Walking The Camino by By Allison Bovard and Diana Newton
Walking the Camino with the “Amen Rooster Crew”
By Allison Bovard and Diana Newton
What happens when 20 independent, capable, resilient women—who are familiar with one another, but not necessarily friends—set out to walk the last 115 km of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela? The answer is, “A LOT”—from laughing ourselves silly to losing one’s way, from forming new bonds to having a rooster punctuate our Sunday service with a rousing cock-a-doodle-doo after the benediction. In honor of that perfect moment, we have christened our group “Amen Rooster.”
Of all the blessings that came from the Camino, we wanted to focus on two themes in particular: Transformation and Ministry. We were transformed in body, mind, heart, and spirit. We all transformed our city legs into walking legs as we clocked 12–14 miles a day, but beyond that, we grew in our faith and our relationships with God as we became comfortable with the discomfort of the Camino and its unexpected twists, turns, and blisters. We grew in our friendships, deepening existing relationships and forming new important bonds with each other. We developed our humility and our patience, and most importantly, we worked to quiet the noise and listen to God.
In listening to God, we learned not only more about God’s ministry, allowing us to minister to each other, but also to receive ministry from those around us. Each and every one of us had at least one experience of letting others help us, which required us to lower our invincibility shields and accept the hand that was offered in love and generosity. We helped each other with physical injuries and with crises with parents, children, and loved ones, and we did small things. We picked up the checks; we purchased Camino tokens to share with everyone; we delivered forgotten items and left-behind sticks. Ultimately, we counseled each other through physical and emotional needs. It was an unforgettable experience that left us all transformed for the better.
A unique Camino experience includes leaving stones behind on the trail, as symbols of leaving behind burdens, sorrows, or worries, and each of us started the Camino carrying our own individual concerns. Over time, we each found places that spoke to us and comforted us as we left these small markers along the way. Many of us carried grief from loss and found that the others in our Camino group lifted us in surprising and profound ways—women we never had spoken to before this trip became some of our strongest supporters as we shed tears, received hugs, and offered our burdens up to God. Our mighty group of Dallas pilgrims has been forever changed. Amen Rooster!
The Origin Of The Camino De Santiago De Compostela
The Camino de Santiago de Compostela has a rich spiritual history that has made it the third most important pilgrimage in Christianity, behind Jerusalem and Rome. The Apostle James, called to follow Jesus together with his brother John from their father’s fishing boat, came to Galicia (northern Spain) in approximately 40 AD to preach the word of Jesus. Feeling that his evangelism was a failure, he returned home to Judea where he was martyred by King Herod. As the story goes, two of James’ apostles journeyed back to Galicia with James’ body so that he could be buried at the furthest point where he had preached about Christianity. These two helpers of James buried him in a marked tomb in Galicia which was still a Roman settlement. Not much happened until a hermit was led to this long-forgotten tomb around 830 AD by a bright star that illuminated his way. Sure that this was a sign from God, the hermit shared his discovery with the local bishop in the region. The bishop confirmed that these remains belonged to St. James and informed the Spanish king, King Alfonso II, of this discovery. The king set out as the first pilgrim to pray at the tomb of James, setting the route of the Camino Primitivo which starts in Oveido, Spain. Upon arrival, he founded a church on the sacred spot and ordered a monastery built so that monks could live there and protect the remains. The town was named San Iago (or Saint James in Galician Spanish), and the pilgrimage was named Camino de San Iago de Compostela (which translates to “field of stars” acknowledging that James’s remains were found by heaven-sent stars). Over time, the town’s name evolved to Santiago, and the pilgrimage burgeoned in importance and scope. The church grew from a simple structure to one of the most renown Romanesque cathedrals in the world. French pilgrims made the trek most often, treading the most famous and well-traveled route, the Camino Frances, or the French Way. The iconic scallop shell was sold to pilgrims who finished the walk so they could prove they completed their pilgrimage upon returning home. Today, pilgrims start out with a scallop shell on their backpacks to mark their pilgrim status, and they stamp their Camino Passports along the way to prove to the Spanish officials in Santiago that they have actually completed the trek, which allows them to take home a certificate in both Spanish and Latin certifying that they have walked at least 115 KM (72 miles) of one of the many routes to Santiago.
Our Saint Michael Pilgrimage
The Saint Michael and All Angels pilgrimages on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela have always walked the last 115 KM of the French Way, starting in Sarria and ending in front of the iconic Cathedral. This trip was no different, and we enjoyed the charming towns along the path. From Sarria, we walked to Portomarín, high on a hill overlooking a reservoir. The 100 stairs at the end of a 14-mile day were not our favorite thing to see, but the shower and refreshments that awaited us made that last climb worth it! From Portomarín, we walked across a bridge into a very misty morning on our way to Lestedo, where we stayed in a beautiful stone farmhouse converted to hotel, just outside of Palas de Rei. Here we connected with a church group from Germany with whom we continued to share fellowship everyday along the Way. From Lestedo, we walked to Melide, known as the octopus capital of Spain which some of us enjoyed and some eschewed. As they say, everyone walks their own Camino, including dining choices! From Melide, we marched on to Arzúa across ancient bridges and through eucalyptus groves. Departing Arzúa, we headed to O Pedrouzo where the grumpy innkeeper could not dampen our joy and excitement over how far we had come and what we had to look forward to the next day. The next morning, we each awoke ready for the last 12 miles that would bring us into Santiago. By mid-afternoon, we all found ourselves in Obodoiro Praza staring up at the gorgeous cathedral of Santiago! Each morning of our pilgrimage, we started our day together in prayer with a morning devotional after breakfast before heading out. We also met each evening before dinner to join in an evening devotional and share reflections about our walks. Once we got off the bus in Sarria, we did not step into another vehicle until the day after we finished walking the Camino. A week where we traveled only by foot felt strange to a bunch of Dallasites, but what a great accomplishment!
**This article was written by Allison Bovard and Diana Newton and was featured in the 2024 – 2025 Winter Archangel.