Fr Jim's Blog

 In 2001 I learned one the most important lessos of my life. I had to move on from St Agatha's Pennant Hills to a new appointment at Toukley. St Agatha's had been my only experience of life as a priest, yet I somehow knew that I had to be decisive with saying goodbye so that I could be as completely present to my new parish as I had been in my last.  One of the last weekends was with the young adults group pictured below on retreat, as many of these young adults took up leadership of their groups.  But a challenge was that I had been accompanying a single mother with young kids who was dying of cancer. I visited and prayed often, but in my final week I said goodbye to her, and told her that Fr Vince would now be looking after her.  A couple of weeks after I arrived at Toukley she died, and her family called me and asked me to do the funeral. I apologised and told them that  I was now in another parish and that Fr Vince would do the funeral wonderfully (which was true). Ten minu

Today I engaged in the Camino spirit, waking up starting walking, not knowing where I would end up. Zubiri, 20km on was a popular choice for many of us, but having arrived there by 11am a few of us decided to go on to the next town of Larrosoana. But first, fellow pilgrim Mikey and I had been talking about finding somewhere to swim and spotted the Arga River and had refreshing dip.  And so, what I hope will be the routine began: walk for a couple of hours, stop somewhere for morning tea with fellow pilgrims, walk some more, random conversations as the groups of pilgrims merge and change, lunch, then stop at the albergue, which without having booked, has a bed available. The afternoon was handwashing clothes, resting, then wandering down to a local cafe for dinner. Tonight Mikey and Emily taught me a new card game, and I'll be ready for bed soon. The Year 2000 was a fantastic year for me at St Agatha's where I learned how to take initiative and lead. I had done the Arrow Program

 Today the Camino began. And it's off to a great start.  There was some nervousness about the weather with a thunderstorm and a lot of rain forecast, which would be difficult in the 1300-1400m section. I decided to check the weather forecast first thing in the morning, but I heard people start walking with their backpacks and poles at 5am!  So I began. In darkness, because the sun doesn't rise in Spain till 7.30am due to being on the same timezone as most of Europe. The road began to climb and climb. There should have been spectacular views, but I was in the midst of cloud, and it was so foggy and misty I expected to find the ghost of Heathcliff. Instead, I met (and overtook) many many pilgrims from around the world with varying levels of English. So I would greet with hello, either chat in reply, or give the standard "Buen Camino" and walk on.  There was a cafe in a little town called Orisson about a third of the way up, which was great for a coffee, and then, the he

Tonight I am in St Jean Pied de Port - literally St John at the foot of the pass - the traditional starting point for the "French Way" or Camino Frances.  Again, the connections by train from Madrid to Pamplona and by bus from Pamplona to here went off without a hitch. These were my concerns in lead up, so now, I feel like I've arrived and I am ready to start.  SJPDP is beautiful. It's everything I imagine an historic French village to be with a steep cobblestone street, 18th century houses and hotels built right to the roadway with pots of flowers on open shuttered balconies.  Pictured here are my first Camino friends Lesley and Lindy from South Australia, and then me with a bad selfie in front of the archway of the old walled town through which all pilgrims walk.  Lesley and Lindy and I celebrated arriving in one piece with lunch and champagne.  Tonight I went to the pilgrim Mass in the 14th century church which concluded with a blessing for all the pilgrims, which

  Some say the Camino begins when you walk out your front door. Some say it begins when the idea of it is born in your heart. That all seems a bit whimsical for me. I think the Camino will begin when I take the first step across the bridge in St Jean Pied de Port, and that won't be until Thursday.  So what of these three days of travelling to get to that point? They're preparation, so perhaps a good opportunity for me to reflect on the preparation which came before my ordination 25 years ago.  I began my seminary formation at St Patrick's College Manly in 1992. I had no idea what I was in for - nobody ever does if you're open for the Holy Spirit to do whatever God wants to do. We speak of formation , not of training  for priesthood, because it's much more than just learning a few skills. It's the stretching and shaping of the whole person.  Two really important areas of my growth during seminary were not on the curriculum, but they were things which I'd neve

In 2016 I had an 8 week live-in sabbatical at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska (earlier posts on this blog are from my time in Omaha). At the start of that year I was filling out my application form for the college dorm and I had the option of a shared suite (own bedroom and shared bathroom / kitchenette / lounge) or to get a single suite for an additional cost. The diocese was paying. Nobody would know if I chose the single room. Nobody would ask why. And I was tempted to choose the single room. After all, it would be a risk to share an apartment with a random stranger for 8 weeks.  But I chose to share. I try to use other people's money wisely, including the diocese's (or the parish's). And even though it can be a challenge to share with a stranger, it is good to stretch myself in that way.  I sent in the application and thought no more about it, until the week before I arrived I got a confirmation email telling me my room number and the name of my roommate, a clea

It's almost mandatory for anybody who goes hiking or does the Camino that they do a video or a blog post about what they packed in their backpack. So here's mine. This is everything I am wearing and taking with me.  It all fits in one backpack and weighs 6kg, though a full water bottle will add an extra kilogram.  The Camino is different to a wilderness hike where I've got to take everything I might ever need and for every contingency. But the Camino is a walk though towns, villages and cities, so there is plenty of opportunity to buy supplies, meaning I can err on the side of packing light.  What am I bringing? The only extras I am bringing is a bluetooth keyboard so I can type easily for this blog. A journal. A kindle. Swimming goggles. There rest is just the basics. Two sets of clothes. Sandals to wear at night after walking all day.  What am I not taking? A sleeping bag. All I'm taking is a sleep liner as it will be warm for at least the first couple of weeks. No ju

 For years I have been fascinated by the Camino de Santiago, the ancient 800km pilgrimage route across northern Spain. But my interest has been tempered by the question of why bother ? Why go to the expense and distance and jetlag of going to Europe? If I want to walk 800km, why not just walk to Melbourne? Friends of mine who had always wanted to walk the Camino but whose plans were stymied by 2020-21 lockdowns developed the  Camino de Sydney – A pilgrimage of discovery (wordpress.com)  as a practical alternative.  My sister Rosemary also thought of doing the camino with me, but our mother's health, the covid lockdowns and ultimately the realisation that our walking speeds and our taste in accommodation would be vastly incompatible put paid to our plans.  Finally, I had an inkling that the Camino might be worth doing to mark my 25th anniversary as a priest in 2024. But the earlier question remained - why? I didn't feel the same excitement and draw I felt about any other holiday