Reflections on Santiago

Santiago. One of the final stops on the pilgrims journey. A place of great significance to anyone following the Camino. This city is home to the burial site of St. James and is one of the final stops for all pilgrims. One of the experiences that stood out most in my mind about this town was the mass for those pilgrims that finished the Camino.



It was held in the cathedral of St. James with several different languages represented. There were hundreds of people in attendance. Those there were from all around the globe, places as close as France and as distant as Russia. The mass was meant to be a blessing and a sort of ceremonial congratulation for finishing the long journey. The service was only about 45 minutes long, but it certainly meant quite a bit to most people. Some people sat through the whole service with a smile on their face, others quietly admired the building and there were a select few that even started crying.

It is hard to articulate through a blog just how much of an impact this pilgrimage has on people. Seeing the small part of the journey we have as a class gives me some small insight into this. People fully devote themselves to the Camino, walking in the path that thousands have done before them. Whether it is important to a persons' religion or simply the difficulty of the walk itself, this means something very personal to anyone who follows this path.