I would walk 500 miles . . .

Well maybe not 500, 37 miles or 60 kilometres over two days was enough to give me serious blisters and make me hobble around afterwards for days! I’m just returned from the Camino San Francisco organised by the Catholic Diocese of Geraldton. The following is taken from the Camino website and explains the purpose of the journey:

Caminos date back many centuries and are layered with meaning. For some, a camino might simply be about physical exercise and adventure. For others it might be about the journey within, a spiritual journey.

For others it might be about meeting people and making new friends. The reasons are many and all to be respected. 

The Camino San Francisco is modeled on the world famous Spanish Camino de Santiago and incorporates many of its features.

The Camino San Francisco is so named because it seeks to elicit in participants an experience of the spirit that inspired Monsignor Hawes in his life and architectural works, namely the spirituality of St Francis of Assisi that honours and respects the natural environment and our place within it.

It was an inspiring, challenging and rewarding adventure, soaking up the heritage of the region and pushing myself to my physical limits. Approximately 30kms of walking per day is no mean feat with zero physical preparation or training! Whilst walking it was fascinating to hear the life stories of an eclectic bunch of people from all walks of life. I’ve also learnt the success to living well into old age : stay lean and keep moving!

Along the way we visited four of the churches designed and built by Monsignor Hawes. I’ve always considered him to be an intriguing character and love his architecture. Hawes was ordained a Catholic Priest in Rome in 1915 and subsequently sent to Geraldton. He was well able to relate to people and widely loved and respected. Hawe’s life left a profound legacy throughout the Midwest region, as he designed at least fifteen buildings in the area.

The trip was really well organised and included two masses celebrated in the Hawes buildings pictured above. The church on the right is St Mary in Ara Coeli in Northampton where we began our journey. The church on the left is Our Lady of Fatima in Nanson where we joined with some locals for mass on the Sunday morning. It was particularly interesting to see a demonstration of how the pews flip over and convert into school desks, the church doubling as a school in the early days. One of the other walkers had attended the school as a child and is descended from one of the artisans Rosendo Salvado recruited from Spain when he was undertaking his building program in New Norcia. It was a fascinating insight for me into Catholicism (both past and present) and the impact it has had on the Midwest region.

Each Camino participant was given a scallop shell at the beginning of their journey and a passport which was stamped at various locations along the way.  The scallop shells have become a symbol of the famous Camino de Santiago as they were originally used by pilgrims as a bowl for food and drink. Another fun touch was the hiding of replica Dominie dogs (Hawes faithful fox terrier companion),  for the walkers to find at various locations along the way. It was also a treat to see Father Robert Cross dressed up as Hawes to welcome us to Geraldton.

We were very well fed by the CWA from Bluff Point and also the CWA from Yuna. This really contributed to the community feel of the walk and it was wonderful to see these organisations thriving. There was the chance to sleep out under the magical carpet of stars on the Saturday night, an unforgettable experience.

I guess for me, this journey was symbolic of the path of life. We are all pilgrims on a journey, this is not our home.

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life (From A Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi).