Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago find friendship and weird spirituality
In the last episode, Chris and his brother Nick started their journey along the Camino del Norte, part of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Now, join Chris as he looks at some of the forces on pilgrims hiking the trail. From the Twelve Tribes religious group and their Yellow Deli restaurants to a spiritual guru in Guemes, people are trying to leverage hikers. Despite this being a Catholic pilgrimage, most of the people we’ve met on three hikes have not been people of faith. Why is that?
In this bonus episode, Chris hopes to restore your faith in humanity and encourage you to listen to those around you. Jesus died for our sins, but if we’re not out there telling people, how will they know? Get out there and be the Church!
Sources:
- The Twelve Tribe’s document on the Confederate South
- Interesting article about the Yellow Deli
- Guemes albergue’s official website about Ernesto
Discussion Questions:
- Why are there so many forces trying to reach pilgrims?
- Are you open to reaching spiritual pilgrims around you?
- If you were on the hike, what would you say to people who think all religions are the same?
- What are some simple graces that you’ve seen in your life?
- How can you be the Church to your community?
Concerning Twelve Tribes — they maintain a hostel in Rutland, VT, just a few miles off the Appalachian Trail. I stayed there for a night some years ago when I was section hiking the Trail. You are right to call folks’ attention to them — AT hikers are often pilgrimage types, and a few get roped into the cult.
Whoa! That’s fascinating. We hikers are a population ripe for cults. A lot of folks are out searching for “something” and these groups can sense low hanging fruit. What was your experience like? My brother and I somehow missed them on the Camino because we stayed in a pension in San Sebastian. Also, Vermont seems like an amazing place to do a section of the AT. I’ve only done a small piece of that hike and also most of Mount Katahdin (I was turned around by lightning). I have done a few sections of the PCT, including most of the JMT.