Blessing on the Camino Francés
Blessing on the Camino Francés
by John Baldwin | Virginia Beach, VA
On October 1, 2015, as I was approaching León, Spain, on the Camino Francés, I heard on the path behind me a large group of 20 or so pilgrims marching together. As they passed me, I noticed none was wearing a backpack, and four were carrying a large crucifix among them. Sometime later, I came upon the group again while they were taking a break. A young woman explained to me that they were from Lithuania and were on a five-month pilgrimage. They had crossed Poland, Germany, and France, sleeping on a bus that followed them, carrying everything they needed (including hammocks). The bus’s driver would meet up with them for lunch, and at the end of each day. They were walking in honor of Barbora Žagarietė (1628-1648), who the Roman Catholic Church had beatified in 2005, and who this group hoped would be canonized.
The young woman asked me about myself. When they learned I was an Episcopal priest on a spiritual journey, at least half of the group lined up before me asking for my blessing. So right in the middle of the Camino, I laid my hands on them one by one, blessing each by name. They journeyed on, and I caught up with them again on their lunch break. All greeted me with waves and smiles. In that brief encounter, I had made 25 new “soul” friends from a country I’d never been to, speaking a language I didn’t speak, and who might have easily passed me by without connection. Not only did I bless them, but they blessed me with a wonderful memory of unity and friendship on the Camino Francés.
