These Holy Bones: Vol. 2-Episode 17: Camino 2025 in Review with Father Jerome

At the very end of Camino 2025, Father Jerome and I spent time discussing his pilgrimage from Burgos to Leon, and then from Sarria to Santiago--a total of 200 miles on the Camino Frances. Our discussion took place on the patio of Camino Curry, my new favorite restaurant in Santiago owned by Kamal and his family. Father Jerome's reflections spring from his deep faith in the Catholic tradition and his pastoral perspective as a Dominican priest. I enjoyed walking with him and appreciate his commitment to prayer. I think you'll enjoy this episode. 

Transcript

Robert 0:07

Hello and welcome to another episode of These Holy Bones. And my name is Robert Nerney. I'm your host, and I'm in Santiago, and I'm with Father Jerome. We spent the last three weeks on the road. And uh so Father Jerome, uh, you were interviewed three weeks ago as uh you know to discuss expectations. So tell me a little bit about your your jaunt across Spain. What sticks out most? Give me the three things that stick out most.

Fr. Jerome 0:40

Uh well, um the uh we were discussing this the other day, and uh the uh one of the things that I really appreciated was my conversation with you, which we can talk about. Uh that really solidified in my mind uh a major theme and blessing on the Camino. Uh so I'd have to go into it to explain, but that was one thing. The other thing was uh I mean I when I came here I had definite intentions, which was for blessings upon my family, upon my father, who's suffering a lot with physical illnesses and everything. I prayed for blessings on him and a relief from suffering and just for blessings on all of my sisters, her husbands and their children. So I was doing this for my family, but uh also I mean, I mean, for myself, for spiritual growth. And I mean, specifically, I'm a priest, uh, as and uh a religious, and you know, it says on my ordination card, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. I mean, that's my goal to help bring that about, that I may one day say with St. Paul, it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. So that's that's my primary intention for sure. So uh uh yeah, I trust you know it has been fruitful along those lines, spiritual progress.

Robert 2:26

And uh yeah, can you be more um specific? So when you say spirit because a lot of people that would be an abstraction, so spiritual progress. Give me give me can you c concretize that? I don't know if I can speak today.

Fr. Jerome 2:37

Well, I uh I you know I'm hoping for it. I'm not saying that I see, oh wow, I've really progressed. But uh I I believe fully that you know graces will come from this whenever whenever you pray for it and sacrifice for it, and we have been doing that. So uh I fully believe in that, but I I want to I mean to be concrete, I just you know, I I was talking to you about how uh you know, for much of my life in various ways, you know, I wanted to be a priest from a young age and I do what I think God is calling me to do in in terms of the big picture, but from a day-to-day basis I you know I try to maximize pleasure and minimize pain, and you know, uh way more than I should. So I want to move from that as a motivation for daily actions to uh really thinking, you know, what what is God calling me to do to? How can I be how can I serve God like to operate from that question and how can I be useful to us, how can I be helpful to my fellow man?

Robert 4:07

All right, that's cool. That that's that's really cool. Tell tell me what were like some of the some of the challenges that you faced over the those 200 miles that you walked?

Fr. Jerome 4:16

Um you know, I really have to say I was afraid when I came here because I was I knew about it for months in advance, and I was planning on, you know, doing a little jog or something every day. And uh I did that for a while, but then I fell off and I was like, oh no, I'm worried about these blisters, I'm worried about getting lost, I'm worried about the heat of we were looking at in advance, it looked like it was over a hundred several days in a row, and one was an 18-miler, and I thought I've never gone that far in my life. And what if it's you know over a hundred degrees? I mean, I I don't know if I'm cut out for this. And uh, you know, uh all kinds of things could be people talked about the blisters. I was really afraid of the blisters, uh uh, multiple blisters, and then going in 100 degree heat for 18 miles with multiple blisters. That just sounded like hell. Uh but uh I mean I was pleasantly surprised to be honest. I got one blister, uh and I think I could have avoided that by fully Vaselining up, which I didn't do for the first few days because I didn't know about that exactly. But uh, and even that was not, I mean, I didn't even feel it when I was walking. So uh I mean it was hard when you were there were many days when I was ready to stop and I, you know, was definitely tired at the end of the day, but uh it wasn't that bad, honestly. And uh it it was overall, it was just uh there were many pleasant things. There were inconveniences, the albergues and everything, you know. You don't have a towel, you don't want to pay for a towel, so you know, I don't know, but uh things like that, but uh uh uh I mean the the pleasantness of it over greatly outweighed the inconveniences and the little pains, honestly.

