Andrea JLast Updated: August 11th, 2023Camino de Santiago, Featured Pilgrimages
For pilgrims planning to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a “passport” has two different meanings. Firstly, is the official government passport that allows you to travel internationally and enter Spain. And secondly is the special pilgrim’s passport that is carried along the Camino and stamped at various locations. This latter is also known … Read More
Natalie HoeferLast Updated: May 18th, 2023Camino de Santiago, Spain, Spiritual Reflections
Catholics around the globe share similar traditions during Holy Week—Stations of the Cross, Passion plays, and, of course, Holy Thursday and Good Friday services. But in Spain, the words for Holy Week—Semana Santa—represent an entire tradition of its own. It began as an effort by the Marqués de Tarifa to bring the tradition of the … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: October 20th, 2022Camino de Santiago, Spain, Upcoming Pilgrimages
In Santiago de Compostela, Spain, a jubilee year is held every time the Feast of St. James the Greater falls on a Sunday. The most recent time this occurred was on July 25, 2021. With pandemic restrictions in place, not as many visitors were able to travel to Spain in 2021. Therefore, the Holy See … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: June 1st, 2022Camino de Santiago, Holy Land, Pilgrims' Stories
I first learned about the Camino de Santiago my senior year of college. It became a dream of mine from that day on. I never knew how I could make it a reality, given the logistics of needing at least a month off work and the money to cover all the costs. So, the dream … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: May 11th, 2022Camino de Santiago, Marian Shrines of Europe, Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
Nine years ago, while I was in the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fatima, our priest shared a story about one of our fellow pilgrims. At seventeen, she was one of the younger ones in our group and was on this pilgrimage with her older siblings and parents. We had recently walked five days on … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: March 24th, 2022Camino de Santiago, Holy Land, Pilgrims' Stories
Our first pilgrimage to the holy Land in nearly two years is departing in just over a week. They have received their pilgrim packets with their luggage tags and booklet. Their e-tickets are in their inboxes, and their final preparation meeting was earlier this week. We – and their group leaders – have done our … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: August 27th, 2021Camino de Santiago, Spiritual Reflections
A few days ago, a memory popped up on my phone. It was a picture of a small group of pilgrims, myself included, enjoying ice cream in a little shop on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, exactly eight years ago. That afternoon before enjoying our ice cream, we (a total of 49 of … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: May 13th, 2021Camino de Santiago
In 2010, Pope Benedict visited Santiago de Compostela, the resting place of St. James the Greater, Apostle of Jesus, and the destination of thousands of pilgrims each year. He was one of a record number of pilgrims to visit that year. This record occurred because it was the most recent Holy Year, which is celebrated … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: February 17th, 2023Camino de Santiago, Pilgrims' Stories, Saints, Spiritual Reflections
In 2013, I took a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal, with a local church group of close to 50. We celebrated Mass together each day and were accompanied in our worship by one pilgrim who had brought along his guitar. A song … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: February 3rd, 2021Camino de Santiago, France, Italy
Travel blogging has become quite popular in recent years. A quick internet search for any destination will result in numerous pages where people have recorded their activities, costs, insights, and recommendations. However, it isn’t a completely novel activity, but merely a modern adaptation of a centuries-old pastime. Travelers throughout the ages have preserved records of … Read More
Andrea JLast Updated: January 20th, 2021Camino de Santiago, Church News
The city of Santiago de Compostela has been looking forward to 2021 since the end of 2010 for a very important reason – it is the next Holy Year (Jubilee) of Santiago! These Jubilee years occur whenever the Feast of St. James (July 25th) falls on a Sunday. The next time this will happen will be 2027.
Andrea JLast Updated: August 27th, 2021Camino de Santiago, Pilgrims' Stories, Saints
Throughout the first month of my Camino across northern Spain we had been blessed with the warmest and driest October in 200 years. The sun shone every day and the little rain we did have was warm and ended quickly, allowing us to dry out by the end of the walking day. The breezes were mostly warm and dry, especially once we turned … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: July 23rd, 2020Camino de Santiago, Ebooks, Pilgrims' Stories, Saints
It’s a long-running joke in my family to respond to a question of how to get somewhere with “Oh, you can’t get there from here. You have to go somewhere else to start.” It seems like an odd comment – and not very helpful – but in the pilgrimage world, it is not uncommon to … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: February 17th, 2023Camino de Santiago, Pilgrims' Stories
The longest journey of my life was about to begin, and I felt unworthy. Preparing to walk the Way of St. James should have filled me with excitement, but all I felt was doubt. Who was I to think I could do this? Who was I to seek the Lord, His love, and His will? … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: February 17th, 2023Camino de Santiago, Saints
After pondering about the Way of St. James for several months, I thought maybe I was to take a pilgrimage to Spain, that beautiful trip of the mind and heart to the shrine of St. James of Compostela. But through prayer, it seems my “way” for now is to read the book of James in … Read More
