Fr. Maximilian Avila Pacheco, OFM Conv., one of the recently ordained friars of our province, shares a reflection on his summer pilgrimage:

“From Sunday July 22nd to Saturday 28th, I walked the last portion of ‘El Camino de Santiago.’ El Camino, know in English as ‘The Way of Saint James,’ is a pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle James the Greater in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. I started walking at Ponferrada, about 130 miles away from Compostela, where the Spanish Conventual Franciscan province has a house to care for pilgrims, and walked an average of 20 miles daily. Needless to say, it was a demanding adventure, but the prize is worth a thousandfold. Once I arrived in Compostela and prayed at the tomb of Saint James, all physical pain disappeared and joy came to my soul. After six long and excruciating days of walking, the feeling and the emotion of reaching the resting place of the apostle is something that words cannot describe. Simply, it was a wonderful experience! Moreover, I was able to concelebrate Mass at the Cathedral on Saturday and Sunday, where I prayed for the Friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, and specially for each ‘James’ in the province.”

Friar Max is a new instructor at our St. Francis High School (Athol Springs, NY) ministry.
Please keep him, and all of the members of the St. Francis High School family, in your prayers.