Oct 26, 2018
In September, MSC Missons Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC walked the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Walking approximately 113 km over five days, Fr Michael undertook the final stage of the Camino Francés, or the French Way. Here, he shares his daily diary with thoughts and reflections from the Way.
Sunday, September 30th
Pedrouzo to Santiago
Distance: 19.8 km
“On the final day of my Camino journey, I was on the road at 5.45am, beginning my day in the darkness. I found myself walking through the darkness into the light, and realised just how important the light is to us.
That last morning, I set out before dawn; the sun didn’t rise until around 8.00am, so I was walking through the darkness for over two hours before the light dawned. That two hours meant I didn’t just walk from darkness into light, but through darkness into the light, and that makes all the difference. It put me in mind of aiming for a goal, any goal in life. Say your goal is to get married, and you’re planning a wedding. It will be a wonderful celebration, but you have to go through a certain period of preparation, often a period of challenges and struggles, to get there. For me, that day, my goal was to reach Santiago de Compostela, but it wasn’t just a matter of leaving in the morning and getting there easily. First, I had to make my way through the darkness and get through the period of struggling before I could reach that ultimate goal.
In that period of darkness, I often found myself walking in the light of others who guided my way. Because I didn’t have a torch myself, I would walk behind somebody else who had a torch or a headlamp, and they would safely guide my path. Once again, a reminder to us to be thankful to those who light our way in life in those times of darkness and confusion, and the light of the Lord that guides us safely home always.
That morning was also a lesson in taking stock. I was following a couple who were walking ahead of me, when they stopped to take a photo. They told me to turn around, and when I did, the most glorious sunrise was taking place over my shoulder. If I hadn’t stopped to look back, I would have missed the whole thing – and what a fitting way to start the final day of the trip.
The last walk took me to Mount Gozo. Here, pilgrims get their first glimpse of Santiago. You can see the spires of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela all the way from here, and it is wonderful motivation to press ahead and jump the final hurdle.
One thing that really struck me along my journey was the abundance of little shrines that punctuated the roadside as I walked. This was particularly evident as I neared my final destination. People leave broken shoes, stones they’ve carried, and their own personal petitions, written down. They also leave photographs of themselves for other to pray over. It’s a poignant reminder of all who have gone before us, and the burdens they carry along the way – and hopefully, the peace and resolution they have found at the end of their journey.
On entering Santiago, a tunnel leads pilgrims into the town square, where relief overcomes weariness and celebration is the order of the day! Here, I queued for just under an hour with other pilgrims to collect a certificate to say that I had completed the Camino.
I ended my Camino experience with the Pilgrims’ Mass at the Cathedral, which is reputed to be the resting place of St James. Throughout the Mass, you can see pilgrims and tourists climbing the steps behind the altar to rub the saint’s head.
Everybody treats the experience with due respect and reverence, and the Cathedral itself is a sight to behold – especially the botafumeiro, the 1.5-metre-high thurible that dates back to 1851 and is so heavy that it takes eight men to operate it.
And so ended my Camino journey. There was a great sense of relief for me – yes, I could actually walk that distance. Yes, that I could once again do what I used to do in my youth, sleeping in hostels with the minimum of equipment. Along with this came the renewed awareness of how little we need to survive, or how little we can survive on, and that is something I hope to take home with me.
Would I do it again? Without a doubt! Next time, however, I might try coming from a different direction, perhaps the Portuguese Way… Until then, Buen Camino!”
Read more of Fr Michael’s Camino diary:
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 1
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 2
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 3
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 4
Oct 25, 2018
In September, MSC Missons Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC walked the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Walking approximately 113 km over five days, Fr Michael undertook the final stage of the Camino Francés, or the French Way. Here, he shares his daily diary with thoughts and reflections from the Way.
Saturday, September 29th
Ribadiso to Pedrouzo
Distance: 22.8 km
“Day 4 of my journey saw me set off once again along ancient paths that have been walked for thousands of years. Along the road, I came to a stop where pilgrims could buy a bottle of beer and write their name on it, and the owners would display it for a year, so anyone who passed could see who had gone before them. It was such a popular idea that it had actually moved premises with the owners, who had to find a new place to set up shop after the rent on their previous premises had become too high. It’s still going from strength to strength today, and it a lovely way to leave a marker, something of yourself, along a path that so many walk.
While walking, I realised how lucky I was to have such good weather on my journey. I could see tide marks on some parts of the path, where the water rises when it rains. I was blessed with sunshine, and avoiding trudging through puddles and floods!
On the road today I came across a signpost, indicating Santiago to the left and Lugo to the right. It struck me as somewhat entertaining that I flew into Santiago Aiport, then took a two-hour bus journey to Lugo, followed by a half-hour bus journey to Sarria. When I finally arrived in Sarria, I promptly set off in the other direction, on foot. Talk about going backwards to go forwards!
