Camino Ignaciano 26 Regis Class of ‘81 - Basedow, et al

 Today started with a mass in Manresa in the Cave where Ignatius studied, prayed and journaled. An intimate setting for us and at the end, a fellow pilgrim, Emilio, who we saw at the start of our pilgrimage and who had walked more distance than us. It was a mass for pilgrims and left us all with thoughts on how to not let the pilgrimage end this week. We then bussed to Barcelona and visited several sites where Ignatius had stayed and also the Church of the Sacred Heart where the sword he laid down for the Madonna in Monserrat was on display. The last church we visited was the Basilica of Santa Maria Del Mar, where Ignatius begged for money for himself and for the poor. We the ended our pilgrimage with a lunch on the Ramblas. The team relaxed after this, some went to the nap each, some sat by the hotel “pool” but all are now ready for dinner, a good nights sleep and safe travels tomorrow avoiding the impending Nor’Easter AMDG and Peace Fred

 

My morning routine has become, well, routine. Wake up. Grab phone. Check messages. Scroll NYT headlines. Wordle. Connections. The Mini. Text my brother. Coffee. NYT Crossword. Read scripture. Comment on that scripture on my small group chat. Second coffee. Breakfast. And depending on the day, a walk or perhaps start Spelling Bee. All without speaking to anyone. My wife calls this my “me time”.  I treasure these 90+ minutes. My me time. This past Monday, as we started the second half of our pilgrimage, the prompt for our two hour walk in silence involved talking and listening to God. And for a good half hour, me and God did our business. Worked things out. And at the end of that half hour, I asked God, “So what are we going to do for the next hour and a half? Do you have more to teach me? Show me?” And Christ replied: “Let’s just be together.” So for 90 minutes I walked with Jesus. At one point we sang the Pilgrim Song together. Another time we prayed the Our Father. But mostly, it ...

 In the song “One for my Baby” written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1943 movie “The Sky’s the Limit, the protagonist is sitting at a bar at closing time lamenting the end of a relationship. Originally sung by Fred Astaire and made popular by Frank Sinatra in many recordings not only does the singer have One for my Baby, but One More for the Road. As we come to the end of this trip, I’m raising a proverbial glass to my fellow pilgrims who enriched my experience and more than made this something that has helped shape and focus me. We talked about how our shared experiences at Regis gave us a bond we didn’t know we had but each brought something different for me that allowed these musings to morph from a series of unconnected thoughts to whatever it is they became when I typed them on the page. So, just like in the song it’s a quarter to 3 (really) and I have a little story you might like to know about my companions, my perspective of what they brought to me as we moved f...

 

 Today was a day to explore Manresa and see sites where Ignatius had been. We had a pre-breakfast dawn walk to an art installation designed to honor people who had made a positive difference in the world. We also passed by an ancient crossroad where Ignatius had visions and also battled demons.  After breakfast, we started at a hostel that was just outside the walls of the old city and where the sick and poor stayed. What became a common theme was exposed as the city has been the site of numerous battles and had been ransacked multiple times leading to the destruction of artifacts. But there was enough of the building left (but no church which had stood adjacent) and restoration gave us the feel for how Ignatius spent his time. We then moved on to the Church de Seu, stopping by the remnants of the old church from the 10th century before entering the Basilica. some original components remained but most were either reproductions of restorations but still the size of the building...