Calling all Clergy and Religious

[koilife]

I am a "permanent" deacon (Catholic) from the US, walking the Camino Frances the first time this summer with my oldest son (15 yrs).

I'm wondering how many priests, brother deacons, and vowed religious have made past pilgrimages, and what lessons you might offer.

Did you stay "under the radar" or were you readily identifiable by virtue of garb or practice?
OP EDIT: This is well answered at this point. Thank you all.

How available were the sacraments?
OP EDIT: This is well answered at this point. Thank you all.

What spiritual practices did you find well suited to the pilgrimage life, and what didn't work so well?
OP EDIT: Would appreciate more input in this area.

Did you celebrate/serve at Mass along the way? If so, how did you handle practical matters such as vestments and such like?
OP EDIT: This is well answered at this point. Thank you all.

PAX,
Dcn. Matt

 

[koilife]

To those questions, I would add . . .

If you participated as a minister in the liturgies, and/or if you stayed at churches/monasteries distinct from the general pilgrim alburgues/refugios/hostels, what was required by way of credentials and advance arrangements?

PAX,
Dcn. Matt

 

[CaminoGen]

When I went in May-June 2011, I realized one of my fellow pilgrim was a priest only when I saw him in full garb saying mass in GErman at O'Cebreiro. He engaged with other pilgrims, had a beer and shared dinner without ever mentioning religion. As you will soon realize, very few wear their religion on their sleeve...it's very much a personal journey

 

[tyrrek]

Hi!

My experience has been that members of the clergy don't display it at all (no dog collars etc - extra weight! ), but just want to be treated as pilgrims like everyone else unless their vocation becomes relevant.

Buen Camino!

 

[koilife]

...very few wear their religion on their sleeve...it's very much a personal journey

My experience has been that members of the clergy don't display it at all (no dog collars etc - extra weight! ), but just want to be treated as pilgrims like everyone else unless their vocation becomes relevant.

That's largely what I suspected would be the case, if for no other reason than sheer practicality (e.g. weight, comfort, etc.). Moreover, there are only limited diocese where deacons wear formal clerics (mine is one of them), and we're regularly confused for priests everywhere else, so I had no real plans for the collar/clerics, unless there was an explicit expectation for them if I were to act in a diaconal capacity along the way.

Vocation is never irrelevant, but I get the point.

 

[Portia1]

I am an Episcopal priest so I am not allowed to receive the Sacraments in the Roman Catholic church--though I was invited to at least twice. Since I shared bread and wine with fellow pilgrims every single day (and sometimes twice), I took that as my daily communion practice.

I found that most churches along the way are locked up tight. You couldn't even get into the church to pray, let alone worship with a community. Severe clergy shortage means that weekday mass is most unusual except in the cities. And even then, it was difficult to find an open church, let alone a service. I was stunned in Santiago when the tour groups were allowed in on Sunday morning before the mass but pilgrims wanting to pray were asked to stay outside.

As far as identity, I agree with the others--it was a journey of faith for me and my vocation was not something I promoted because it was my time. This was my sabbath time. It did come up in conversations with pilgrims as we wrestled in dialogue about the meaning of trust and compassion--almost always raised by others. This was a life affecting journey in so many ways. It has shaped and profoundly changed my preaching.

Buen Camino

 

[koilife]

I am an Episcopal priest so I am not allowed to receive the Sacraments in the Roman Catholic church--though I was invited to at least twice. Since I shared bread and wine with fellow pilgrims every single day (and sometimes twice), I took that as my daily communion practice.

Although our respective confessions are not in full communion, clearly there are multiple paths to fraternity! Perhaps one day we shall lift a glass together.

I was stunned in Santiago when the tour groups were allowed in on Sunday morning before the mass but pilgrims wanting to pray were asked to stay outside.

Brought Jesus and the money changers to mind???

As far as identity, I agree with the others--it was a journey of faith for me and my vocation was not something I promoted because it was my time. This was my sabbath time.... This was a life affecting journey in so many ways. It has shaped and profoundly changed my preaching.

Thank you. That is ultimately my prayer and desire for this pilgrimage.

 

[wayfarer]

I walked on and off for about two weeks with a lovely man from the US on my camino, I found out later in Santiago from someone else who knew him that he was an anglican bishop. He never mentioned that to anyone in our group.

