CHARLOTTE — For one St. Matthew parishioner who walked the Camino last year, her journey truly began after the walk, and she is inviting others to join her in that experience.
“My own journey on the Camino ended outside the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, and yet, I learned, it is in that moment your Camino actually begins,” said Lennie Cox, a Divine Mercy team member.
“I walked with my sister-in-law and other pilgrims, each of us traversing rocky climbs, sunbaked plains and all that was held within our own hearts,” she explained. “Like the yellow arrows that guided our way, I found that these markers eventually gave way to a deeper call. I was called to carry what I learned into my life after the pilgrimage, and to walk forward as a person changed by the journey.”
The lessons of gratitude, community, perseverance and mercy etched into her heart are what she and others want to share during a spiritual pilgrimage morning Saturday, Oct. 4, at St. Matthew. The event is a living invitation to start, resume or deepen your Camino.
Father Patrick Cahill, St. Matthew’s pastor, will help attendees discover what it means to be “Pilgrims of Hope.”
“Father Cahill’s guidance and prayer open our time together and frame our steps, not as tourists, but as people on a sacred journey, to a sacred place, for a sacred purpose,” Cox said.
Attendees will discuss how to navigate the pilgrimage of life by drawing on lessons from speakers who have walked the Camino.
“Their talks will be mirrored by insights from Divine Mercy speakers,” Cox said. “Divine Mercy is more than a devotion; it is how we are called to live our lives.”
Pilgrims will gather for Mass in the church, followed by a breakfast. They’ll hear reflections from pilgrims, guidance on how to live devotion to Divine Mercy, and have time to encounter Christ’s mercy through reflection and by praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
“The morning will send us forth not just with memories, but with a renewed sense of hope for the path ahead,” she said.
The event is open to everyone – those seeking a deeper understanding, pursuing a fresh start or navigating their next step.
“Arrows are pointing the way, and your pilgrim shell is waiting for you,” Cox said. “The shell is a powerful symbol of the pilgrim’s identity, and it is calling you to walk each day as a Pilgrim of Hope. Please accept this invitation and come walk with us.”
Details
When: Saturday, Oct. 4
Program: 9 a.m. Mass, followed by a 9:30 a.m. Camino Pilgrim Breakfast, then 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Divine Mercy Seminar sponsored by the Cenacles of Divine Mercy
Where: St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte
500 Miles Just To Be With You
A little over a year ago, my sister-in-law, Jennifer Carpenter, invited me to join her on a remarkable adventure, walking the Camino de Santiago. The iconic Francés route begins in the charming town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France’s gateway at the foothills of the Pyrenees, and stretches nearly 500 miles west across northern Spain to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the shrine of St. James the apostle.
The Camino, meaning “the way” in Spanish, is much more than a long walk with a backpack. It’s a pilgrimage, a journey to a sacred place, inspired by a deeper mission. For Jennifer and me, it became a transformative experience filled with challenges, moments of joy, and encounters that deepened our understanding of ourselves, others and the meaning of arrival.
Though each pilgrim arrives with a unique story and reason for walking, our paths inevitably intersect. Each day, new voices join the conversation and new faces grace the trail, reminding us that the pilgrimage is not only about charting our own route, but also about being attentive to the journeys of others. Some of us move quickly, others slowly; some carry visible burdens, others shoulder the unseen. Yet, despite our differences, walking together calls for compassion, an openness to listen, to support and to allow ourselves to be shaped by the people with whom we share the road.
The beauty of the Camino and of any true pilgrimage is that it honors both our individual stories and our shared purpose. Early morning laughter and the comfort of camaraderie at the end of the day are reminders that the journey itself is sacred. The simple act of moving forward, side by side, is made holy by the kindness and encouragement we extend to one another. At the same time, the destination exerts its own quiet pull, uniting our diverse routes and intentions toward a place that has drawn seekers for centuries.
As the miles pass and new friendships form, the community becomes as significant as the path beneath our feet. Those yellow arrows guiding our way along the Camino point not only toward Santiago, but also toward a deeper awareness that we are invited not just to reach a holy place, but to do so together with patience, generosity, and hearts open to learning along the way.
When at last we stood before the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela tired, grateful and surrounded by companions both new and old, the meaning of pilgrimage was illuminated. The journey had changed us. Together, the sacredness of the miles and the holiness of arrival wove a lasting sense of purpose and belonging.
A pilgrimage is, in its truest form, a sacred journey to a sacred place for a sacred purpose. As in life, we may begin in different places and travel at our own pace, but it is our willingness to walk with and for each other, to treat every meeting as a chance to give and receive care that teaches us what it means to journey well. Walking together reveals that compassion is both encouraged and required, as we strive toward meaning that is never found in solitude alone.
Buen Camino! May the true gift of your pilgrimage be arriving together, each from your own path, at that place your heart calls holy.
St. Matthew Church will be host a spiritual pilgrimage morning during which attendees will discuss how to navigate the pilgrimage of life from speakers who have walked the Camino.
— Lennie Cox, St. Matthew Parishioner