Compañía Pilgrimage How to choose one favored place or moment during our ten-day pilgrimage through Spain and Rome! Each day we encountered people and places that were magnificent and moving. But, mysteriously, one image stands out for me, small in comparison to the grandiose structures, tucked away and easy to miss in contrast to glorious …
Pilgrimage Course Of the many things the Camino de Santiago gave me back in the Spring of 2019, three especially still stay with me: 999 digital photos and videos in my “El Camino” Google Photos folder, a sunspot at the base of my right thumb that looks like a speck of dust, and, most importantly, …
Compañía Pilgrimage A devotion to religious images is not usually part of my Protestant tradition. Yet, when leading the Compañía pilgrimage with Boston College faculty and staff, I usually spend an hour praying next to this sculpture of St. Ignatius begging at Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona. The image is in my prayer once …
Compañía Pilgrimage Once I saw Montserrat in the distance, I knew why Ignatius had to make his pilgrimage there. It is an extraordinary spectacle on the landscape, and has drawn people for millennia. When we got there the plaza was full of people, visiting the church or taking the lift to the top of the …
In the Footsteps of Leaders June 14, 2022Hotel Sindika, Oñati, SpainDay 3 of the Following in the Footsteps of Leaders Pilgrimage It’s 4:03 AM. I can’t sleep. My hotel room is stifling and humid. The sheets are damp with sweat, sticking to my legs. The mattress is uncomfortably warm beneath my body and my head …
Compañía Pilgrimage There’s a common denominator during the entire Ignatian Pilgrimage: the constant presence of stars. In some places they are easy to spot – like the ones dazzling behind the magnificent mountains of Loyola and Montserrat – in others, it’s nearly impossible – like in Barcelona and Rome. But I am confident that, in …
Pilgrimage Course My attraction to Fisterra was primal. I knew from pictures that it was beautiful, yes. But what drew me there was the gravity of what I would call spiritual sedimentation. Prior to the emergence and coalescing of the cult of St. James, the site had apparently been a site of Pagan worship. In …
Jesuit Community The pilgrimage was the culmination of two years of formation in the novitiate. On an early midwinter morning, each of my novitiate group left home with no money but only the trust in the Lord. “Yahweh-yireh (God will provide)” was our pilgrimage motto that year. We walked over 100 miles for seven days, …
Pilgrimage Course The Camino de Santiago was a lifetime of experiences packed into fourteen days. Never in my life had I felt so physically weak, yet never had I felt God closer to my heart. With a total of 24 blisters on both of my feet, I limped 217 miles across northern Spain with 9 …
Boston College participates strongly in the renewed pilgrim spirit of its Jesuit tradition. Faculty members do research on pilgrimage. Our people are also on the move. With the increased accessibility to travel in today’s global economy, distant pilgrimages are more possible than ever. The diverse pilgrim experiences of our Boston College community reflect the deeply …