San Miguel CA: Dedication of Cruz de Ferro at California Mission San Miguel

The Cruz de Ferro is an iconic, spiritual landmark found roughly midway along the French route of the Camino de Santiago, the famous 500 mile pilgrimage route in Spain that leads to the Cathedral in Santiago holding the remains of Saint James the Apostle.

Tradition has pilgrims beginning their pilgrimages carrying stones from their homes to symbolize the burdens they carry through life, as well as the prayer intentions they might carry in their hearts. Upon arrival at the Cruz de Ferro, they lay their stones at the foot of the cross as an act of leaving behind their burdens and prayer intentions. Many pilgrims reflect on this as one of the most significant and meaningful moments of their pilgrimage experience.

This June, the Camino Real will see its own Cruz de Ferro dedicated at historic Mission San Miguel, which is also roughly midway along its route. California pilgrims will now have the opportunity to lay down their burdens and intentions at the foot of California’s own Cruz de Ferro, without having to journey all the way to Spain.

A new non-profit named Camino de California has been formed to encourage and support spiritual pilgrimage along California’s Camino Real. Other groups such as the California Mission Walkers and the Mission Trail Alliance have long worked to help re-establish the Camino Real as a walking route re-connecting California’s 21 missions.

Camino de California’s inaugural pilgrimage begins Friday, June 6th at the state’s northernmost mission in Sonoma, before heading south, visiting all 21 California missions, eventually meeting up with the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage journeying out from Indianapolis, and finishing at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on June 22nd, the feast of Corpus Christi. This pilgrimage has been organized in response to the call by Pope Francis designating this year a Jubilee Holy Year for Pilgrims of Hope.

The cross itself was forged by pilgrim blacksmith Tom Coleman, a volunteer director for the non-profit American Pilgrims on the Camino. Fellow pilgrims Andy and Debbie Allen were able to play a small role by gathering dimensional information on the Camino so that Tom’s work could lead to a more precise replica of the actual cross in Spain.

The formal dedication will take place starting at 1:00pm on Thursday, June 12th, which will include a blessing of the cross, procession and opportunity for pilgrims to drop some of the first stones at the foot of the Cruz de Ferro. Representatives from Camino de California, the Diocese of Monterey, American Pilgrims on the Camino, California Mission Walkers, St. Junipero Serra Walking Pilgrimage and the local Camino group Central Coast Pilgrims will also be on hand. More information is available at: www.CaminodeCalifornia.org.