Trekking Camino de Santiago with Father Anthony (Photos/ video)
“When you walk, walk with purpose” is Father Anthony Randazzo’s motto. The priest has trekked a combined 500 miles along the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) and just returned to his pastoral duties at Holy Trinity Church in Westfield after his third Way pilgrimage, hiking the ancient routes stretching across Europe and converging at the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain.
“It’s the scenery, the tradition, and the spirituality,” he said when asked why he keeps coming back to this pilgrimage.
The Way of St. James was one of the most important Christian pilgrimages during the Middle Ages compared to other major pilgrimage routes such as the Via Francigena to Rome and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
According to Spanish lore, Saint James’ remains were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela. Saint James was John’s brother and the first apostle to be martyred. He spent time preaching the gospel in Spain and, after seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary along the Ebro River, he returned to Judaea, where King Agrippa ordered him beheaded, as stated in Acts 12.
Because the ancient pilgrimage once began at one’s front door, there are dozens of routes mainly starting in Spain, France, and Portugal through forests, through meadows, along the coast, over mountains, and through villages. So, Father Randazzo’s three treks were as different as the diverse landscape along the Camino de Santiago.
In 2008, Father Randazzo took the most popular and longest route – Camino Francés, or the French Way. At the age of 48, picking up a walking stick at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port for 11 eros, he set off “naively” by himself on the 375 miles trek near the base of the Pyrenees. He walked for 25 days, staying at hostels at night and depending on “communal angels” along the routes to guide him, he said.
The second time was in August 2014 with three women, a lawyer, a legal aid, a teacher, and a policeman. They began in Leon, Spain, and walked about 75 miles to Santiago de Compostela.
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The third time was in May, when he was joined by a walking partner, he met on his first trip on the Camino Way. Adele from Ireland shared his journey for 7 days “engaging in Spanish culture, reflecting, praying, and meeting the challenge.” This time, they took Camino del Norte beginning in Bilbao and ending in Santander along the coast. The trail is high up, tucked into mountains, and offers sweeping views of the coastline below. The route also gave them the opportunity to do a little swimming at times. This time, Adele booked their own rooms ahead of time using Booking.com, Father Randazzo said.
According to Father Randazzo, those who travel the Camino de Santiago truly understand the saying “it is the journey, not the destination.”
“You get into a groove of quiet meditation, concentrating on your steps. Communal angels and the Spirit guide you along the way,” Father Randazzo said, adding his Italian and French came in handy at times, but he wished he knew more Spanish.
The routes are marked with scallop shell markers. In medieval times, pilgrims who returned from Compostela carried back a Galician scallop shell as proof of their completion of the journey. The practice gradually led to the scallop shell becoming the badge of a pilgrim. Today, pilgrims dangle the shells from their backpacks and leave the shells with messages along the routes.
“As you are walking, you remain focused on your surroundings, your feet, the silence, and the spirituality of your surroundings turns to reflection,” Father Randazzo said. “On Camino, you begin to let go. The earth absorbs your stress. It’s been a spiritual practice for thousands of years.”
The pilgrimage is not a tourist attraction — it’s a tough journey for those in search of moral or spiritual meaning. There was no timetable for Father Randazzo’s 11 hours of hiking, which covered 16 miles a day. The directional markers weren’t always the best, he said, so sometimes one must rely on GPS or wait for another pilgrim to show the way. Comfortable hiking boots and taking care of one’s feet are important, he added. But the scenery of mountains, rolling hills, and sea, many times dotted with wildlife, is a wonderous distraction. Small ancient chapels found along the way give hikers a cool place to pray and rest.
Pilgrims can stay at hostels run by a local parish, pilgrim association, or private owner. Access to overnight accommodation along the route is given to pilgrims that purchase and carry a credencial, or a “pilgrim’s passport.” The credencial is stamped with the St. James stamp of each town passed through or slept in. It provides pilgrims with a record of where they ate or slept and serves as proof to the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago that the journey was accomplished, according to an official route. Pilgrims also need a credencial to receive a Compostela, which is a document received at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela at the completion of the pilgrimage. Other qualifications to receive a Compostela include the pilgrim making the journey for religious/spiritual reasons, completing at least 62 miles by foot or 120 miles by bicycle, and collecting a certain number of stamps on their credencial.
“It’s the grit of the Camino,” Father Randazzo said.
He said his first time reaching the cathedral was “semi-climatic” after the journey through gorgeous landscapes and welcoming villages. The culmination of the journey is the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela, dating back to 1211, with its elaborately carved stone facades surrounded by medieval walls. Pilgrims can celebrate the Eucharist four times a day, and reconciliation is held twice a day. Father Randazzo said the cathedral is lovely illuminated at night, and the music on his second journey was magnificent as the giant censor swung. The censor holds the incense, and in the case of the cathedral, it is said to be the largest censer used in a church. It is swung on one pully by three priests across the entire church. It has been done for centuries, maybe as a way to cover the body odor of the pilgrims.
Father also had the honor of concelebrating the Eucharist on his first visit in 2008.
He said the highlights of his pilgrimages were the diverse landscapes and geography, the human kindness, hospitality, and generosity of the people he met along the way, and the food — fish, Tapas, olives — which he described as earthy and delicious.
Father Randazzo said he prepared with a lot of yoga, which helps with alignment, breathing and spirituality, and with Holy Trinity’s walking ministry.
Along with collecting stamps for his credencial, Father Randazzo had his walking stick stamped on his first Camino. He plans to pass that down to his nieces and nephews in hopes of also passing down the pilgrimage tradition and that they will one day make the pilgrimage themselves.
Photos and video courtesy Father Anthony Randazzo.
