St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church & School

Friday July 28th

Saturday July 29th will also be posted later today there was a delay in yesterday's post. Please excuse the delay we are trying our best! Written by: Olivia Johnson 

We officially left Burgos and went to Santiago de Compostela, which loosely translates to St. James “field of stars.” We left at 8:00 AM and started our 7-hour bus ride  including mandatory stops for our driver. Our bus ride consisted of our morning prayer, sleeping, lunch break, and most of all beautiful scenery of Spain. We arrived at 3:00 PM, just in time for Mass.

  We had Mass in Iglesia Parroquial de Santa María Salomé. This church is for the mother of St. James the Apostle. This is the only church in Spain that is dedicated to Saint Maria, the mother of James.

  After Mass we started our tour of the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral is known for being the burial place, and tomb of Saint James. It is also home to the world’s largest thurible. For those who don’t know what a thurible is it is the vessel used to burn incense. This thurible is so large that it takes 8 men to work the rope that swings the thurible from the ceiling. The thurible holds 80 pounds of coal and 40 pounds of incense. Father Christopher definitely needs to put this cathedral on his bucket list!!

  Saint James came to this remote northwest area of Spain to spread the Good News and convert people to Christianity.  James was eventually beheaded in Jerusalem but was taken by his disciples to Santiago de Compostela. They buried him in  44 AD. It wasn’t until the 9th century that a local hermit saw a special star in a field and God told him to go follow that star. The hermit followed the star and came across an angel that proclaimed were the burial spot of Saint James was. They later built the cathedral over his burial site and now have his tomb on display in the crypt.

  Many people including myself agree that the tomb is very small but this is just because the tomb holds his remains not his entire body. The only way to see his tomb is to get in line to go down to the crypt. After that, the steps lead you up to the area behind the altar where pilgrims are able to hug the statue of Saint James. It is a tradition to hug the statue of Saint James as well as place your hand on a pillar that now has a handprint indented in it from all the pilgrims through the centuries.  The reason that there is a handprint on the pillar is because pilgrims would finish the Camino and be so grateful they got here that they placed their hand on the pillar. Over time millions of people have put their hand on the pillar causing it to form a permanent handprint in the marble.

  Saint James is a very busy and crowded cathedral because it is the end of the Camino. The Camino is a pilgrimage that has rules to it. In order to get a certificate that you completed the Camino. You have to walk at least 60 miles, or 120 miles by horse or bike. Electric vehicles are prohibited. In order to complete the Camino through the Church you have to do it religiously and have the correct spirit to complete this.

It seems in all of our visits so far there is an architectural nod to the western hemisphere. For instance some of the spires of the cathedral incorporated the design of the Mexican pyramids, and the resemblance is quite recognizable.

On our return walk to the bus in the pouring rain we came across a Franciscan convent where St. Francis of Assisi began an order when he visited.

  There is a lot more history to this cathedral but as with most massive cathedrals it can take days to explain everything. After the cathedral we headed to our hotel where we had dinner. Dinner was delicious, as we had an assortment of different foods. We are now on the road to Fátima. We will try to keep updates but please keep checking in with us! 

To view Olivia's Photos, please click on this link.