Final Camino Pilgrimage Reflection
October 17, 2025
-The Very Rev. Lisa Hackney-James
I am sending this Dean’s greeting from the Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James) and from the city and cathedral of Santiago de Compostela at which a dozen St. James, Chicago parishioners - now pilgrims – have just arrived following over a week of travel together. What makes a trip like this a pilgrimage rather than just an excursion? It is the act of walking in the literal footsteps of faithful people who have gone before us. Together, we have followed the trail blazed across Northern Spain over one thousand years ago by Christian pilgrims who were seeking the blessing and special grace brought by proximity to the remains of James the Apostle, which are believed to lie at the heart of both the town and cathedral that bear his name.
Along the Camino, we have learned of the centuries of the intertwined strands of James's apostolic witness and the political evolution of what has become the modern day nation of Spain. And just as travel can expand our experience and understanding of the world around us, pilgrimage can help us locate ourselves within a much broader and deeper sense of belonging - to one another, and to God. This has certainly been the case as we have walked the footpaths of rolling hills and desolate Meseta, frankly awed by the pilgrims of the Middle Ages who traveled much further with far less support than we have experienced. As we made the difficult climb to the Cruz de Ferro, we joined with millions of pilgrims who have gone before us, carrying a stone that we could place at the foot of the Iron Cross - a monument representing the prayers of all those who walk the pilgrim’s route, and for many, it is a sacred place where our deepest grief and deepest hope can find expression. Rather than feeling far away from our beloved St. James Cathedral and City of Chicago, time and distance seemed to melt away as our prayers were offered.
As our group completed this part of our journey, we experienced a full circle moment when St. James parishioner Dawn Baity met us as we entered the cathedral square.. Dawn, who lives in Madrid now, was raised up in prayer by our cathedral community as she made her pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela over six years ago as she undertook her solo pilgrimage. As I have shared in previous posts, it was Dawn’s curiosity and fearlessness that inspired us to consider making real the connections between St. James Cathedral, Chicago and the living legend of the saint whose name we bear.