Together, this July, participants from the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN) and the District of Spain (ARLEP) will journey for 10 days on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. The experience, themed Together as Brothers, will provide Brothers and young men deepening and discerning their vocation the opportunity to journey together, both physically and spiritually.
In addition to the daily walk of 12 miles or more, participants will also engage in prayer and faith sharing. “Each day there will be time devoted to sharing the experience with one another, exploring the movement of God in our hearts as we move our bodies toward the end point, the Shrine of St. James,” said General Councilor Brother Tim Coldwell, FSC.
The participants will begin walking the ancient pilgrimage route in Mondoñedo, Spain, on July 14, 2015, concluding at the Shrine of St. James in Santiago, Spain, on July 21. There will be eight days of walking, during which over 100 miles will be traversed.
“Our vocation is a pilgrimage in/with/through accompaniment,” said RELAN participant Brother George Van Grieken, FSC. “This Camino is a wonderful way to celebrate, exercise and promote our vocational journey.”
A typical day will include rising at 6:00 a.m., breakfast, morning prayer and departure by 7:30 a.m. In addition to intermittent breaks and lunch, there will be a “siesta” break at 2:30 p.m. In the evening, time for catechesis, faith sharing and evening prayer will round out the day.
The idea for the pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago was conceived during the 45th General Chapter and also coincides with Year of Consecrated Life. One goal of the experience is also to open the pilgrimage to all in our Lasallian family who are not able to physically be present on the Camino. This will be accomplished by allowing others to follow the journey virtually and prayerfully through a shared blog where participants will upload photos, reflections and videos to the Christian Brothers Conference website.
As Together as Brothers approaches, more resources will be available on El Camino 2015, under the Brothers Today menu on lasallian.info. This will allow all Lasallians to journey with the Brothers and young men in formation.