 

[peregrinolincoln]

Hi Deacon Matt -

I am a diocesan priest with the Diocese of Jackson. I went on the Camino in 2003 before I became a priest. I went again this past spring - left the day after Easter to start the Camino in Pamplona. We returned to the US in early May. We were gone about 26 days.

On this most recent Camino, I went with a group of three ladies, one of whom was a parishioner of mine at my last assignment. She and two of her friends had asked me to go on the Camino with them. I brought the two monthly copies of Give Us This Day which I used for the daily readings. I also brought a copy of the liturgy of the hours for the Easter season with me. I used these for my spiritual readings each day, and I sometimes had prayer services with the ladies.

I concelebrated mass several times along the way, and tried to stay at the albergues run by religious orders whenever possible. Especially welcoming were the Benedictine nuns in Leon and the Augustinian sisters in Carrion de los Condes. I did not bring clerics or anything with me that would identify me as a priest. The ladies I went with all called me "Father Lincoln" and when people asked me what I did, I shared with them that I was a priest. I had some very interesting conversations along the way. At a couple of albergues I was asked to give a blessing to the pilgrims. Many times, when I wasn't sure when mass was, I was just as content to sit in the pews with everyone else. I decided not to concelebrate in Santiago, since I just wanted to sit in the pews and soak in the whole experience. (I am fluent in Spanish, having served as a missionary in a rain forest jungle in Ecuador for three years. I also have weekly Spanish masses as a priest in my parish here in the Mississippi Delta.) The parishes had albs and stoles available to concelebrate - it would be difficult bringing those things in a backpack.

When I went in April, we had been expected the warm weather that they had in Spain to continue, but the weather turned unseasonably cold and wet. We had sleet and snow a few days, and it rained all but a couple of days we were there. I mention that because the weather in Spain along the Camino is unpredictable and it is better to dress for warmth and comfort.

One wonderful thing that I am so happy that I did. I do a lot of prison ministry, and hand out small one decade rosaries to the prisoners made of cord. I had a ziplock bag of about 60 of them sitting on the dining room table as I was walking out the door to drive to the airport to travel to Spain, and on impulse I decide to grab the bag of rosaries and take them with me. The ladies and I handed out these rosaries along the way, and I cannot tell you how appreciative people were to get them. I explained to them that I was a priest and that the ladies from my parish had made them. Some of the people burst in tears or gave me a big hug in thanks. I was part of my way to reach out to them as a priest.

Please message me if you have any other questions. I can't wait to go on the Camino again. Interestingly enough, I am being transferred to a new parish on February 1 - St James in Tupelo, Mississippi. Hard to believe I will now be in a parish named after our beloved St James the Greater.

Blessings to you - the Camino is an incredibly wonderful experience. As a deacon, you will feel yourself walking in the footsteps of so many believers of the faith.

Buen Camino -
Father Lincoln Dall
Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi

 

[oursonpolaire]

Msgr Gendron, Bishop of Saint Jean de Longeuil, and one of his fellow bishops from Alberta, went on the Camino a few years ago, and were dressed in hikers' garb, no collars, no purple beanies. I have met several clerics along the way and none of them were in clerical garb. Victoria Matthews, when Bishop of Edmonton, did not wear clericals when leading a group of ordinands along the Camino about ten years ago (her cathedral chapter presented her with a pair of purple boxer shorts to protect episcopal modesty in the intimate confines of the albergues). The curious may enjoy a photo in the October 12, 2012, entry (http://dioceseofgallup.org/bishopwallblog/) to see what the RC Bishop of Gallup wears, and could perhaps provide him with useful advice for his kit for his next Camino.

During the Holy Year, RC priests from outside Spain were being given special faculties (permissions) along the way. One of my priest friends had brought his celebret (the little i.d. card or certificate identifying him as a priest in good standing in his diocese) but found that he was welcomed at by local clergy without it. The Spaniards are not pikers for vestments, and they have sacristies full of chasubles & dalmatics when they're needed.

I twice ran into Anglican clerics saying their offices at the back of churches, or on the porch, and the cathedral in Santiago has, at least on one occasion, made an altar available for use by a Church of England bishop leading a group of pilgrims. I also ran into two RC ordinands, one from the Phillippines, and the other from Germany, walking the Camino as a pre-ordination retreat. Both of them told me that they found it an incredible experience and very helpful for them.

