On our pilgrimage, we have Mass each evening. Above is the altar at the church in Villafranca del Bierzo, our starting point on the Camino. The Franca part of the village's name is due to its French heritage; many pilgrims from France never returned home, but stayed on the Camino route, offering hospitality to those who came after them. On the eve of our pilgrimage, we prayed for strength to make the journey and discernment of God's voice to us on the Camino.
Here is the first part of a Camino prayer:
O God, who brought Your servant Abraham
Out of the land of the Chaldeans,
Protecting him in his wanderings,
Who guided the Hebrew people
Across the dessert, we ask that You
Watch over us, Your servants,
As we walk in the love of Your Name
To Santiago de Compostela.
As we leave the town of Villafranca del Bierzo, we pass by the Door of Pardon in the Church of Santiago. In past times, pilgrims who made it this far but because of illness or injury could not carry on to Santiago would receive full credit for the pilgrimage when they passed through this door.
Thinking of the miles that lie before us, a few pilgrims joke about wishing the door was open.
And we're off! Here's a pic of me with Peggy Arizzi, who was the person God used to invite us on the pilgrimage. We are very grateful to her!
The yellow arrow or scallop shell or some combination, like above, will help guide us.
Our guide Jeffrey, above, leads us to the first town. Jeffrey has been with us the past couple of days, explaining much about Spanish and Camino history and culture to us. He is bidding us adieu here.
Luke is displaying the scallop shell marked with the red cross of St James, indicating he is a pilgrim on the Camino.
Our first day is a relatively easy, short 8 mile hike on flat terrain.
We pass beautiful flowers.
Rustic-looking windows.
And cows, lots of cows. Galician cows that Jeffrey has warned us we will take photos of. We will soon be coming to the province of Galicia, and the Galicians are proud of their cows and the delicious cheese their milk makes.
Above, some of our group stops at a cafe for a bite to eat. All pilgrims carry a special pilgrim passport. We must collect two stamps for each day we are on the Camino to present in Santiago for a special certificate, the Compostela, which shows we completed the pilgrimage. Pilgrims must walk 100 kilometers to be eligible. We will be walking about 200 kilometers. These stamps are very easy to collect, as most cafes, churches, restaurants, and hotels have them.
Luke pretending to knock on a door on the Camino route. "I've had enough!' Actually, on this first day, we are surprised how fast the journey went. But we were warned repeatedly by our guide Jeffrey that tomorrow, Day 2, will be the hardest day, as much of the route is uphill.
Be for us our Companion on the walk,
Our Guide at the crossroads,
Our Breath in our weariness,
Our Protection in danger,
Our Albergue on the Camino,
Our Shade in the heat,
Our Light in the darkness,
Our Consolation in our discouragements,
And our Strength in our intentions.
So that with Your Guidance we may arrive safe
And sound at the end of the road
And enriched with grace and virtue
We return safely to our homes filled with joy.
In the Name of Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
Apostle Santiago, Pray for us.
Santa Maria, Pray for us.
St. Ignatius, Pray for us.
I remember our first steps on the Camino and how each step eased my initial apprehension about what I had gotten myself into! The first day was a day of wonder as we were introduced to the countryside and the path unfolded before us. So much mystery remained.
ReplyDeleteI find that a lot of life is preparation. You should be so proud of yourself, Peggy, for all the good preparation you did. Your transformation was started before you took those first actual steps on the Camino. And what a wondrous experience that was!
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