From: John
Rafferty
Coordinator
Camino Chaplaincy
Cathedral of Santiago de
Compostela
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| +Ralph meets Pope Francis |
Camino Chaplaincy – priests,
lay workers, religious and even a Bishop
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| Giving the Pilgrims' Blessing |
From May – October 2014 15 priests, 3 lay workers and 23 religious
volunteered to minister in the Camino Chaplaincy. Some responded to a public
advertisement, others through word of mouth. All seemed to enjoy themselves.
All seemed to get out more than they put in. One applicant was Fr Ralph Heskett
CSsR , formerly Bishop of Gibraltar and recently appointed by Pope Francis as
Bishop of the English diocese of Hallam. +Ralph has just left having spent two
weeks as the priest chaplain saying daily Mass and hearing pilgrims’
confessions. He also took time to think, advise and pray about the future
development of the ministry. The way forward described here is a result of
these reflections plus discussions with the Dean of Cathedral.
Chaplain 2015
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| Fr Joe at the pilgrims' wedding |
I am very pleased to announce that Father Joe Coghlan will lead
the Camino Chaplaincy for an extended period during 2015. Fr Joe served in the
Chaplaincy for almost 5 weeks in May 2014, during which time he said daily Mass
and provided the Sacrament of Reconciliation as well as simply
spending time chatting to pilgrims about their experiences. He even officiated
at the wedding of two pilgrims from Australia who got married when they arrived
from walking the Camino Frances. He is
an experienced pilgrim and has been awarded the Compostela various times. Fr
Joe’s studies included time in Salamanca, Madrid and Ireland. He is a qualified
and experienced Spiritual Director. He holds a first degree in Celtic Studies
as well as a BD. His higher
qualifications include an MSc in Management, a Higher Diploma in Education and
a Diploma in the History of European Art.
Fr Joe served in parish ministry for many years as well as
being the Chaplain to University College Cork for 10 years and Diocesan Education
Secretary. Fr Joe is fluent in Irish about which he is passionate. He
is also fluent in English and Spanish and is also comfortable saying Mass in
French, Italian and German.
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| Don Segundo |
The Archbishop of
Santiago de Compostela, Don Julian Barrio Barrio and Don Segundo Pérez López
the Dean of the Cathedral have welcomed this development. Don Segundo said
yesterday: “ During 2014 Fr Joe became a valued member of the team in the
Cathedral and we very much appreciated his work with English speaking pilgrims.
I am delighted he will return to lead the Camino Chaplaincy in 2015 for a much
longer period.”
The
Camino Chaplaincy 2014
- Thanks to everyone so far
We opened the “Chapel for English Speakers” in the Cathedral
of Santiago on the Thursday before Palm Sunday 2014. We dedicated it as a place
of prayer and reflection in the midst of this bustling Cathedral and since that
Wednesday the chapel has been open every day with morning Mass followed by an
opportunity for pilgrims to remain in the chapel, to visit it again during
their stay in Santiago or to go for coffee and a chat. Many did all three!
This service will continue unbroken until the middle of
October. This could not have been possible without the commitment of volunteer
priests, lay people and the many religious who mostly came for short periods of
6 days or so. Thank you to everyone.
In addition to daily Mass and confessions the Chaplaincy arranged
one pilgrim wedding, a baptism, a Memorial Mass following the air disaster on
the flight from Amsterdam and visits by many groups. The Chapel is also a place
where pilgrims have written and left a mountain of petitions. These are prayed
for everyday at Mass and this will continue until they are finally destroyed
after the last Mass of the Chaplaincy on 16 October. Thank you to everyone who helped to develop this ministry in
2014.
Lesson learned in 2014
– looking forward
Pilgrims who walk to Santiago often only stay for a few
days. They either walk on to Finisterre or other places or fly back home.
Tourists visiting the city often stay for longer. This year it is predicted that
close to 240,000 pilgrims will walk or cycle a Camino route to Santiago. However
the city also attracts several million other visitors each year. The Camino
Chaplaincy is there for all English speakers visiting Santiago. The experience of
this year has shown that the longer ministers are able to spend in Santiago the
more consistency there is in the liturgy and style of the Chaplaincy. This is
clearly reflected in Mass attendances and the numbers going to confession.
Therefore we are delighted that Fr Joe Cochlan will provide that continuity as
priest in 2015.
Also going forward we will invite applications from a small
number of suitably qualified and experienced Pastoral Workers who hold a Compostela and who can
commit to living in Santiago and working with the Chaplaincy for a minimum period of one month, and in
exceptional circumstances two weeks. Further
information about how to apply will be available later in the year.
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