A Pilgrim’s Pack

Grey Pilgrim Pack Konjice autumn 2024 la concha.

A pilgrim meticulously choses the items she would carry and the pack in which she would transport them, balancing need against weight. Along the way, she discovers that the real measure of these carefully selected items went beyond the practical—they were talismans for her journey, tokens of comfort and resilience.

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A Necklace from a Camino Angel

Necklace gift Kowalkowski autumn la concha 2024.

At the start of their journey, a Camino angel bestows upon a woman and others in her group each a necklace of religious medals. A year and a half on, she still wears this necklace often as a reminder of her Camino days, when she learned to be present and savor this moment.

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What Does It Mean to Walk as a Pilgrim?

The Mindful Pilgrim the Canadian Company autumn 2024 la concha.

The Canadian Company of Pilgrims has launched a Mindful Pilgrim initiative focused around the themes of kindness, respect, openness, and curiosity, and meant to encourage people to consider with intention what it means to walk as a pilgrim.

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Summer 2024: Lightening Your Load

Summer 2024 La Concha Lightening Your Load.

The Summer 2024 issue of La Concha, a magazine published by American Pilgrims on the Camino with news, pilgrim stories, poetry, and more on the theme of “Lightening Your Load.”

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What I Left Behind

What I Left Behind Alexander summer 2024 la concha.

Carrying an immense load of grief and anger after her mother’s death, a pilgrim walks the Camino with a 1.6-pound rock painted by her niece in memory of her mother. When she finds the perfect spot to finally set down the rock, she feels lighter than she has in months.

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The Heaviest Things, Objects, Items & Stuff

The Heaviest Things Ashmore summer 2024 la concha

Sitting on the side of the trail nursing her blisters and inflamed calves caused by an overburdened backpack, a woman meets a Camino angel who offers her a vital insight that changes her pilgrimage and ultimately her path in life.

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Film Review: Camino

film review camino viaplay summer 2024 la concha.

Hany Farag reviews “Camino,” a Danish film about an estranged father and daughter on pilgrimage together to fulfill the dying wish of their wife and mother.

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The Left-Behind Clothing

left behind clothing poem Lawrence Jones feature summer 2024 la concha.

In this poem, Lawrence Jones muses about some discarded attire spotted along the way and the cautionary tale it may offer fellow pilgrims.

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Lightening the Camino with Song

Hospitalero Corner Lighten Load Music summer 2024 la concha.

When the road gets weary, songleader Tom Friesen finds there’s nothing like belting out a good tune to lift your spirits and lighten your load. And nothing creates Camino community quite like an albergue singalong.

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