At the end of the day, just like the days before, my boots were coated in a thick covering of dust – and my once-black socks were now well and truly grey! On my Camino journey, I became very aware of shaking the dust off my feet. The Gospel speaks about doing just this (Matthew 10:14: ‘And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.’). If you are rejected in a village, if the people there don’t want to hear your message, you should leave – and when you’re leaving, you should shake the dust off your feet. All of the things you accumulate in that village, you give a good shake on the way out, and just go away out of the place leaving all of the negativity behind you.
The Camino experience is similar. You start off with nice clean shoes or boots, and at the end of the day, you see that they’re covered in dust, things that you have picked up during the day without realising it. It’s important to give them a good shake at the end of the day, to shake off the dust and debris you’ve picked up along the road, and start off afresh the following day.
This really came into my conscious as I was travelling. We begin life with an ideal, and then life itself takes over. You begin to accumulate things around your life, and you’ve forgotten that simple ideal, or the ideal you had in your youth. It’s only when you take time out to stop and think that you realise, I’m accumulating too many things here; I need to take time out and go back to the basics, take a step back.
This could take the form of the simplest things. The importance of a day off during the week, for example – the Sabbath experience. You stop your usual day-to-day schedule; you don’t go to work. You shake off the dust of the week. You decide that today is a family day, a day when we do things together. Sometimes, you must say no to life’s demands. You might look at the time you spend with your partner or your family, and say no – we’re going to have a date night or a family night this Friday night. It’s not just going to be a normal busy dinner time, we’re going to turn off the television and light a candle and share a meal. We’re going to go back to basics.
It’s important that we don’t just do this when we go on retreat, or celebrate an anniversary or a special occasion. We must make it a day-to-day occurrence. We must shake off the dust of life and start fresh every day, with a basic appreciation of all that God has given us and the wonders that life has to offer us.
If there’s one thing I stepped back and appreciated about today, it was the massage shower in the hostel at the end of the day’s walk! It really is the simple things…”
Read more of Fr Michael’s Camino diary:
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 1
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 2
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 3
Oct 24, 2018
In September, MSC Missons Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC walked the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Walking approximately 113 km over five days, Fr Michael undertook the final stage of the Camino Francés, or the French Way. Here, he shares his daily diary with thoughts and reflections from the Way.
Friday, September 28th
Palas de Rei to Ribadiso
Distance: 25.6 km
“As I walked along on the third morning of my Camino journey, I heard the unexpected sound of music playing at the crossing of a stream. On reaching the other side, a young lady came into view, playing Spanish bagpipes. She was a busker, out in the middle of nowhere, and it was a wonderful surprise for a weary pilgrim!
I paused for a while at the church of Boente Cruce, where there was a beautiful sanctuary with peaceful music playing. My guide book recommended this church, noting that the parish priest is especially friendly – and there was certainly a warm welcome to be found here.
I found myself walking along a particularly scenic stretch, where I stopped to snap a picture of the view. It looks like an idyllic scene – but what you can’t tell from my photograph is that it’s right beside a motorway, so pilgrims can hear the traffic whizzing past as they walk. It didn’t bother me too much; it struck me as being a bit like life. I could choose to hear the traffic and allow it to destroy my peace, or I could accept the noise as part of the hum and the energy of the place and enjoy the journey.
One thing I noticed along the journey was the struggles that some people had, and the way people helped each other. I saw one young man helping his elderly mother to walk the Way, and it was a joy to see them have such a special experience together. Some people were battling with real challenges, and their commitment to walking the path was amazing. There were people with bandages and strappings on their legs, and still, they were cheerful. That is an incredible element of the walk – the cheerfulness!
I stayed in Ribadiso da Baixo that evening, a hostel that was recently refurbished and opened to the public. It dates back hundreds of years and the location is stunning, next to a medieval bridge on the River Iso. It was a real treat to be able to bathe my feet in the stream after three days of walking. It’s not possible to pre-book a bed here – the first 62 pilgrims to arrive on any given day can claim a bed, and I was determined to be one of them! At just €6 a night, this hostel is non-profit-making, but is funded by the council and maintained by village volunteers.
Hostel living is certainly an interesting part of the Camino experience. The smallest dormitory I was in slept around 10 or 12 people, while the largest had space for 130 people. When you arrive, you must claim your bunk and the space around it, while also respecting other people’s need for space, too. A big challenge is trying to charge your mobile phone – it’s a challenge of Christian charity not to leave your own electronics plugged in to charge all the time! The next job is to shower after the walk of the day, and then wash your clothes. All of the hostels along the Way are well-equipped with laundry services, costing just a few Euro for use of the washing machine and tumble dryer.
Of course, I found I had packed more than I needed – just as we often take too much with us in life. You think, I’ll need a shirt in the morning, a shirt in the afternoon, and a shirt in the evening. Then you find that actually, you don’t need all those clothes. I only need two, not three, or I can wash my shirts in the evening. We tend to live with a ‘wash one, wear one, spare one’ lifestyle, but I found I didn’t actually need the spare one; I could just wash one and wear one, and it worked away fine. Another lesson about carrying too much!
