Discovering the Camino de Santiago

 Our Description

A month of walking
through Spain?

But no ordinary month - this was the fabled pilgrimage to the
Tomb of St. James

If Fr. Gregory Markey can do it, well, you can too. At least from your armchair.

For the first time for English-speaking readers, a priest-pastor chronicles the month-long life and times of a pilgrim, in a delightful yet sober account, as he endures, and enjoys, the much-celebrated Camino de Santiago. This peaceful journey—Web-free, phone-free, and TV-free—generated an astonishing array of brief but meaty spiritual reflections. Roman Catholic Books asked Fr. Markey to put the writings into this book.

Fr. Markey did not conceal his priesthood, choosing on the contrary to wear the traditional Roman collar. And, unsurprisingly, the resulting conversation with pilgrims was serious… reflective… practical. But there was also plenty of private time along the 500-mile trail for Fr. Markey, a 41-year-old pastor of St. Mary's in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Mission: successful, but not without incident, and not without fruitful discussion with a wide variety of Christians struggling or lost in personal crises…reflecting upon great personal loss… re-discovering Christ as the Focus of their lives.

Throughout his long journey—and thus in this book—Fr. Markey, displaying both a keen mind and a pastoral heart, found spiritual lessons for himself and his flock, to whom he wrote. A sample of his insights and guidance:

• Dealing with discomfort, with Scripture always in mind
• Balancing human concerns when suffering with God's purpose for you
• The requirements of a pilgrimage, and how they bring out the best in people
• Practical concerns, for those pondering long pilgrimages How to fit a prayer life perfectly into a pilgrimage
• What not to bring, in your mind and in your backpack
• The magnetic pull of Mass, even on such a trip
• How to acquire genuine perspective and distinguish its counterfeit
• The heart of a pastor of souls

Foreword by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne/South Bend, Indiana

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St. James The Greater

Feast Day: Roman Rite Calendar - 07/25 Tridentine Calendar - 08/05 Patron Of: Apothecaries, Arthritis, Blacksmiths, Canada, Chile, Druggists, Germany, Laborers, Pharmacists, Philippines, Pilgrims, Rheumatism, Soldiers, Tanners, Veterinarians Profile Son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of Saint John the Apostle, and may have been Jesus' cousin. He is called "the Greater" simply because he became an Apostle before Saint James the Lesser. Apparent disciple of Saint John the Baptist. Fisherman. He left everything when Christ called him to be a fisher of men. Was present during most of the recorded miracles of Christ. Preached in Samaria, Judea, and Spain. First Apostle to be martyred. The pilgrimage to his relics in Compostela became such a popular devotion that the symbols of pilgrims have become his emblems, and he became patron of pilgrims. His work in Spain, and the housing of his relics there, led to his patronage of the country and all things Spanish; for centuries, the Spanish army rode to battle with the cry "Santiago!" ("Saint James!") Like all men of renown, many stories grew up around James. In one, he brought back to life a boy who had been unjustly hanged, and had been dead for five weeks. The boy's father was notified of the miracle while he sat at supper. The father pronounced the story nonsense, and said his son was no more alive than the roasted fowl on the table; the cooked bird promptly sat up, sprouted feathers, and flew away. Died 44 at Jerusalem; stabbed with a sword by King Herod Agrippa; legend says his body was taken by angels, and sailed in a rudderless, unattended boat to Spain where a massive rock closed around it; relics at Compostela, Spain All information used with permission of the Patron Saint Index.

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