church is an inn, where wayfarers returning to the eternal homeland are refreshed from their journey.”

(Saint Augustine)

*At the 100km Milestone for the first time, 28 April 2013*