I had booked a room in a hostel nearby as a contingency plan, but luckily, I got to Ribadiso da Baixo early enough that I didn’t need it and was able to claim a bed there. I enjoyed a lovely dinner and an early night; the bar and restaurant were dead by 9.30pm. Everybody had gone to bed, ready for another early start the following day.”
Read more of Fr Michael’s Camino diary:
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 1
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 2
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 4
Oct 23, 2018
In September, MSC Missons Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC walked the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Walking approximately 113 km over five days, Fr Michael undertook the final stage of the Camino Francés, or the French Way. Here, he shares his daily diary with thoughts and reflections from the Way.
Thursday, September 27th
Portomarín to Palas de Rei
Distance: 24.8 km
“Day 2 of my Camino journey got off to a dramatic start, with thunder and lightning crashing and rolling from 7.00am. The skies soon cleared, and my journey continued on a stretch of almost 25 km, from Portomarin to Palas de Rei.
On the road, I stopped off at a place called Bar Trisquel, where I wanted to buy some batteries for my CD player. The people who ran the shop didn’t understand what I was looking for, and eventually I showed them what I needed. As it happened, they didn’t sell batteries, but the shop assistant disappeared into the back and returned with two batteries, taken from one of their own gadgets.
This is just one example of the wonderful hospitality I experienced along the Way. Pilgrims are welcomed with open arms, and unlike popular tourist areas here in Ireland, nobody is out to rip you off. A cup of coffee costs around €1, a hearty lunch is about €5, and pilgrims can get a full three-course dinner for €10 – with a glass of wine included! Those you meet along the road are generally very welcoming, and the warmth of their kindness and hospitality – demonstrated perfectly by the gift of batteries – has stayed with me.
Once again, the scenery along the road was nothing short of breath-taking. Although it’s tempting to stop and drink it all in, it’s equally as important to keep moving, so you can hit your daily destination. It was a balancing act that put me in mind of finding balance in life itself. If I stopped and admired the scenery for too long, then I didn’t move along the path. I could have spent all day looking at the sun rising and setting, or sitting having a coffee, looking out a lovely landscape – but the work wouldn’t get done. It’s important to appreciate what’s around you, but if you lose yourself in it, you’re not moving forward.
In the evening, I went to the pilgrims’ Mass at a beautiful church in Palas de Rei. Here, Spanish signs asked what we were searching for on the Camino, with reminders to speak to and listen to God. Beneath these signs were little baskets containing slips of paper in different languages. These pieces of paper were printed with encouraging messages like ‘You are God’s precious one,’ and quotes from Scripture. They were a lovely thought to keep in your pocket and take with you along the Way, and this was a particularly nice way to end the day.”
Read more of Fr Michael’s Camino diary:
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 1
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 3
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 4
Oct 22, 2018
In September, MSC Missons Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC walked the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Walking approximately 113 km over five days, Fr Michael undertook the final stage of the Camino Francés, or the French Way. Here, he shares his daily diary with thoughts and reflections from the Way.
Wednesday, September 26th
Sarria to Portomarin
Distance: 22.1 km
“Walking the Camino was a new experience for me. This was the first time I had done it, and while it had come highly recommended by our Vocations Director Fr Alan, who walks the Way of St James every year, I can’t say that I wasn’t slightly apprehensive about the challenge that lay ahead.
The walk was a challenge in itself, in that it’s a long time since I took long walks, and this one averages approximately 20 km per day. I walked the final stage of the Camino Francés, from Sarria to Santiago, covering around 113 km in 5 days.
I must admit, I asked myself ‘Can I do that?’ Walking the distance is one thing, but will my knees hold me up? How will my joints cope? It was up hill, down dale at times, but it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, and that was a real positive.
What made me decide to do the walk this year? Well, I wanted to do something that was healthy for both body and soul. Fr Alan, had been saying how wonderful the Camino was after his trip earlier this year, and so I decided to give it a go.
I started the first day of my Camino journey waking up in an old monastery, and stepped out into a beautiful misty morning. I often found myself following in the path of other pilgrims, which was useful – it lessened the chances of getting lost along the way!
On the first day, I spotted this well-loved spot, where a local farmer obviously finds time for rest and recuperation after a busy day. He has all the essentials at hand – a comfy chair, a newspaper, and a bottle of wine! In a place where there is so much transition, it was nice to see a symbol of consistency from someone whose roots are in the land here.
I also happened upon a stall full of eco-produce, where I enjoyed a chat with the owner. He has no prices on his wares, but simply requests a donation from pilgrims. His sign was a welcoming one, promising tea, coffee, home-made food, a bathroom, and a good rest.
I had decided to walk the Camino on my own. If you’re walking with somebody, it does shorten the journey – we all know the old saying, ‘Tell me a story and half the journey!’. Actually, I found that walking by myself gave me time to think and to reflect, to see the world and what was around me. I only had myself for company, and the Lord. While it was a physical challenge, it wasn’t at all challenging mentally. It was like life really, just taking one day at a time and seeing where it brought me.”
Read more of Fr Michael’s Camino diary:
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 2
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 3
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 4
Oct 18, 2018
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