Leaving Santiago

I´m sitting here in the internet cafe with my rucksack, ready to go to a final Pilgrim Mass and then to meet my cousin Manuela. I´m not too sure of the plan, but I think we are then going to Finisterre, and then staying in Sierra de Outes, where my uncle, her father, is buried. Am looking forward to getting there because I have so many happy memories of time spent there when I was eight years old - there was a wonderful moment on the road recently when I passed a hedge of wild roses in bloom and suddenly remembered a similar hedge in Sierra de Outes - and a young boy picking roses for me (or was it the other way round??!!!). I also have a banksia vase which Eve Abbey gave to me in Australia to place on Uncle John´s grave - and that´s going to be very special since it has been carried over the Camino.

The Pilgrim Mass yesterday was quiet (there´s a definite difference when the botafumeiro is used) - but the priest was very interesting - an old man who spoke incredibly passionately about recognising that life is a pilgrimage and that the journey does not end in Santiago but in the house of the Father. And because yesterday´s readings were about being light for the world, again the message was that whatever we had learnt on the Way must now be brought back into our own communities. Each Mass has been different - each celebrating priest has brought his own style and his own understanding of the Camino to the Mass. Usually there are many other priests concelebrating and they have often included young seminarians.

The front page of the local paper today has a wonderful colour photograph of the scientist Stephen Hawking in the Cathedral yesterday - he is in Santiago de Compostela for a week giving lectures on his latest publication and yesterday completed his own section of the Camino and came to the Cathedral. He is described as 'el peregrino del universo´. I found it really moving that he too should choose to follow the Camino - it really says something quite powerful about what the Camino represents. I also discovered that the main purpose of the botafumeiro, which you'll remember sweeps across the Cathedral incensing the pews, is not some wonderful religious symbolism (which I had assumed) - but is to cover up the smell of the thousands of sweaty pilgrims!!! I wonder how much more of our Church ritual comes down to hygiene and practicality!!

Staying in a pension gave me the opportunity to watch tv - quite a strange experience! Floods in Madrid, a ETA murder in San Sebastian - although I´ve looked at newspaper headlines, I´m really out of touch with events in the world. Have seen no news at all from Australia (no news is good news...).

I visited the Monastery of San Martino yesterday and thought of the Christian Brothers and Mark´s novitiate group in particular. There was a section which showed a little of the history of the seminary there and referred to the academic studies of 'this group of young and restless novitiates' - there was a difficulty in bringing in teaching materials and aids but they had a complete collection of stuffed South American hummingbirds, various scientific instruments and, Bro Peter Faulkner, I thought of you,  a collection of sundry rocks and fossils.

On that note, I haven´t bought any souvenirs from Santiago at all, but when I was in Baamonde I did buy a 'Santiago Cross' - and I haven´t seen any of them since then. It's a pipe rock which is found locally  (Conchi referred to it as 'the pregnant earth' because the old people find these pipes in caves, as though the earth is bringing them forth) and which is sliced in sections revealing what does indeed look like the Santiago Cross. Apparently, it's only found in that area and it's only the old people who still have the knowledge to find it and slice it. There was a note too (which you can explain, Peter) that it´s a silicate of aluminium.

Not sure when the next entry will be possible - I´ll be back in the UK on 29 September and then go to Iona for a three day retreat before returning to Australia. I look forward now to returning. Mark is continually in my thoughts, and always will be until we are together again, but with great peace. Much love to all - I will light a candle for everyone today in the Cathedral (though you´ve got to understand they´re only those electric things).