A St. James pilgrimage

The three brothers — ages 24, 22 and 13 — are shown at play. Photo provided

In medieval Europe, walking to Santiago de Compostela in Spain — the city that holds the relics of St. James the Greater — was considered to be a highly honorable religious act and many made the long and sometimes treacherous journey. This physically demanding pilgrimage has interestingly revived in recent times with thousands trekking towards the city of St. James each year.

My three sons will be among the multitudes hiking to Santiago (a Spanish version of St. James) this summer along a centuries-old trail called the “Camino de Santiago de Compostela.” Two will walk from Pamplona (about 450 miles away) and the third will meet his brothers in León for the last two weeks of the pilgrimage. Our family received a kind financial gift this past fall, and after much thought, prayer and contemplation, my husband and I decided that using the unexpected money to send our sons (ages 24, 22 and 13) on this pilgrimage would be a great idea. For them it’s an exciting European adventure. For us, it’s sneaking in one more CCD lesson.

Two brother apostles
It is impossible to know St. James the Greater without knowing his brother, another apostle, St. John the Evangelist (he wrote the fourth Gospel). James and John were together almost constantly as they followed and learned from Christ. They were fishermen who were called together to be apostles.

They were a part of Christ’s inner circle … along with Peter they were with Jesus for the Raising of Jairus’s Daughter, the Transfiguration and were closest to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Intriguingly, Jesus gave these two brothers the nick-name of Boanerges (bo-an-ER-jees … Aramaic for “Sons of Thunder”). Some claim this nickname was due to a time when the apostles and Jesus were made unwelcome in a village in Samaria and these two brothers wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the inhospitable town.

In another biblical narrative James and John audaciously asked Jesus for special places in heaven (but were given a lecture on humility instead). The last time James and John are biblically recorded as being together is in the Upper Room, after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Once they and many other followers of Christ received the Holy Spirit, it appears that the brothers went separate ways.

After Pentecost Traditions assert that John took care of Mary, perhaps in Ephesus (Turkey). James purportedly traveled to Spain to spread the message of Christ. An intriguing story tells that James struggled in Spain … few would listen to his preaching and he became despondent. Miraculously, Mary (who was still alive and living with his brother John) appeared to James and offered him the encouragement he needed to carry on. A basilica has been built at this spot of Mary’s bilocation in Zaragoza, Spain and is called the Basilica of Our Lady del Pilar.

The death of St. James
The book of Acts shares that at about A.D. 44, James was back in Jerusalem where he was tragically slain by Herod Agrippa. Legends insist that the body of James was put into a boat and shoved out to sea, miraculously drifting all the way to northwestern Spain. Allegedly some Christians there discovered the body and kept it in a safe spot. With years of political and religious unrest, the tomb was hidden and over time lost.

Then, one night in the early 800s, a hermit noticed a curious light in a densely wooded area. Searching for the source of the light, he came across a tomb holding some bones and parchment. The bishop was notified and after investigation, declared the bones to be the long-lost remains of St. James. A chapel was built at the site and miracles started to happen.

As news of this rediscovery spread, Catholics from all over Europe began to make pilgrimages to the tomb of St. James. Eventually, a larger cathedral was built for the holy apostle’s resting place and this place of pilgrimage continued to grow in popularity, ranking only third behind Rome and Jerusalem.

El Camino de Santiago revisited
As Europe entered the Renaissance, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela became less popular and nearly died out. Inexplicably, this pilgrimage has become once again appealing. The number of pilgrims hiking the ancient Camino to Santiago has jumped dramatically over the past 25 years. Only 695 pilgrims were recorded in 1985, over 19,000 visited in 1995, and in 2005 the number of pilgrims rose to more than 93,000. Amazingly, the city of Santiago de Compostela expects about 200,000 pilgrims to visit the Cathedral during the course of 2010!

St. James in the Archdiocese of San Antonio
I suppose it would be neat if our whole family could go on this journey, but that’s not possible. Plus, I am not as strong as my sons … I would hold them back … and truthfully, my husband and I would probably just cramp their style! I did, however, make a mini St. James pilgrimage in honor of my boys, as a way to ask St. James to watch over them and help their hearts grow closer to God during their upcoming journey.

One day a few weeks ago I traveled to two of the three St. James (The Greater) parishes within the Archdiocese of San Antonio, laden with prayers and petitions. About four hours and 170 miles later I was exhausted … but hopeful that my sons’ hearts and souls would experience a healthy dose of spiritual heartening as pilgrims in Spain.

Theresa Doyle-Nelson is a writer from Pipe Creek. She is chronicling her sons’ pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela at www.BrothersOnTheCamino.blogspot.com.