Author Archives: John

Christopher Shepherd-Smith SJ 1943 – 1977

Christopher Shepherd-Smith SJ  1943 – 1977 An account originally published in an older and lost version of the Raft-of-Corks Blog. Christopher Shepherd-Smith Posted on January 19, 2012 by John Fletcher There were many tales about Shepherd-Smith. It is said that “Sheppy” reacted swiftly … Continue reading

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Loving our Planet.

Loving our Planet.   “I’ve just walked 500 miles!”  You must be mad. Many pilgrims on the Camino say their friends think they are mad to try to it.  This is especially true of young people who set off for … Continue reading

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The Canyon of Caracena. Ruta de La Lana

The Canyon of Caracena.  Ruta de La Lana Isolation, challenge, awe and majesty. The Canyon of Caracena is a majestic gorge cutting through the limestone rock for over 7km.  Here is a secret landscape.  It begins in Tarancueña and ends … Continue reading

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Miracles. Two Days on the Camino Francés (2) Flying to O Cebreiro.

Miracles. Two Days on the Camino Francés (2) Flying to O Cebreiro. When your heart is in silence and sinks into God it sings. This is a story which is short and simple but gives a flavour of the sort … Continue reading

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Miracles. Two Days on the Camino Francés: Ponferrada – Hospital da Condesa (1)

Miracles.  Two Days on the Camino Francés:  Ponferrada – Hospital da Condesa (1)  Day 1. Ponferrrada – Pereje Some days a rucksack is much heavier than the day before, even though it is carrying less; and some days legs which … Continue reading

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Undoing Prejudice on the Camino (2)

Pilgrims or Tourists?  Prejudice? Not in the true Camino Spirit. In Forums on the Camino there are plenty of comments about other “pilgrims” who are not walking the Camino in its true spirit. There are some, I have heard, who … Continue reading

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Silence. Before daybreak, After Dark and in the Afternoon.

Silence.  Times when the heart listens. Before Daybreak. In 2010, a Jacobean Year, I happened to finish my Camino on October 12th, the Feast of the Virgin of the Pilar.  The Pilar is a pillar, a roman pillar on which … Continue reading

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Being yourself. “The paths that lead to life”

Being yourself.  “The paths that lead to life.” A long Camino is over 1,000,000 steps.   The first part of The Ruta de La Lana was marked, for me, by physical weariness and inner dullness.  This was so in spite … Continue reading

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Healing – using the simple Iona prayer for healing on the Camino.

Healing, a simple prayer from The Iona Community. The Camino is a place for healing. Many of us carry pebbles, stones and rocks in our hearts as well as rucksacks our backs. Walking, day after day, welds together body, mind … Continue reading

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It’s normal to cry on the Camino. The gift of tears.

It’s normal to cry on the Camino to Santiago. The gift of tears. I came across this in a Blog on the Camino to Santiago: “Then a strange thing happened. I don’t know if it was the effect of the wine … Continue reading

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