The Busy Catholic: CISVAAA Principals' Camino Pilgrimage to Santiago: Day 10

Day 10: Santiago to Finisterre

Today was our last day together as a pilgrimage team; tomorrow, we will go our separate ways, some staying in Europe and some beginning to make their way home. We travelled together to Finisterre to find what some say to be the true end to the Camino. As spiritual pilgrims, we knew that we had arrived at the end of our pilgrimage when we reached the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela yesterday. Today was just a chance to see a bit more of the Spanish countryside and spend some more time together.

While we rode in our air-conditioned bus, we did see a number of pilgrims walking to Finisterre in the hot sunshine. As we have said before, the Camino can be what you need it to be. For us, when we saw the tomb of Saint James and celebrated the Eucharist in the beauty of the cathedral with our fellow pilgrims, our pilgrimage ended. Thanks be to God.

There are many people who have walked this journey with us over the past ten days. We would like to thank everyone who followed us on Facebook and on the Busy Catholic blog. Your comments, prayers and support have made an immeasurable difference in our journey. It was wonderful to know that we had so many thinking of us at home as we walked. We also want to thank our CISVA colleagues who took the time late at night to join us for our morning prayer: Maurice, Brian, Paul, Clive and Pasquale. We enjoyed having you in our prayer circle! Thank you also to our families and friends who helped us to get ready for this journey and who have managed at home without us. Most of all, we want to thank everyone in the CISVA community who supported our pilgrimage through the submission of prayers or funds to the inaugural RCAV Catholic Charities fundraiser. Special thanks to Archbishop Michael Miller for his support and blessings on our team before we left.

It is hard to think of our journey being over, after all of the planning and anticipation. However, we know that this is just the beginning of the role that the Camino will play in our lives. We have much to celebrate now, and much work still to do, to build upon the foundations of spiritual growth that ẃe have begun here. We are looking forward to our post-Camino journeys.

As we were told today, the Camino is not just a journey through Spain, but a way through life. When we wish someone 'Buen Camino,' we are wishing them a good path in life, and so we wish all of you 'Buen Camino!' May God bless you for all that you have done for us. We are looking forward to seeing you when we return!