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. The project relies on a wide team of volunteers from all over the world. Volunteers include FCJ Sisters, FCJ Companions in Mission and pilgrims the team has met over the years. They take turns to be in Santiago de Compostela between Easter and late October offering a warm welcome and a listening ear to hundreds of English-speaking pilgrims each year. 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of the project.
Below are some of the accounts written by those who volunteered in the late part of the 2025 Camino Companions season.
Nancy (USA)
Volunteering as a companion on the Camino has given me a front-row seat to people’s stories — to life unfolding, step by step, in real time. Each day brings new faces: tired feet, hopeful eyes, and a quiet celebration of the steely courage that lives within. Sitting with those who have completed this extraordinary experience is a lesson on life itself.
Being helpful doesn’t always mean doing or saying. Often, it means noticing – understanding the value of what isn’t said. I see that most people don’t need advice or encouragement; they simply need someone to be present – just in silence. Learning to listen rather than to reply changes the quality of the connection. Silence is not empty; it is full – holding space for reflection, honesty, and calm.
Listening to those arriving at a new « awareness » inevitably reveals moments of conflict and tension which arise in fatigue, pain, frustration, and the need for rediscovery, even in the struggle to match an expected pace. My partners have taught first hand the place for silence doing the work – revealing that trust in a calm presence can speak louder than words. This requires protecting the space and listening with intent. In the stillness, confusion softens, and clarity begins to form.
We express ourselves in countless ways – through stories, gestures, and actions. To listen beyond words is to be present, resisting the drift into judgment. It’s a living practice of offering grace – not only through words, but also through tone. Despite good intent, we can easily isolate the lost, the lonely, the lowest who actually need the gentlest hospitality. This can happen with just a few syllables.
Sitting with life’s moving journeyers is a lesson in quiet guidance – asking simply, “How is it for you?” and then listening deeply, without rushing to fix, solve, or advise. Offering the truest support is allowing space for understanding to arise naturally. Saying nothing, at times, says the most.
The pilgrimage – the walk of life itself – is indeed a levelling. Blisters, aches and the uncertainty of each step, strip away ego and title leaving only faith for humanity, all moving toward the same horizon. Those who relentlessly refuse to release stature lose connection, never knowing the quiet reward they’ve passed by. What becomes clear is that discomfort is the sculptor of growth, the hand that shapes wisdom. Those who linger too long in the mirror of “me” grow isolated, not gaining insight that comes from others in group. Each person, each pause, each shared breath adds a layer to the lesson of being present “on the way » of life. For presence outweighs words, patience outweighs answers, and kindness – always – outshines certainty.
Ann (England)
For two weeks in September of this year, I was in Santiago as a Camino Companion. This was my fourth time of offering this ‘service.’ So, what makes a woman in her 60s go to Spain to welcome English speaking pilgrims as they finish their Camino?
Well, for one thing, I love Spain, there’s an opportunity to practise the language, the culture is interesting and I meet other ‘companions’ with whom I live for two weeks and with whom I generally have a good time. What is there not to like? Not a lot. To put my flippancy to one side, as a lay woman in the Catholic church, it is not often that I feel valued, included and nurtured. Being a Camino Companion enabled me to feel this. Our team worked as a cohesive group where no one was excluded. We all brought something unique. There was a feeling of co-operation with the aim of ensuring the pilgrims were welcomed and given the opportunity to ‘be’ with each other. I think they were enabled to do this by the warm atmosphere created by the emphasis we had on collaboration amongst us and not hierarchy. I value the opportunity to ‘be Church’ in this way and, for this opportunity, am very thankful to the FCJs.
Pat, FCJ Companion in Mission, England
I’ve returned home further inspired after my third consecutive year volunteering with the Camino Companions team. This wonderful FCJ project is celebrating it’s tenth anniversary, providing a warm welcome to pilgrims from all over the world, on their arrival in Santiago de Compostela, at the end of their pilgrimage. It offers them a quiet space for reflection and some sharing of their experiences – both the outer and inner journeys. Always such a privilege and honour, they begin to unpack and process insights gained and life lessons – before they head home.
What I witness and see is quite literally, love in action – with its sleeves rolled up! Whilst there’s no magical cure for how brutal life can sometimes be, over a cup of tea and a little bit of encouragement and a kind word, listening really can start to heal.
I love being part of a truly international team. The people you meet and conversations shared are life affirming. My involvement has deepened my faith in myself, humanity and God. I always learn and grow so much from the experience, the pilgrims and from my volunteer colleagues — we are companions for one another. They’ve each helped me to better understand my own journey and to understand more fully, the love that has no end. Thanks a million Sisters Katherine and Alicia, Bríd, Mary, Eileen (and Lynne B in Liverpool) for the opportunity.
Read more about Camino Companions on this website for information about where and when to find us, follow Camino Companions on facebook, or get in touch at caminocompanions @ gmail.com.
