Candice Smith
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- May (2016)
My husband and I just returned from our first Camino (Astorga to Santiago). It was an adventure of a lifetime! We met people from all over the world and have many invitations to visit. The scenery, lodging, food and camaraderie were the best! We used Walks in Spain to transfer our luggage and help with lodging reservations. Their service was excellent and everything was perfect.
The highlight of our adventure was delivering a Milagros (a religious folk charm) traditionally used for healing purposes. I have a friend who has been waiting for a kidney transplant for a long time. This past Easter she got a Milagros in Sante Fe, New Mexico, when she walked a short pilgrimage to the Santuario de Chimayo, an adobe church nestled in the hills of New Mexico. The Milagros was to be delivered to another holy place after a pilgrimage. When she found out that we were walking the Camino, she asked us to deliver her Milagros and prayer intentions to the Cathedral Santiago de Compostela. I had sent several emails to the Cathedral and the Pilgrim's Office asking about the best place to leave the Milagros and prayer. The Pilgrim's Office contacted me and directed me to a small chapel to the left of the Cathedral's main altar. In my email I mentioned that I would be attending the Pilgrims Mass on May 17. When I finally found the small chapel (this is where the English mass is held everyday at 10:30 prior to the noon Pilgrim's Mass), I asked a Cathedral official if I was in the right place to leave a Milagros. His exact words were, "We've been waiting for you." I was brought into a small room where the priest was preparing for the noon mass. The official told me to remind the priest about how my friend was waiting for a transplant. The priest told me that Milagros means MIRACLE and that we should pray together. He then showed me a small glass bowl that was placed under the chapel's altar under Mother Mary, and he told me to leave the Milagros in the bowl. Other pilgrims had written their "intentions" or prayers and placed them in the same bowl. I was so moved that they had read my email and noted the date that I would be at the Cathedral and were actually waiting for me!
Fast forward 6 days, and I was back at home in the States. This morning, my telephone rang and I was told that my friend had a successful transplant last evening. MIRACLES DO HAPPEN! Visit the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and say a prayer.
My journal and pictures about this miracle and my 14 days on the Camino can be found at: trailjournals.com/candyandalan/
The highlight of our adventure was delivering a Milagros (a religious folk charm) traditionally used for healing purposes. I have a friend who has been waiting for a kidney transplant for a long time. This past Easter she got a Milagros in Sante Fe, New Mexico, when she walked a short pilgrimage to the Santuario de Chimayo, an adobe church nestled in the hills of New Mexico. The Milagros was to be delivered to another holy place after a pilgrimage. When she found out that we were walking the Camino, she asked us to deliver her Milagros and prayer intentions to the Cathedral Santiago de Compostela. I had sent several emails to the Cathedral and the Pilgrim's Office asking about the best place to leave the Milagros and prayer. The Pilgrim's Office contacted me and directed me to a small chapel to the left of the Cathedral's main altar. In my email I mentioned that I would be attending the Pilgrims Mass on May 17. When I finally found the small chapel (this is where the English mass is held everyday at 10:30 prior to the noon Pilgrim's Mass), I asked a Cathedral official if I was in the right place to leave a Milagros. His exact words were, "We've been waiting for you." I was brought into a small room where the priest was preparing for the noon mass. The official told me to remind the priest about how my friend was waiting for a transplant. The priest told me that Milagros means MIRACLE and that we should pray together. He then showed me a small glass bowl that was placed under the chapel's altar under Mother Mary, and he told me to leave the Milagros in the bowl. Other pilgrims had written their "intentions" or prayers and placed them in the same bowl. I was so moved that they had read my email and noted the date that I would be at the Cathedral and were actually waiting for me!
Fast forward 6 days, and I was back at home in the States. This morning, my telephone rang and I was told that my friend had a successful transplant last evening. MIRACLES DO HAPPEN! Visit the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and say a prayer.
My journal and pictures about this miracle and my 14 days on the Camino can be found at: trailjournals.com/candyandalan/
