Comment from Harborough churches: Walking the Camino
Recently I have had the privilege of taking a sabbatical from my role as Vicar of the churches of St Hugh and St Nicholas in Market Harborough (writes The Rev Alison Iliffe). During this time ‘set apart’, I took the opportunity to achieve something I have wanted to do for a long time: to walk part of the Camino de Santiago (in northern Spain). With a friend we walked from Porto to Santiago, covering 280km over 12 days.
Physically it was unrelenting; just a case of putting one foot in front of the other and following the yellow arrows. The gift was the conversations both with my friend and others along the way – sharing stories of our lives and our experiences of God at work. When we needed encouragement, we remembered the words of Psalm 84:5 - ‘Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage’, and we paused in every church that was open, discovering new Saints and giving thanks for the journey and the hospitality we received. Having our passports stamped along the way gave a sense of achievement as the scenery changed through villages and towns, beside the coast and along lanes, sand dunes and woods, across bridges and beside busy roads, until finally we walked into Santiago and the Cathedral of St James. We prayed and had been prayed for along the journey. We shared our progress with family, friends and parishioners, and were encouraged in return along the way.
Along every step I carried with me my ‘Sabbatical candle’. Each day I lit it and took a photo to remind myself, as it says in a popular hymn (by Richard A M Gillard): “We are pilgrims on a journey, and companions on the road; we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.”
So, what did I learn from this time set apart? The fulfillment found in following our dreams and taking every opportunity offered to us. How pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zone brings a real sense of achievement, even when things don’t quite go to plan. The peace there is in rest, and the joy that reconnecting with friends and family brings as well as re-discovering some of those things which had previously brought joy and peace, but which get lost in the different seasons of our lives. And perhaps most importantly, that sometimes putting one foot in front of the other is the only thing we can do, which is OK too.
And now I am back in the parish. I am trying to keep that new sense of time to rest and reflect, whilst enjoying being back in my role journeying spiritually with others, sharing some of what I’ve learnt, and being thankful for all that has been and whatever will be.
By Revd. Alison Iliffe, Team Vicar in the Harborough Anglican Team with responsibility for the Parish of the Transfiguration: St Hugh (Northampton Road) and St Nicholas (Little Bowden).