Like any other pilgrim, I’ve been dreaming of walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. The Camino, also known as the Way of St. James, is a network of routes or pilgrimages leading to the tomb of the Apostle St. James the Greater in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.
This medieval pilgrimage tradition dates back to the 10th century. Still, it was only in 1492 that Pope Alexander VI declared it as one of the three great pilgrimages of Christianity along with Jerusalem and Rome. Currently, the Camino has been attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world, and its annual growth rate is more than 10%. Two of the most popular routes are the French Way (Camino Frances) lasting at least 30 days on foot, and the Portuguese Way (Camino Portugues) which takes around 14 days.
Pilgrims can take the shorter route for a week or even a day, depending on their stamina. There are many reasons why pilgrims do the Camino: penance, a spiritual journey, discernment, health reasons, joining the bandwagon, getting the Camino certificate, and many more. At the end of the day’s journey, the meeting point of all the pilgrims is the pension house called the Albergue. It is the place where the pilgrims rest for the night, sharing meals and stories.
Throughout the journey, the ubiquitous guides for pilgrims are either the yellow arrow or the shell called la concha. They led the pilgrims the right way and minimized getting lost along the way. The pilgrims had to go through forests, mountains, deep ravines, medieval towns, cities, rivers, and beautiful shrines and churches. The road was rough, rocky, slippery, narrow, muddy, and steep. It is done by solo pilgrims, family, groups of friends, couples, and lovers, young and old. At the end of the journey, one can apply for the covetous Camino certificate which requires at least a 100 km walk.
30 YEARS, 30 DAYS
I am 30 years as a priest this year and there is no better way of celebrating my anniversary than to walk the Camino for 30 days. It took me three months to prepare for the adventure, which entailed walking around Manila at least five km two to three times a week. Part of the preparation was also the procurement of all the trekking stuff: three underwear, three rash guards, two pants, two jackets, and toiletries, a total of seven kg, my barest necessities which I would be using for the next 30 days.
I had to choose super light materials for my clothing, good trekking shoes, and a 50-liter backpack. I also prepared the budget for the airfare and the daily average expense of 50– 70 for food, accommodation, and other incidental expenses. I chose the French Way to walk in April, my birthday month, because it was the start of spring in Spain. Pilgrims would greet each other, Buen Camino.
From Paris, I flew to St. Jean Pied de Port in southwestern France to start my Camino adventure. I decided to go solo, walking each day to celebrate my yearly anniversary as a priest. As expected, the first day was almost the most difficult for any pilgrim. I was lost in the forest when passing through the Pyrenees, and I could not see the yellow arrow or the shell signs anymore.
Providentially, out of nowhere, there were two old ladies from Canada, Astrid and Cathy, who “rescued” the lost shepherd and showed me the way out of the forest. Since then, the following days were full of fun and adventures, except when my left foot got sore and swollen during the first three days, which almost tempted me to quit my journey due to extreme pain. I was limping, but I endured the walk. With some pain reliever tablets given by a Korean pilgrim, I was able to get back on the road.
SOLO PILGRIM
As a solo pilgrim, I was alone most of the time walking for about five to six hours with an average of 20-25 km per day. My day would start at 6:30 am when it was still dark and freezing cold. I would be taking a chance for my daily breakfast only after walking for 10-15 km in a small café sometimes inside a forest.
I was in silence and prayer all the time. I had never prayed like this before. I was conversing with God throughout while appreciating the springtime around me. It allowed me to be with God, myself, and nature. Passing through the forests made me one with the trees, colorful flowers, wild animals, and drinking water from brooks and rivers. They were my constant companions on the journey.
One day, when I was entering a forest, I felt like the trees had changed their colors, swaying and almost dancing in silence with me. Another time, when I was resting beneath a tree, I could feel the little flowers caressing my tired feet. I thought those were some mystical moments of the Camino.
Sometimes I would talk with the other pilgrims along the way during rest periods or at mealtimes. I had beautiful encounters and conversations with other pilgrims from all walks of life. Except for a Methodist pastor from the United Kingdom and a group of Catholic priests from Indonesia, most of the pilgrims were ordinary laymen, many of whom had no religious affiliations at all. I have listened to wonderful stories and shared joyful memories with other pilgrims from all around the world.
During the morning walk, I would usually do a live blog for those who were following my journey, especially on YouTube. I would reach my destination by around midday, but I had to wait until 2:30 p.m., when lunch was served in restaurants and when Albergues started to welcome pilgrims. I had to look for my Albergue daily without pre-booking arrangements, knocking at their door, and sometimes begging them to take me in.
During my journey, I had a smorgasbord of eating Spanish cuisines, tasting different wines, and drinking cold draft beer as a refreshing reward for the day’s journey. Siesta in the afternoon was a pure delight but I normally used the time to wash my laundry almost daily and explore the city or the town of my day’s destination. I would take my dinner with fellow pilgrims at the Albergue, but sometimes alone in a nearby restaurant. Bedtime would be around 8.00 p.m. and one could start to hear the pilgrims’ snoring around the bunk beds shared by mixed men and women.
CANCER ADVOCACY
From something personal, my Camino had turned into a cancer advocacy in the Diocese of Legazpi. With the help of a number of my friends, we organized a fund-raising campaign to help cancer warriors. It led me to offer each step of my daily Camino walk to pray for the cancer warriors. Some days, my feet were very sore, but I endured the long walks by offering them for the sick. There are some reports that three cancer warriors have been healed, attributing it to the prayers in my Camino. This Camino vs Cancer advocacy in Albay continues through the Camino Team by sharing the funds and visiting them in their homes.
What did I learn from the Camino? Among other reasons, it led me to appreciate life as a journey in silence, prayer, and simplicity. It brought me back to solitude, contemplation, and even mysticism as a priest. When I was hungry, feeling extremely cold or the heat of the sun, and got lost along the way, it taught me humility and dependence on God. It showed me that life can be simple without entitlements or clerical privileges. It led me to embrace a healthier lifestyle, do regular physical exercises, and eat the right food. It taught me to listen attentively and meditatively not only to God but also to the voices of strangers, as well as the trees and flowers. It showed me that kindness is beyond religion.
For more than 1,200 years, the Camino has drawn people from around the globe who are passionate about trekking or walking, especially those who seek spiritual awakening toward a “Divine encounter.” As a member of the National Synodal Team of the Philippines, I saw the Camino as a microcosm of the synodal walk, a pilgrimage of each person and the whole of humanity toward God. Buen Camino!