My experience with churches on the Camino was not at all the same as Portia's. During the day, churches were locked (antique theft is a very big problem--- google for theft from Spanish churches), but keys were always easily available from a neighbour. Almost every village church on the Camino was open in the evenings for Mass, usually about 7-- in five Caminos I have yet to find a village church without an evening service--- Portia might have been unlucky.

I sometimes (not often) saw pilgrims, usually younger ones, saying the rosary as they walked along. There is a book by Mennonite theologican, Arthur Boer, "The Way is Made By Walking," which might be useful for those interested in this topic.

 

[oregonwalker]

Have you read "To the Field of Stars" by Father Kevin Codd? It was one of the first couple of books about the Camino that I read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He didn't reveal himself as a priest unless asked about it.

 

[koilife]

Have you read "To the Field of Stars" by Father Kevin Codd? It was one of the first couple of books about the Camino that I read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He didn't reveal himself as a priest unless asked about it.

I downloaded the Kindle version and started this morning based on your question. This looks to be a good read. Thank you.

 

[koilife]

The curious may enjoy a photo in the October 12, 2012, entry (http://dioceseofgallup.org/bishopwallblog/) to see what the RC Bishop of Gallup wears, and could perhaps provide him with useful advice for his kit for his next Camino.

Bishop Conley, formerly an auxiliary bishop with the Archdiocese of Denver, was also on that same trip. It was partly Bishop Conley's witness to his Camino that helped inspire me to consider it.

Almost every village church on the Camino was open in the evenings for Mass, usually about 7-- in five Caminos I have yet to find a village church without an evening service.

In another thread, falcon269 showed me the following link to a Google Map that shows all the parishes and their Mass times.
http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/preparation/mass-on-camino/
Very useful, and it aligns with your experience.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Anglican clerics saying their offices at the back of churches, or on the porch, and the cathedral in Santiago has, at least on one occasion, made an altar available for use by a Church of England bishop leading a group of pilgrims.

The Queen's Chaplain attended many services, but said he did not take communion because he knew the Catholic Church did not permit it, and he respected that.

 

[tyrrek]

Vocation is never irrelevant, but I get the point.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. Until in conversation our jobs/vocations are discussed, or until pilgrims need spiritual support of whatever kind. Buen Camino!

 

[Portia1]

I did not walk during a Holy Year and typically made it a point to stay in the smaller towns (there were large groups of younger pilgrims who were purposely staying in the cities because it was easier to party so I tried to avoid the crowds). Perhaps that is why most of the churches I encountered were locked. When I inquired about masses, I was told that the priests were itinerant and therefore mass was not held every evening. They were on rotation with other parish churches. I did sit with a group of elderly men one evening as they said the rosary together. During the day, I usually attempted to stop for prayer at churches but again often found myself praying at the doors. Now there were tiny chapels along the way that were typically open--go figure. I had a similar experience on the Portuguese route last year. Larger towns--there was evening mass. Small ones--usually not and locked. It was nice to attend an Anglican church in Porto where I was invited to give the pilgrim blessing.

My daily routine was to spend the first hour of walking in prayer as it was often in the early morning darkness and people weren't so inclined to be chit chatting around me. As a result of this, I actually found myself off the Camino several times because I was so intent that I missed the turns. I had asked member of my congregation to give me prayer slips before I left to guide some of my prayers--so I prayed these each day as well. I had downloaded my prayer book, bible and several other mediation books to my kindle so all in all, I felt I had what I needed.

Have a wonderful journey. It continues to work its way with me and in me. And I find myself starting to dream about returning once more.

 

[sillydoll]

Deacon Matt, you can download the Novenas for Saint James from the Confraternity of St James website: http://www.csj.org.uk/StJamesNovena.pdf

 

[Olivares]

Deacon Matt, you can download the Novenas for Saint James from the Confraternity of St James website: http://www.csj.org.uk/StJamesNovena.pdf

Thanks for posting the Novena- I had not seen it before! I will continue the Camino this coming May 2013 (doing it by sections; not possible to get away for more than 2 weeks at a time :cry: ). So far, I always start the day's walk with the Rosary.

Also, I was able to attend Mass very early at a convent pass the Puente la Reina in Zubiurrutia, the "Convento de las Comendadoras del Sancti Spiritus". About 5 minute walk from the bridge, is it on the Camino. The door is left open for the pilgrims to come in for Mass.