A pilgrim's walk with St. James

By Cherie Pagett

Each year, tens of thousands of people step out of their front door to make their way to Santiago de Compostela. However, these people are no ordinary travelers headed to an ordinary place. They, like myself, are pilgrims on a spiritual journey to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the apostle Saint James is reportedly buried.

My path to Galicia began with a young boy named, Alvaro.

Alvaro was the son of my dear friends, whom I met while studying in Madrid. Despite an ocean between my family and theirs, we were lucky enough to visit regularly. Similar in age, my son, Zac, and Alvaro grew up as brothers. After one year of attending school in Madrid, Zac came back to finish his junior and senior years at home.

At the age of 15, Alvaro followed Zac back to the United States and came to live with my family. His stay eventually lasted two years, while he completed high school and was accepted to James Madison University. In his college application, Alvaro wrote about his pilgrimage, walking the Camino de Santiago.

The Way of St. James, or the Camino de Santiago, is a Christian pilgrimage that travels across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, where the bones of James the Apostle are reportedly found in the Cathedral. In order to qualify for the compostela, or certificate of completion, a pilgrim must walk a minimum of the last 100 KM, along the path that winds through monasteries and temples, often being blessed by locals along the way. The hilly terrain and 15-30 KM days provide a physical challenge to most, adding to the sacrifice of leaving work, family, and luxuries to seek a spiritual journey. For over one thousand years, pilgrims, traders, tourists, and other travelers have winded their way along the picturesque path to the Galician city.

Alvaro was 13 when he completed his journey with two friends. To Alvaro, it was his greatest accomplishment in his young life.

It was such a tragedy that within five days of returning home to Madrid for the summer, he was abruptly killed in an automobile accident.

No one expects to lose a family member, especially one that is so young. Our immediate loss was sharp, as if we had lost our very own son. Alvaro's death was a huge blow to everyone that knew him, both at home and in the United States.

In the summer of 1998, a year following his death, I decided to honor my godson with my very own pilgrimage. Alvaro's family and friends immediately agreed it was a wonderful idea and wanted to be a part of this spiritual journey to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. On the 10th anniversary of Alvaro's death, my husband, who had been unable to join us, fulfilled his vow to walk alone the 520 miles from St. Jean Pied du Port to Santiago.

Our group included Zac, my daughter Shantry (who at the time was 13, the same age as Alvaro when he made the Camino), Alvaro's parents, his three brothers, his cousins and friends from both the U.S. and Spain.

We began our trek in O Cebreiro, along the Eastern border of Galicia. Our path followed the "French Way," which is the most popular route of the Way of Saint James. The entire journey took seven days to complete, including a special detour.

Just one day's walk from to Santiago de Compostela, we stopped along River Iso (just outside Arzua), where Alvaro's ashes were spread. To get to the particular spot, we had to hack our way through thorn-laden bushes blocking our path. One of the girls in the group cried out, "Alvaro we have bled for you here." She had captured what so many of us had been thinking at the time. This journey was to bring us closer to Alvaro. We arrived on June 17, 1998, the first anniversary of his death.

Gathered on the banks of the sparkling river, we read poems, sang songs, and 11 Americans joined 14 Spaniards in grief and celebration. Were it not for Alvaro's spirit that brought us together in that place, the Americans would never have known pilgrimage, the medieval concept made modern-day.

"My Camino as Haiku"
Bright sun, shining tears
Silv'ry ash slips o're green moss
Río Iso flows

Alvaro's father and I often brought up the rear as we walked the hills of Galicia watching the kids spread out before us. Having shared so much over so many years, it was bittersweet for us to watch the healing take place through camaraderie among these young people, brought together solely by grief.

As we reached the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, I felt closure surrounding Alvaro's death. I felt empowered and uplifted. I knew I completed a vow to honor him with each step I had taken.

I will never forget the tears of my son as he, like thousands of pilgrims before him, placed his hand on the marble column in the Portico de la Gloria in the Cathedral of Santiago, and gave thanks for his safe arrival. Sadly, he still carries his grief like the pack he bore on the Camino.

One may begin the Camino not knowing what to expect. However, walking in the footsteps of those who for so many centuries have believed so deeply, entering the same cathedrals, one cannot help but feel united with the spirit of Saint James.

This was the way of Alvaro; this was our Way of Saint James.

Cherie Pagett is the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for the non-profit organization, American Pilgrims on the Camino, www.americanpilgrims.com , serving close to 400 members in North America. She completed her pilgrimage in the summer of 1998, one year after the death of her godson, Alvaro. Twelve years later, she remembers her experience in light of the Xacobeo, celebrated on Sunday, July 25, 2010. Watch as Cherie describes her journey through the Way of Saint James:

By Cherie Pagett: |  July 26, 2010; 6:05 PM ET Save & Share:                 
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