Pilgrimage of the Caritas Home for Children and Youth on the Way of St. James in northern Spain.
Rheine/Foncebadón. cpr. As part of the annual project Pilgrimage23, 12 employees of the Caritas Children’s and Youth Home and the Caritas Association Rheine experienced six days of a special kind on the northern Spanish Way of St. James. The European house of the meeting in Foncebadón offered to the group a well-being place to fun, peace and reflection. Daily impulses and pilgrimage tours in the near and far surroundings to Santiago de Compostela were part of the program. “Hospitalero” Norbert Scheiwe, based on his decades of experience in the region, provided the Caritas pilgrims with deep insights into the many opportunities that also exist on the “Camino” for children, young people and employees of the German Caritas Children’s and Youth Services. At the halfway point of the pilgrimage, the Bishop of the Diocese of Astorga invited the group to Astorga for a discussion followed by a visit to a coffee bar. In an impressive way, the exchange made clear how different and yet also unifying the paths of Caritas and the Church are at the regional, European and worldwide levels. Short texts by Ulrich Schaffer on the personal journey of life linked the diverse pilgrimage experiences of the participants from day to day. The pilgrimage greeting “Buen camino!” will continue to accompany the travelers for a long time. At the same time, this fits as a motto for the intensive time spent together, which was indeed a good journey.
Photo Caritas Children’s and Youth Home: Caritas pilgrimage group with diocesan bishop Mons. Jesús Fernández Gonzáles (center) and cooperation partner/translator Padre Gaspar Vega Fidalgo SAC (1st from right).