I am in Madrid preparing to begin the Camino tomorrow. The highlight of the day was time spent at Madrid’s Cathedral. It is the youngest of all the European Cathedrals and was dedicated by Saint John Paul II in 1993, having taken 110 years to complete the project. In my prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, I asked our Eucharistic Lord to deepen my life in Him during this pilgrimage and to awaken in me a greater faith, hope and charity. Know that I carry all of you and your intentions in my spiritual backpack along the way - please pray for me and my fellow sojourners. Love Fr. George 

Today is Thursday, August 8, the Feast of Saint Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers. Saint Thomas Aquinas, a member of that order, said that the rhythm of Dominican life is “to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of contemplation.” This speaks well to what I envision this Camino to be - an opportunity to listen to what God speaks to my heart and to share it with you as your pastor and friend. It is raining on and off here in Vilalba, our starting point. The way I see it is that our Lord is reminding us of our baptism that began our journey of faith by sprinkling some heavenly holy water upon us and blessing us before we begin the Camino tomorrow morning and head out to Baamonde, a walk of about 12 and 1/2 miles. We will be traveling the last 127 kilometers of what is called the Northern Way, one of six possible routes to Santiago. This is their route traveled by Saint Francis of Assisi when he made this pilgrimage, so we are in good company. I am anxious to begin this journey, again carrying you and your intentions very step of the way. Blessings to you all - Fr. George

Today, Friday August 9, we made the first leg of the Camino, from Vilalba to Baamonde. You may be wondering how you know the way along the Camino. The route is marked out by little signposts bearing the scallop shell and an arrow pointing out the direction you should go. I found out today that unless you are paying attention it is easy to miss one of these signs. Twice today we took almost took a wrong turn! As a group, we had to help one another to stay on the right path. On our journey of faith, we need to pay attention to the signs that God gives us to point out the right direction for our lives. We can easily get distracted and lose our way. Thankfully God gives us a community of faith so that we can help one another on the path of life. 

Scallop shells are an ancient symbol of the Camino. From days of old, they were carried by pilgrims to be used as a means of scooping up water to drink or as a bowl to receive food at the places they stayed. The origin of the legend has to do with the belief that the body of the martyred Saint James the Great was mysteriously transported across the sea from Palestine to Spain. The shell is native to the shore of Gallica Spain where the ship landed.

Tomorrow our journey will take us to Albo da Mamoa, a journey of about 13 miles. Spent a lot of time praying for all of you today - will continue to do so. My love to all! Pray for us.  

The moment I stepped on to the way of the Camino I knew that I was on holy ground. It is indeed a sacred way. So what makes this path so holy. I believe that it is because of the people that have journeyed on this path with the purpose of making this pilgrimage as a way of deepening their faith, hope and love. As you make your way there are moments of conversations with others and moments of solitude when you converse with God. The path itself is sometimes through areas that are wooded and lush and sometimes through spaces that are rocky and dry. To me this is much like the spiritual life - we need our time alone with God and we need our time together - much like the vertical and horizontal beams of the Cross. Also on our spiritual journey we sometimes have many consolations and other times desolations - but we know God is with us through it all. 
We now have about 24 miles behind us - tomorrow we will begin where we left off today and continue on to Sobrado dos Monxes - about another 12 miles. We are all feeling tired this evening, but as Bishop Rodimer used to say - it is a good tired. I continue to hold you all and your intentions in my heart along the way - let us continue to pray one another and for all who are in need. God bless!

