Episode 111 - Following God's Crayon: Thousands of Miles with Johannes Schwarz

Episode 111 - Following God's Crayon: Thousands of Miles with Johannes Schwarz

From The Camino Podcast by Dave Whitson

February 25, 2026 · 1h 9m

About this episode

Johannes Schwarz shares his experiences and insights from his 5500km pilgrimage along the Via Columbani.

You'll often hear the walk from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela described as "the full Camino." If that's the case, what would you call a 5500km route that begins in Ireland, makes a complete loop in France, and eventually winds up in the Italian Apennines? For Johannes Schwarz (www.4kmh.com), a Catholic priest from Austria, it's just another year. Schwarz completed the Via Columbani, as this route is known, in 2022, and his book--Following Columban: A Pilgrim’s 4000 Mile Quest for Monks, Meaning and the Meaning of Monks--offers a detailed account of his journey. In the conversation that follows, Johannes discusses how he got started as both a priest and a pilgrim, the larger vision behind his pilgrimages, some lessons we can take from Columban and his fellow monks, and why he determined that he fell short on this journey.

People in this episode

Host: Dave Whitson

Guest: Johannes Schwarz

Topics covered

  • pilgrimage
  • faith
  • personal journey
  • Catholicism
  • monasticism
  • self-discovery

Keywords

  • Camino
  • pilgrimage
  • Johannes Schwarz
  • Catholic priest
  • Via Columbani
  • self-discovery
  • monks
  • meaning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 4kmh.com

Books & works: Following Columban: A Pilgrim’s 4000 Mile Quest for Monks, Meaning and the Meaning of Monks

Places: Ireland, France, Italian Apennines, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Santiago de Compostela

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