Columban Fr Alvaro Martinez Ibanez on his pilgrimage. - Photo: Fr Alvaro Martinez Ibanez SSC
According to tradition, the Apostle Saint James is buried in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. James was a man chosen by Jesus and a favoured witness to Jesus' public life, death and resurrection. In his apostolic and missionary zeal, he embarked on a pilgrimage to the lands that are now known as Spain and Portugal. His evangelising efforts began to bear fruit, leading some to become disciples and it was they who would carry on the missionary work in these Mediterranean regions.
Tradition also says that before her death, the Virgin Mary appeared to each apostle, inviting him to return to Jerusalem to be with her in his final days. It was in Jerusalem that the apostle James met his martyrdom, which is not only a painful death but also a testament to a missionary life dedicated to preaching the Gospel. Thus, tradition tells us that his remains were taken back to his missionary lands, where he was buried. His tomb was not discovered until the 9th century. When his remains were found, a church was built on the spot in honour of this missionary apostle. The church sparked pilgrimages to visit his tomb, rekindling his missionary zeal. Over the years, this devotion has brought together thousands of people each year for the journey to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
I was one of this year's pilgrims. It was both an opportunity and a blessing to walk “The Way”. I set out from Baiona, situated in the region of Galicia, Spain and walked each day until I reached this missionary apostle.
The route is challenging; every day brings physical struggles and mental pain. However, one of the spiritual graces I experienced along the way was listening to God reveal how my entire life had been directed towards missionary apostolate. I recognised once again that He exists in the personal history of each individual and in my own history, urging me to follow in the footsteps of this missionary apostle, who witnessed the life of Jesus and his resurrection. I realised that, in some ways, my missionary life has also involved observing and learning from Jesus and discovering the spiritual traces of his resurrection through sharing as a missionary.
Like every journey, it had its tough days. My feet hurt and with each new location, questions arose, almost as if inviting me to stop: Why continue walking for so many kilometres? Why endure the discomfort? Without a doubt, these questions, like chairs on the way, urged me to stop. It was hard because I had to answer my questions in every prayer and at daily Mass, which I attended out of love for God and the desire to deepen my experience of the Risen One.
Photo: The Cross of Cape Finistere symbolizes completion, reflection and letting go, located 90 km from Santiago.
On the other hand, I met many people from diverse countries, languages and cultures along the way. Sharing a fact, a few words of encouragement, or a short or long chat with them transformed the Camino de Santiago into a multicultural and inter-religious experience, as each pilgrim has motivations for walking “The Way” that change or deepen along the way. Simply put, no one arrives in Santiago the same.
Upon arriving at the Plaza de Santiago, you feel a surge of joy, not only from the company of thousands of pilgrims, the shouts of happiness, the songs of triumph and the ache in your feet, but also from the deepest affirmation that “The Way” was worth it. Every step and every refusal of the “chairs” that urged you to stop brought you to the foot of the tomb of Santiago, the apostle, missionary and martyr.
At the end of the journey, I had the blessing of concelebrating Mass in the cathedral and participating in the Botafumeiro ceremony in this church.
It was an experience rich in culture and tradition, reflecting how the scent of incense that spreads throughout every church evokes the good aroma each pilgrim carries from their experience of “The Way”. For me, this experience was embodied in sharing the experience of Jesus and, above all, the joy of the risen Christ.
Fr Alvaro Martinez Ibanez lives and works in the United States.
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - May 2026
