Discovering the Camino de Santiago

After the Holy Land and Rome, Santiago de Compostela draws more pilgrims than any other place in the world. For the first time for English-speaking readers, a priest-pastor chronicles the month-long life and times of a pilgrim on this storied walk. In an account both profound and delightful, Fr. Greg Markey relates the challenges he endured and the consolations he enjoyed along the much-celebrated Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James). Fr. Markey's peaceful journey along the five-hundred-mile trail -- Web-free, phone-free, and television-free -- generated an astonishing array of brief but potent spiritual reflections. Then forty-one years old, Father did not conceal his priesthood, choosing on the contrary to wear the traditional Roman collar. And, unsurprisingly, the fruitful conversations that resulted with pilgrims were reflective, sometimes serious, comforting, and practical. Throughout his arduous trek, as recounted in this book, Fr. Markey displayed both a keen mind and a pastoral heart. His mission was successful but not without incident, as he encountered a wide variety of Christians and unbelievers struggling or lost in personal crises, some reflecting upon great loss or rediscovering Christ as the focus of their lives. There was plenty of private time along the trail as well. Fr. Markey gleaned spiritual lessons for himself and his flock, to whom he wrote, and he chronicled them in a journal. Through his life-changing witness, you will discover: Stories of searching souls who were touched by a word of faith or a small gift Life lessons from the physical difficulties and temptations he endured on the Way How God unexpectedly speaks to us in our need through His Word and through others Why the Camino is a metaphor for life and the ways in which it attunes the soul to Divine Providence The encouraging bond that exists between Catholics from all places, ages, and walks of life You will also learn about the fascinating life of St. James the Greater and miracles of his intercession -- including more than twenty interventions on the battlefield -- as well as the discovery and authentication of his relics. Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 homily at Santiago Cathedral is also featured. "If there is a powerful lesson on the Camino, it is that I am no longer in control; and just when I have no more strength and no more options, He catches me, reminding me He is ultimately in control." -- Fr. Greg Markey