220 Miles
The Camino de Santiago is an ancient pilgrimage that culminates at the tomb of St. James the Greater in Santiago Compostela, Spain. St. James was the brother of John, one of the sons of Zebedee, as recorded in the Scriptures. The Acts of the Apostles records James as the first of the twelve martyred. James was beheaded in Jerusalem at King Herod’s order. Like the other twelve after Pentecost, he had scattered to preach the Gospel to the “ends of the earth” before returning to Jerusalem. James ended up at the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal today) and preached the Gospel, (some suggest very unsuccessfully in terms of the number of converts,) and returned to Jerusalem. After his martyrdom, his remains were brought to Spain where they were forgotten. In a miraculous image from Heaven, a shepherd was reminded where the remains were around 933. The site is now Santiago (James) de Compostela (under the stars) and has been a frequented site for pilgrims since then.
The number of pilgrims declined over time, but has increased steadily since the mid 1990’s. Now, tens of thousands of pilgrims arrive yearly to venerate the relics and tomb of St. James. There are multiple routes that start in different places in Spain, Portugal, and France, but the most common route is the “French Route” which begins in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, about 500 miles from Santiago. The pilgrimage spiked in popular culture in the U.S. in 2012 when Martin Sheen starred in the film The Way, in which he completes the pilgrimage started by his son, who is killed in an accident on the first day. While I have never done the Camino, I am told by people who have that the movie is a fair representation of the kind of people who do it, many not for immediately obvious religious reasons.
As part of celebrating my 25th anniversary as a priest, I will be doing a portion of the Camino in September and October as an act of gratitude to God for my vocation. On September 13, I will arrive in Spain for the Camino. My route will be slightly less than half the French route, beginning in Leon, Spain, about 220 miles from the tomb of St. James. Our hiking will begin on September 16, averaging between twelve and fifteen miles a day and conclude in Santiago on October 2.
The route consists mostly of small towns and villages across the northern portion of Spain, through the regions of Castille and Galicia. It will include the site of multiple beautiful churches and at least one Eucharistic miracle. The graces that flow are often related to the people pilgrims meet along the way. I am grateful to be traveling with Deacon Gordon Bird, and Wayne Huls, a former parish council chair, who relocated to Texas.
I will bring along written prayer intentions you may have, and I will place them at appropriate locations as close to the tomb of St. James as possible. Place your written prayers in a small envelope or fold them to remain private. Bring them to the parish office, where they will be accumulated in one large envelope. I will not read them individually but will pray for them in my heart and offer sacrifices for them while on the pilgrimage.
The Camino is a new opportunity to experience the grace of God. It is more than just a physical challenge, although there will be plenty of that. It is a way to see the movements of God in a new way, listen to His still small voice, and join with thousands currently, and those who have gone before.
Miracles of God’s grace will unfold. I can’t wait to see them. Pray for me as I pray for you on the journey to St. James.
