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9th District judge finds spiritual growth on pilgrimage
NICKY GUTIERREZ
Special to the Legal News
Published: October 11, 2019
My mom, Judge Donna Carr, who sits on the bench at the 9th District Court of Appeals, said she never thought she would be able to go to Spain. She also said she never imagined going to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago with me, her son, Nicky.
As they say on the Camino, “No one is there by accident.”
But what exactly is the Camino de Santiago?
Through my research that I conducted before embarking on the trip I found that the Camino de Santiago, or in English, The Way of St. James, is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage that has been around since the 9th century.
Roman Catholics believe that the body of St. James the Greater, an apostle of Jesus Christ, is buried in the city called Santiago de Compostela.
The translation of the city’s name means St. James of the field of stars. In Catholic legend, a hermit saw stars dancing down onto a field one night and when he dug into the ground he found bones. He rushed to his local bishop who confirmed they were the bones of St. James and two of his disciples. Thus began the pilgrimage.
The present-day Camino de Santiago is a lot different than its past self. Markings and visible trails lead to the great city, helping pilgrims to not get lost. Anyone can do the pilgrimage no matter their age, gender, race, creed or religious affiliation; all are welcome.
The Camino is one of Europe’s most popular pilgrimages, and Christendom’s third holiest city, with around 327,378 pilgrims in the year of 2018 according to recent statistics released on the oficinadelperegrino website.
My mom did not know that the Camino existed or ever sought to walk it.
“I had learned about the Camino from fellow 9th District Judge Jennifer Hensal about three or four years ago,” my mom said. She then elaborated on why she decided to go on the Camino.
“Then you became very interested in doing the pilgrimage in honor of your grandfather, who had desired to do the Camino but was unable,” she said.
I submitted the idea of researching the Camino as a project at Capital University where I study theology and creative writing.
When I was selected as a Summer Scholar [undergraduate research program], I invited my mom to join me on the great pilgrimage.
“I was doubly blessed with this opportunity because I was able to delve deeper into my faith and take this spiritual journey with you,” she said.
So off she went with me, flying across the Atlantic Ocean and landing in Madrid, the capital of Spain. We took BlaBla Car, a ride share service, and drove up to Sarria, our starting point.
My mom talked about how long we walked and how far we traveled as well.
“We walked for five days about 115 kilometers,” she said.
Along “The Way” as it is commonly referred, pilgrims carry a credential, or passport, where they receive stamps proving that they walked at least 100 kilometers.
Once the pilgrim reaches Santiago de Compostela, they present their credential and receive their Compostela, a certificate proving that the pilgrim walked the required distance and visited St. James’ tomb for religious reasons.
My mom received her Compostela and said she found the spiritual growth she had been seeking.
“It truly was a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey for me. As we hiked up some hilly terrain, I realized I didn’t need all of the items I was carrying in my backpack and began to get rid of things to make it lighter,” she said. ”This concept of purging carried over into my spiritual journey as well when I was able with God’s help to purge myself of some things I realized I didn’t need to carry around anymore in life.”
Besides the spiritual fruit of the journey, my mom said she enjoyed the people she met along the way.
“One of the best parts of the pilgrimage was adopting a Camino family. From the start of our journey, we picked up family members as we went, like Gretchen and Nathan, and Kirby and Fabiola,” she said. “I feel like they were each God-ordained to cross our path and will be friends for life.”
My mom said she also learned a few lessons from the Camino.
“I learned that no translation is needed for a smile and that we all understand Hallelujah, amen and the greeting of Buen Camino to fellow pilgrims,” she said. “I also learned I can survive without tons of clothes, a daily shower and a private room.”
So would my mom recommend the Camino?
“Absolutely. It was a once in a life time experience. The villages, the countryside, small village churches and grand cathedrals were incredible,” she said. “Fellow pilgrims were friendly and encouraging and the idea of walking a path that millions of others over hundreds of years have walked before you is so humbling.”