Beneath the Wings of Grace
Padrón to Santiago We began beneath cloudless skies in Barcelos,in heat and dust and bright sunshine.Nine days later, rain and windaccompanied our final steps into Santiago de Compostela.It was my birthday, September twenty-nine,the feast of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.I carried the day into prayeras we set out from Padrón. We prayed the Sorrowful Mysteriesand called…
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The Stone for Weary Pilgrims
Morning blues lodged within my bonesas we left Caldas de Reis.The sky was overcast, the air cold,and the Galician rain grew heavier. Then three companions brought their sunshineinto the grey morning.Their lively voices lifted melike wings beneath a tired bird. Ahead of us, a stream of diverse pilgrimsflowed out of the city like the River…
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Toward the Healing Spring of Caldas de Reis
I left Pontevedra slowly,my body awake but my spirit still heavy.As we prayed the Glorious Mysteries,the warmth of the “morning people” beside mebegan to draw me into the day.Their laughter was its own kind of sunshine. At the edge of the city,an old house stood alone among overgrown shrubs.I thought of older peoplewho have given…
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The Camino that Holds Every Story
I left O Porriño in the morning chill,carrying a coldness within me.My mood imitated the air—quiet, heavy and slow to awaken. Morning blues travelled in my body.Energy had not yet found my limbs,and part of me wanted to retreatuntil I felt ready to join the day. But pilgrimage does not always waitfor the body and…
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Following the Yellow Arrows Within
We left Tui in the cool morning air,wrapped for a while in a blanket of mist.It walked beside us like a quiet companion,then lifted and left us to the road. Our small group delved into conversation, our words carrying us beyond ourselves.So absorbed were we in one anotherthat we failed to notice the turning. The…
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Strong Enough to Remain Faithful
The morning in Rubiães was cool,sixteen degrees Celsius beneath a smiling sun.We began climbing with the Glorious Mysteries,our fingers wrapped around the rosary. We prayed as the road rose steeply,reciting, sweating and breathing heavily.The glory on our lips met the strain in our bodies,and prayer became as breathless as the climb. We barely held on…
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The Grace of the Pause
We left Ponte de Limaby crossing the old stone bridge.The rising sun stretched across the sky,while morning coolness settled over our bodies. Below us, the Rio Lima flowed peacefully,carrying yesterday’s weariness away.Its waters reminded me of the deeper journey:to follow the river of grace towards its Source. Some companions remained behind,their bodies asking for a…
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Bridge Over Aching Waters
I awoke in Barcelosto the crow of an imaginary rooster,calling me from sleepand back towards the cave of my heart. But pain had awakened before me.It waited inside my right knee,whispering that I should abandon the roadand separate myself from the group. Fear quickly became worry.Worry began drawing me towards desolation,where every difficulty appeared largerand…
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Roosters at the Cave’s Entrance
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”— commonly attributed to Joseph Campbell We travelled to Barcelosto begin our walk towards Santiago.After hearing the “Sound of Silence” on the banks of the Douro River,I knew the journey would ask more of me than just walking. In Porto, I had wondered whether I…
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Sailing in Reverse – Departure, Crossing, & Landing Shaped by Interior Movements
“The sea has locked them all. The sea is history.”— Derek Walcott, “The Sea Is History” The Departure The sun was rising as we left Port of Spain.On the way to the airport, I noticed its glowspreading across the morning sky,and received it as the first gift of my pilgrimage. Vincent drove us to Piarco…
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A Prophetic Song on the Banks of the Douro River
“The cave that we fear entering holds the treasure we seek” – Joseph Campbell We spent a day walking through the hilly city of Porto before the long walk to Santiago began. I thought we were getting to know a city;the city was already asking me to look deep within. At Mercado do Bolhão, a…
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Preparing to Sail
“What is most terrifying in the experience of the deportation of Africans to the Americas * is undoubtedly the unknown, faced without preparation or challenge” (Édouard Glissant, “The Open Boat,” Poetics of Relation) I prepare to “sail” across the Atlantic,travelling in the opposite directionfrom the one forced upon my African ancestors,returning freely over waters they crossed in…
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My Desire for the Camino
A Long Loving Look at the Real “Contemplation is a long, loving look at the real.”— Walter J Burghardt SJ I come to the Camino with a desire,not simply to reach Santiago,not to measure the days in kilometres,but to let each day’s walking become a prayer. From the Caribbean, we cross the Atlantic,over waters our…
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