El Camino offers something for everyone

Escrito por Ernesto Diaz el 19 de agosto de 2023

Three women from Orlando journey El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, each for different reasons. Rose Alagano hoped to honor her deceased brother who was supposed to make the journey with her. Jennifer Powers jumped at the chance to make her second trip and accompany her friend on the original route, the Camino Primitivo. And Carolina Toro simply needed to slow down and take a break from the busyness of daily life.

El Camino is a pilgrimage walk dating to medieval times, ending in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where the body of Apostle St. James the Great is buried. King Alfonso II was the first to walk the oldest route, the Camino Primitivo, in the ninth century to confirm the remains were indeed those of St. James.

Routes begin from many destinations including France, Germany, Italy, and Poland. There are 15 routes in Spain alone. Our travelers departed from two of these.

For Alagano, the journey from Sarria, Spain to Santiago de Compostela, was bittersweet. She and her brother, Bernie, planned to walk El Camino together. But Bernie died of cancer, and Alagano was unable to attend his funeral due to COVID pandemic restrictions at the time. Distressed by the turn of events, she chose to make the trip in his honor, along with two other friends.

Following double hip replacement a few years ago, Alagano felt she must pace herself and spread the journey over nine days of walking — just eight miles a day — for a total of 73 miles. Yet the trip was not without its challenges. “Even the last section of the route, all of it in Galicia, involves nearly 6,000 feet of ascent and an equal amount of descent, more or less the height of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States,” she recounted. “And some days started with a steady uphill trek for more than an hour.

“Walking eight to 10 miles a day for nine consecutive days gave me a lot of time to think what is important to me,” Alagano said. “I was able to unburden myself of some anxiety, fears and anger I felt before the pilgrimage, and I came back with a new perspective in life. I felt peace in my heart.”

Reaching her destination without any blisters or broken bones, she said, “my titanium hips are good, and God provided me with good weather throughout my journey, beautiful people I met.”

After collecting her certificate, given to those who complete at least 62 miles, she had just enough time to attend the celebration of Mass in Santiago’s packed cathedral. Hoping to find a seat, she quickly realized this impossibility. More than 2,000 pilgrims arrived that day and half a million are expected to make the trip this year. She lit a candle for her brother and gave thanks for beautiful weather. Other parts of Spain suffered terrible floods in the same period. She prayed for fellow volunteers and friends back in Orlando.

“It’s time to give thanks and praise to God for such a wonderful pilgrimage,” she said. “Glory and praise to God. My heart was bursting with joy for such a wonderful spiritual journey!”

FUENTE: THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC