Cathedral Mass honours East Anglian altar servers
July 20, 2024
The Diocese of East Anglia Youth Camino, following the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela, led by Bishop Peter Collins, has begun.
Organised by the Ignite Youth Team, and its Director Hamish MacQueen, the 30-strong group started the 120km walk from Valenza in Portugal over the border on the River Minho, to Porrino in Spain.
The group walked the first 20km today in temperatures in the high 20s, through delightful Portuguese and Spanish towns and villages and leafy woodlands.
During the evening, the group celebrated Mass at the parish church of St Mary of the Conception in Porrino where they were staying for the night.
Bishop Peter led the parish Mass in fluent Spanish and also taking part were Fr Peter Wygnanski, and young pilgrim and Spanish speaker Oscar Lyons.
Watch a video of the first day of walking here.
You can follow the progress of the pilgrims on Facebook, X/Twitter and on Flickr, below.
Since 2013, an estimated 200,000 pilgrims have walked a Camino each year following in a growing tradition which goes back over 1000 years to the ninth century.
According to legend, the remains of Saint James, one of Jesus’s original 12 disciples, were carried by boat from Jerusalem to northern Spain, where he was buried in what is now the city of Santiago de Compostela
To attain your pilgrim “passport” you must walk at least 100km, checking in each day and then at the welcome office in Santiago.
Hamish said: “We will be simply walking, eating, sleeping and celebrating Mass together each day. We will be able to absorb the beautiful Spanish countryside and scenery and will see many old churches on the way. We will also be able to spend time together each evening socialising.
“Once in Santiago, there will be the famous cathedral to see with its enormous Botafumeiro thurible with incense, which literally swings from one side of the cathedral to the other.”
Hamish said: “Time and time again we have realised how going on a pilgrimage can have a profound effect on the faith journey of people young and old and I believe that this trip will be no exception. It will not be easy and indeed is meant to be challenging – there are no five star hotels even for Bishop Peter – and we will be sleeping in simple hotels in shared rooms and spending most of each day walking.
“Pilgrimage often reflects life – there are times of hardship and times of elation, and through it all God is with us.”
Daily updates on the group’s progress will be published online on this website and diocesan social media, including Camino Tale videos, giving pilgrims the chance to share their own experiences and explain why they decided to join the adventure.
Pictures by Keith Morris.
