Camino Companions is a project from the FCJ Sisters in Europe based in the Pilgrims Office, the welcome centre for pilgrims of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Sr Katherine fcJ looks back on ten years of service to pilgrims
This year Camino Companions are celebrating ten years of service to pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela. In that time, we have met thousands of pilgrims and accompanied many of them in a more personal way as they shared their unique stories. Pilgrims come from all parts of the world and each one has had a special experience. Some of them return year after year seeking meaning and a deepening of their spiritual journey. Many carry heavy burdens of loss and brokenness. Others who start out as “tourists” discover that the Camino is changing them and experience a transformation. Walking alongside and sharing with other pilgrims, living simply as one carries everything in a backpack, having time for silence and reflection, being captivated by the beauty of the natural world, all contribute to this transformation. When pilgrims arrive in Santiago, they are often challenged by the crowds, the noise of the city, the sense that the Camino is over and they struggle to find words to express what is happening for them. Camino Companions provides that opportunity where we hold the space for pilgrims to put words on their experience.
The FCJ Sisters began Camino Companions in 2015 and the FCJ Society has continued to fund and encourage this undertaking throughout the ten years. Without the strong support of the FCJs, Camino Companions could not have continued over the years.
Like all beginnings, the first years were experimental as we made our way by walking to use the phrase of the Spanish poet, Antonio Machado se hace el camino al andar. We began by using a space in a corridor at the former Pilgrims’ Office in Santiago and a student lounge in a nearby Hostel for University Students run by the Daughters of Christ the King. We were grateful for these spaces as they gave us the opportunity to begin inviting pilgrims to reflection and, though they were far from perfect, they allowed us to experiment as a fledgling project. Spiritual conversation became our modus operandi as we listened to pilgrims share their search for God, their vulnerabilities and their dreams. In response we encouraged pilgrims to find God in all things and to live life as a pilgrimage.
However, the timing of our beginning was fortuitous as those involved in developing the Pilgrims’ Office were already looking at a large new building about ten minutes on the other side of the Cathedral. Almost every conversation with the Dean of the Cathedral involved a reminder that we were very much looking forward to having room in the new office! When the new office opened its doors in 2017, we were given the largest room available and were invited to collaborate with the priest who would celebrate Mass in English each day in the Chapel at the Office. We were also given the opportunity to provide some form of prayer and reflection in the Chapel. This invitation developed into creating a short video using some images from the Camino along with poetry, reflection questions and musical accompaniment. This 15 minute video continues to play throughout each day and we frequently receive requests for a digital copy of the reflection. As the years have gone by, we periodically have access to a second room at the Pilgrims’ Office where we can offer one to one accompaniment and facilitate small group sharing. We developed some handouts which we gave to pilgrims who desired to keep the Camino alive when they returned home. The Examen in particular has proved to be a very helpful tool for many pilgrims.
We are deeply grateful to the FCJs who volunteered with us over the years. Marion Dooley fcJ was central to the development of the project in the first three years when she and Katherine O’Flynn worked together. Marion’s creativity, enthusiasm and warm welcome along with her great capacity to listen and accompany pilgrims was a great gift to Camino Companions. Marion worked hard in providing a folder of inspirational poems suitable for pilgrims searching for God and we have continued to use these over the years. Alicia Pérez was also available to work alongside Katherine. Her knowledge of the culture, her easy capacity to communicate with the local people, along with her superb organizational skills and her capacity to welcome and accompany pilgrims, were greatly appreciated by all. Other FCJs have also been very constant in their support by sharing their many gifts and some return each year to volunteer.
At first, we depended completely on our Sisters as volunteers but gradually members of other religious congregations and some diocesan priests became involved. Quite quickly a number of lay people also joined us. Now in 2025, we have fifty one volunteers, mostly lay women and men, ten religious sisters, including six FCJs, two Jesuits and a diocesan priest. Three FCJ Companions in Mission are also volunteering this year along with a member of the staff from the FCJ Christian Life Centre in Calgary. Over the years we have also been delighted to have former FCJ students volunteering with us. Although we, FCJs are members of quite a small religious congregation, we are often amazed at the number of pilgrims who know the FCJs through our schools, FCJ centres and various other ministries.
The daily Mass in English celebrated in the Chapel at the Pilgrims’ Office is often a highlight for pilgrims. Fr. Manny Domingo sdb originally from the Philippines, now lives in Santiago and celebrates Mass in the Chapel throughout the year. His ability to connect the Eucharist with the Camino, his inclusive style and empathy are all much appreciated by pilgrims. We support Fr. Manny in welcoming pilgrims to the Eucharist and in providing music, ministers of the Eucharist etc.
This year following the prompting of one of our volunteers, we have offered a short presentation on the story of St. James and the history of the Camino. Many pilgrims are not familiar with the story St. James and his connection with the Iberian Peninsula. This has proved to be another means of helping pilgrims to understand the development and tradition of this particular pilgrimage.
The Camino Society of Ireland has been a strong supporter of Camino Companions and has given constant encouragement moral support to our work as well as helping us with the furnishing of our rooms and paying for the accommodation of our fourth volunteer. To mark our tenth anniversary, the Camino Society of Ireland presented us with a beautiful wooden plaque carved by Donagh O’Shea op. A significant number of our volunteers come through the Camino Society of Ireland. We also have volunteers from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Netherlands and South Africa so we are a truly international group. Our volunteers frequently express their joy and happiness in being able “to give something back to the Camino” and for many, the opportunity to volunteer is also a transformational experience.
Looking back on the ten years, one can only marvel at “what the Lord has done” over those years, the amazing pilgrims we have encountered, the fortitude and resilience of the human spirit, the deep-seated goodness and kindness which are part of the Camino. As we often say, the Camino gives us an insight into God’s dream for the world. Each year, we return home tired but full of gratitude. Ad majorem Dei gloria!