 Hello my friends - just finished today’s leg of the Camino. God rained down his love on us today as we all got a chance to sport our ponchos! I walked part of the way today with a 29 year old young man from France whose name is Jordan. He was on the Camino to deepen his faith and had been walking for almost two months, having started from his home town in France. Raised in a family that did not practice any religion he came to faith about five years ago. After studying some theology he found that Catholicism offered him the best expression of the Christian faith and became a Catholic. Back at the place we are staying I met a couple who were from Zaragoza, Spain - the hometown of our patron Saint Vincent. There is also a couple here from Australia who were doing the entire Northern route and had been 40 days making the Camino. Meeting all theses folk is a great reminder that we are all one human family making our journey through life - beyond that, we are all children of God, our most fundamental common denominator. I asked Jordan what he had gained from his journey thus far - he said a greater patience and understanding with other people. Patience and understanding go along way in making the world a better place and building the Kingdom of God.
And now for another Camino fact - Another symbol of the Camino is the gourd. We often see it in depictions of Saint James and of a pilgrim on the Camino. Quite simply, it is a natural water bottle that kept the sojourner hydrated. I am making good use of the two water bottles that Carlos got me before I left. They are from a company called contigo, which in Spanish means ‘with you’ - which is where my thoughts and prayers continue to be - God bless!

The other day we stopped along our Camino to have some lunch at a local restaurant. First, they brought out the bread, then three different kinds of soups, then a number of pasta and rice dishes, then all types of meat and finally desert. The lovely young woman who served us, Estella, never told us how much it would be per person nor did we ask. When the bill came we were shocked! It was only $11.25 a person. The abundance bestowed upon us given so graciously and for so little in return made me think of the love God lavishes upon us in such abundance and our meager attempts to express our gratitude with our prayer, participation, and treasure. For me, this was a great lesson in stewardship. It also made me think of the heavenly banquet that is prefigured in our celebration of Eucharist. Just think - Jesus Christ our Lord and God gives himself totally to us in holy communion - what a gift! May we always be grateful for such wondrous love!

We now have about 50 miles behind us with another 25 to go. Spent a lot of time walking alone today and enjoying the gift of silence, solitude, and stillness. The shoulders are a bit sore from the backpack but it is all good. Carrying you and your intentions in that pack every step of the way. God bless you all - Padre Jorge (a little Spanish flavor!)

A few days ago on our Camino one of our “Twelve” was having a difficult time walking up one of the many hills that we tackled. Her hip was bothering her and she told her husband that she was concerned about how she would navigate through the days ahead. As we made our way we came upon two local gentlemen out walking their dogs. The one man had a walking stick. When he saw our companion struggling he went over to her, handed her his walking stick and said: “this will help you on your way.” I think that it was as much the kindness as the stick itself that helped our pilgrim do quite well on the journey. 

I am sure in your life, as in mine, there have been times when the journey gets tough. In those moments God has an amazing way of putting someone in our path who helps us make our way. I am grateful for all the walking sticks that I have been given to assist me in my journey of faith. Let us be mindful of those graced encounters and thank the Lord for them.

The walking staff is another symbol of the Camino. In addition to helping you get up hills, it also was used to transport the gourd and the shell. Saint James is often depicted with this staff. Tomorrow we reach Santiago. I have all your intentions packed in my heart to present before the Lord at the pilgrim’s mass. God bless you all.

I wasn’t sure what I would write about on this, the last day of our Camino - but as always God came through with something wonderful for me to share. We had an early start today so that we could reach Santiago in time for the Pilgrim’s Mass which is celebrated at 12 noon every day. The Mass is being held in the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi as the Cathedral is under renovation - we know what that is about! I arrived at the church at 11:30 and after showing my priest ID card was cleared to concelebrate the Mass. I was asked where I was from and told the padre that I came from the USA. I thus became the designated English speaker and pray-er serving as a principal 

concelebrant, sharing the Prayer of the Faithful, praying part of the Eucharistic Prayer, giving out communion and bestowing the Pilgrim’s Blessing upon all gathered for Eucharist. Since I had gone ahead of our group they were not sure that I had made it to the Church - so when I came out in procession they were delighted!

I was moved to tears to have been given this extraordinary opportunity as a way of bringing our Camino to a close. At that Mass, we were a people from many different places with many different languages but all one body in Christ. Know that I offered that Eucharist for you and all your intentions.