El Camino de Santiago: A Life-Changing Walk Across Spain

Peggy and Bob May on their 500-mile El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage last year, during a rainy and foggy day at 4,900 feet near O’Cebreiro, Spain. The Mays said thankfulness for God’s presence in their lives was the primary reason for their 500-mile pilgrimage on the El Camino de Santiago trail. The Mays are parishioners at Most Precious Blood. See more photos below.

Contributed photo
 

Bob and Peggy have been married 53 years and have three children and 10 grandchildren. Bob is a retired surgeon, and Peggy is a retired registered nurse.

“Our thankfulness for God’s presence in our lives was the primary reason for our pilgrimage,” Peggy said. “Knowing that every one of our blessings – even, our challenges – come from God is powerful.”

El Camino de Santiago is an intricate network of hiking trails from France across Northern Spain and was designed to “follow the way of St. James.” The famous religious pilgrimage attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world every year, and the Mays believed it would be an incredible test of faith and endurance to conquer the trails. It is believed the remains of St. James are entombed in Santiago, Spain, where the 500-mile pilgrimage ends.

“There were a few times I would wake up in the middle of the night and tell myself I didn’t think I could get up in the morning and do it again,” recalled Peggy. “But the morning would come, we’d start getting ready, and there was never a question if we were going to go.”

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and quite an adventure,” Bob added.

Inspired by Msgr. Thomas McGettrick, who did a 100-mile segment of the Santiago Walk in his early 80s, the couple knew almost immediately they wanted to complete the entire 500-mile walk.

“It took five weeks, and we were gone for two months. It was hard being gone from home that long,” Peggy said. “Most people do the entire pilgrimage in chunks. They complete 100 miles in one trip and come back the next year and pick up where they left off.”

For several months the Mays trained before their trip. They would wake up at 4 a.m. and walk along the Corpus Christi Bayfront every day. 

Their children were supportive of their trek. “In the beginning, I was a little worried about telling them what we were going to do because I thought they would tell me: ‘You’re crazy!’” Peggy chuckled. “But they didn’t. One of our sons said he wants to do it someday, and our granddaughters helped us create a blog to document our travels with photos and stories.”

The trip, although arduous, was life-changing for the Mays.

“We were so reliant on God throughout our trip. We did not have the modern conveniences we have grown accustomed to, so we relied on God to protect us and give us what we needed when we needed it,” said Peggy.

Bob added that when you are walking for 10 hours at a time, every day, there is plenty of time for introspection.

“Since we were walking so much, it gave me time to be in touch with my own thoughts. It’s a nice, quiet time for reflection,” Bob said. “You just don’t get the chance to do that in the United States.”

Peggy says she wholeheartedly recommends the Camino de Santiago for anyone wanting to grow spiritually and as a person. “It will expand your horizons, and you’ll gain a wide array of experiences in a short amount of time. You’ll talk to people from all over the world.” 

The Mays noted they were never fearful during their journey because the pilgrimage lends itself to large groups of people who travel for this religious experience or for an exciting adventure. There are hostels where pilgrims can stay for little money and a church at every major stop.

While on their pilgrimage, they had the opportunity to attend Mass many times and were struck by the consistency of the Holy Mass in Europe compared to the United States. Both Bob and Peggy are thankful for their Catholic faith, not only in their lives here in Corpus Christi but throughout their pilgrimage, where they were able to receive the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and God’s mercy through the sacrament of confession.

“No matter where we are in the world, the Mass is the same. In a tiny chapel or a grand cathedral, the Lord is present in the Liturgy in every language,” she said. “I printed the Order of the Mass in Spanish and English, comparing the two side-by-side, and we learned more Spanish that way.”

“We had to learn to be frugal with our packing since our backpacks traveled everywhere, we went. We figured out early on we had packed too many things, so we learned about a service that will deliver items for you and have them waiting for you at the next stop,” Peggy said. “When we first started our trek, our backpacks weighed 20 pounds.”

They started out staying at the hostels, where you sleep in a large room with 25-30 other men and women. But after 10 days in Spain, they learned about local homeowners who rent out a private room to pilgrims for just a few more euros more than the hostels.

“The hostels were not for us. There would be snoring and talking at all hours. We learned quickly it was not conducive to good sleep. Plus, you are sharing one bathroom with so many people and could be waiting a long time,” Peggy added.

The Mays agree their experience conquering El Camino de Santiago was breathtaking, with blessings happening every day.

“I felt like God’s arms were continually around us,” Peggy May said. “It was really beautiful to experience that. Some of the trails were treacherous, especially walking downhill. Bob and I each fell one time, but not even on the trails. I felt like that was a message from God, telling us: ‘I told you I was going to take care of you!’”

Read more about the Mays’ 500-mile spiritual journey on El Camino de Santiago at bobandpegscamino.home.blog.