2024

 And so my reflections arrive at last at 2024! This is actually day 28 of walking, because I've had a couple of extra reflections on this blog which were tucked in between the annual ones. 

When I first planned to walk the Camino the 25 days for 25 years seemed perfect. Then I realised that I might need a few extra days (I've got 33 on the ground in Spain), but I still secretly thought I'd crush the walking part and have time to arrive in Santiago, walk to Finisterre, and maybe even walk back to Santiago. 

But one thing the Camino has taught me is humilty (and I'll write more on this later I think). I thought that as an experienced hiker and with my natural walking speed it would all be a piece of cake. But the ankle injury on day 2 which almost sent me home slowed me down, and as the ankle healed the constant blisters took over. But the blisters are now manageable, and I think I'll be able to finish strong. 

And the finishing line is in sight: today we passed the 100km marker, and as I write I've got only 80km to go. 

Today is also a near end marker because I have now split from my group of young friends (though I might catch up with them again). The weather today is awful, with increasing wind and rain through the afternoon. As we were warned, a lot of places book out at this end of hte camino, and we started to run out of options of where to stay. There were twin rooms available for 80 euro on booking.com at a roadside stop and I decided to take one, but the rest of the group refused to pay 40 euro each and in an act of youthful bravado or something are continuing on to the next town 13km away without any guarantee that there will be beds available there, as they get fewer and fewer as the afternoon goes on. So while I am now showered and dry I'm watching the awful weather outside and really hoping that they'll find somewhere and be OK. Perhaps people in their twenties have a higher appetite for the adventure of not knowing where they'll end up than do 52 year olds. We all walk our own Camino. So we said goodbye at the roadside, just in case I don't catch them up. It's been a great 10 or so days, though it feels like so much longer. 

Of course, time does feel different here. My sister Helen was saying to me that all of my adventure here will feel like a significant amount of time, while back home, it's only been one month. And it is only one month tomorrow (depending when you're reading this) since I flew out to Spain. Wow, so much has happened, and I think the discipline of the daily blog posts helps me to be attentive to all that is happening, both outwardly and inwardly, which is why time seems to move so deliciously slowly. 

So 2024. I had this all planned out. The OLHC building was due to be completed in June (originally April), and factoring in a month or two of delays I still figured that we could move in, have the opening, I'd have my 25th anniversary, and then take this long service leave to celebrate and have a break. 

Of course, the delays at OLHC have been greater than expected, so I'll be coming home before it's finished. In all of this Deacon Richard Houwing has been the hero. In his role as business manager he has taken up more and more of the responsibility for the building process and its eventual handover, so that I can quite easily be away and not need to be concerned with it. He's doing a phenomenal job, and I am very grateful to him. 

I am also grateful to everyone in the parish for the celebration of my 25th anniversary this year. I am grateful that I was able to spread it out over every Mass across two weekends so that I could say "thank you for the privilege of being your pastor" to everyone in the parish. And I am so grateful and humbled by the generosity and kindness of everyone who gave me a gift to help me on my way on the Camino. Thank you one and all. 

I did have two special celebratory events. One was to have lunch with Bishop David Walker who ordiained me and has been such a contstant source of support and inspiration, and Fr Vince Casey who was my first parish priest at St Agatha's, who showed me how to be a priest and how to lead. 

The other was to have Mass and dinner with my close friends whom I met in my initial years at St Agatha's, and with their children. When I was at St Agatha's I was in my late 20s, and they were in their early to mid 20s so it was easy to strike up friendships, and then to continue them beyond the parish. These were the people I ministered to and with, as they became youth group and young adult group leaders. There were other great young adults at St Agatha's at the time, but I wanted to or needed to limit it to this small group who fit along one table at Penno Pub for dinner. Mass was beautiful, and the kids, all of whom I love and have watched grow up did the ministries of the Mass. My friends here, David and Rachel, Luke and Justine, Nato & Rattana and Matt have kept the faith and are passing it on to their children. I couldn't be more proud.