Sunday, May 24, 2020

Book Review - Gabriel Schirm - Sunrises to Santiago

I first went on the Camino of Santiago in 2003 with a good friend, the summer before I entered seminary to become a Catholic priest. I have been a priest for 12 years and I have been on the Camino of Santiago five different times for three to four weeks each time. The Camino is one of my favorite things in the whole world. When I went in 2003, I found a total of two books on the Camino in English. Now, with the popularity of the Camino and with ebooks being so popular, there are literally hundreds of memoirs out there. Every journey on the Camino is different. And I have loved reading different accounts of these different journeys. I found this book, Sunrises to Santiago by Ganbriel Schrim, to be very honest and authentic.  He spoke about the physical problems and other struggles he had on the Camino, which some books and movies about the Camino tend to overlook.  He also talks a lot about those things he thought about on the Camino, including what he wanted to do in life and what vocation and career path he should follow. He hiked the Camino with his wife.  Her journey and his interactions with the pilgrims he meets are a big part of the book, as they are a big part of the Camino experience as well.   I enjoyed his story. In fact, one of the times I was on the Camino I met a pilgrim from Poland named Gabriel - I thought about him and his journey as I read through this book. Thank you for sharing your journey with us with such honesty. Buen camino Gabriel - blessings to you on your journey.

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