As all of you know, I have traveled a lot in recent weeks, including mission appeals in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, a wedding in upstate New York near Albany, and a trip to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana to give my final presentation in the liturgical leadership program. In August, I will travel to serve as the priest at the ACTS retreat in Alexandria, Louisiana, and then will have two more mission appeals in Los Angeles. I approach those trips as types of pilgrimage, since being a pilgrim is a big part of my identity. On five different occasions, I have hiked the pilgrimage trail of St James in northern Spain that ends at the cathedral of St James in the city of Santiago de Compostela, most recently in 2017. Pilgrims have been traveling on foot to this holy city since the 9th century where the remains of St James the Greater are found. The word “Compostela” is derived from the Latin words for “field of stars,” as legend has it that the milky way guides the pilgrims on the pilgrimage route of St James.
I first hiked the pilgrimage route of St James in Spain in 2003 when I was discerning my vocation to the priesthood. The pilgrimage of St James is a holy experience that is near and dear to my heart. James, the son of Zebedee and one of Jesus’ original apostles, went to Spain as a missionary after Christ’s death and resurrection and then returned to the holy land where he was martyred according to the Acts of the Apostles, the first of the apostles to die a martyr’s death. Spain later flourished as a very devout Catholic country, building upon the seeds of the faith the James brought. In celebration of St James on his feast day, here is a prayer that is carried in the hearts of pilgrims as they walk to his holy city:
O God, you brought your servant Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans, protecting him in his wanderings. You guided the Hebrew people across the desert. We ask that you watch over us as we walk in the love of your name to the holy city Santiago de Compostela.
Be for us our companion on the Camino:
Our guide at the crossroads,
Our breath in our weariness,
Our protection in danger,
Our hostel on the Camino,
Our shade in the heat,
Our light in the darkness,
Our consolation in our discouragements,
And our strength in our intentions.
With your guidance, O Lord, we pray that we arrive safely and sound at the end of the pilgrimage road, enriched with grace and virtue as we return safely to our homes filled with joy. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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