This Lent, at St James Catholic Church in Tupelo, MS, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain is the symbol of our Lenten journey. We have our own cruz de ferro - the cross of iron - where we will place the rocks that we are carrying during Lent, to place our sins and all that we want to get rid of in our lives at the cross of Jesus on Good Friday. The pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela leave behind rocks that they bring from their homeland at the cruz de ferro on the highest mountaintop of the pilgrimage route. Our altar at St James Catholic Church is decorated with scallop shells, symbols of the pilgrimage. The shells have the cross of St James painted on them. The patron saint of our church in Tupelo is St James the Greater, the apostle who went sent to be a missionary in Spain after Christ's death and resurrection. He is also the patron saint of the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela, since "Santiago" means "James" in Spanish. Thus, it is very fitting that a church who has James as its patron saint is recognizing his pilgrimage this Lenten season. Many thanks to the very creative hard-working members of the liturgy committee of our parish who put their ideas into action in getting our parish ready for its Lenten journey.
Pilgrims at cross of iron (cruz de ferro) along pilgrimage route.
Prayers and other items left at cross of iron.
Cross of iron at St James Church - Tupelo, Mississippi.
Scallop shells adorning the ambo and book of Gospels.
Scallop shells in front of altar.
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