4/8/2012 - Happy Easter Everyone - Tomorrow I go on pilgrimage to Spain -

A joyful Easter to everyone - what a great day in our lives as Christians, as we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord.  I had masses in the federal prison in Yazoo City and the state prison in Pearl over the weekend.  It was a joy celebrating Easter with the prisoners.  Last night I had Easter Vigil mass in Yazoo City at St Mary's.  And this morning I have Easter masses at All Saints Parish in Belzoni, St Francis parish in Yazoo City, and in Spanish at St Mary's in Yazoo City.

This year I myself am resurrecting with the Lord in special way, as I leave tomorrow for the holy country of Spain with four others - Hallie Clement of Jackson, Claudia Addison of Jackson, Lyons Walsh of Jackson, and Celia Thomason Knighton of Rosedale, Mississippi and also of New York.  We have been planning this for almost two years now.  We will make our way to Santiago de Compostela where the Apostle James the Greater is buried.  We start in Pamplona, and will hike about 450 miles - or at least that is our plan.  I will try to post some things along the way.  I am mentally and physically exhausted today from all of the Lenten and Holy Week festivities, but I am also so excited as well to be going on pilgrimage with such special people and in such a special way.  Blessings to all of you.  I will try to post in the blog along the way, but am not sure how that will work out with our limited access to the internet on the pilgrimage route.  God bless all of you - I will be praying for everyone along the way.

The shoes with the orange insoles are the new ones I will be wearing on the pilgrimage to Spain this year.  The other pair is the pair I wore the first time I went to Spain on pilgrimage.  

This is the rock I will carry to Spain to put at the cross of iron on the highest point of the pilgrimage route.  It is a tradition for pilgrims to carry a rock from their homeland to place at the cross of iron.  I got this rock from Sally Davis, a parishioner from St Mary Catholic Church in Yazoo City who lives in the town of Benton in Yazoo County.