Robert 6:17

So why do you think God called you to this camino?

Fr. Jerome 6:21

Um I I think God called me. I do I do know he called me to be on this Camino, and there was one day I had never heard of the Camino before. Father John Baptist one day at breakfast said he had a friend who loves to do the Camino and has done it several times, and he's like, he thinks he might go, but he has knee problems. But you know, if he does decide to go, would I like to go? And I was like, I was honored really and surprised. I was like, yeah, definitely. It's like you know, an adventure. And uh I knew we'd be okay with his, he can speak Spanish, he has a friend who has experience and everything. I'd never do it by myself. I'd I mean, I would never even dream of that uh at the time, although now I can. But uh so and I thought, yeah, I definitely want to do that. And you know, obviously you're walking over, we walked over, I mean, we walked 200 miles. Uh you do that with the intent to come closer to Christ, and you're praying throughout the we said mass every day, and you know, there were many times I was just praying on the walk in silence, and uh, you know, nothing but good could come from that. So I I think it, you know, God intended to uh bring me closer to Himself through this Camino, and also I wasn't intending this at the beginning, but we met several others who I think those were grace-filled conversations. Uh, and uh I'll continue to pray for them and uh also my intentions for my family and for others who asked for prayers and for the intentions of my travel companions.

Robert 8:11

So, how do you take what you've learned back to the streets of Washington, D.C. That's uh that's a big question that people ask. Okay, so I I've had this profound experience on the Camino. Um, I I you know I met so many people from all over the world, and uh we got along and we had great conversations, we had meals together, we walked together for hours, and that spirit of camaraderie, um that like a real bond, caring for others, how do you bring that back to DC?

Fr. Jerome 8:41

Well, uh I as I think I mentioned in the pre-interview, and I uh I uh I didn't really have it in my wheelhouse. I had never made a pilgrimage, anything like that. I never made a real pilgrimage in my life. And I was intrigued by the whole idea of pilgrimage because it's it's really ingrained into Christian tradition, you know, we go on retreats, but like the real pinnacle is like the pilgrimage, like where which thousands of years, and you know, I think about this one in particular. I mean, there's a reason why. Basically, the whole of Spain, I mean, for thousands of years, uh people have been making this pilgrimage, and uh uh, you know, thousands and thousands of people, and there has to be real graces attached to this pilgrimage through the intercession of St. James. I mean, there's a reason why it became so popular and why it is so why even the notion of pilgrimage is so popular in Christian tradition for from the very beginning, for thousands of years, for thousands and thousands of people testify to that. So I was intrigued by that. And as I mentioned to you to you earlier on the pilgrimage, as we're praying the liturgy, it surprised me I didn't notice before how often in the liturgy of the hours, you know, the there's constant references, references to pilgrimage. Like on my pilgrimage, I you know, I'm following your law, O Lord, you know, help me on my pilgrimage, help me to get my destination. And they you know, Christian tradition sees life on earth as a pilgrimage, and you you know, you never know what the next step is when you're staying in the albergue, you know, it's inconvenient. You you don't want to waste money on the albergue because you're only going to be there for just a little time. So you're looking for a cheap albergue, and your pack, you you don't want a heavy pack, you want a light pack because again, you're just walking to your destination. So, so uh it it teaches you poverty of spirit, reliance on God's providence, but it also puts a framework in your mind. This is what life is about, you know. We're on pilgrimage to a destination, and you don't want to waste time uh at these at these places, you want to be on the road, get to your destination, and that's that's a great image for life. It's that is life. We're on pilgrimage to heaven.

Robert 11:30

Right. It's almost well, it is countercultural because in the US it's all about you know materialism and gathering and hoarding. This is the opposite. It's like, what can I get rid of? What can I give away? You know, like you say, where can I stay for a few hours and get some sleep? You know, it's not about like I own three houses and eight cars. No, it's not about that at all. You know, right.

Fr. Jerome 11:52

It also, I mean, it psychologically it works as instilling in your mind, you know, we we're on pilgrimage with a destination. Like, so you know, a lot of one thing I was honestly contemplating on the way is you know, just how I mean if if we're not if we're not if we don't have that direction in our life, and if we're not on our way towards heaven, uh if we're not thinking about the life to come, and and if we're not really moving towards that goal, I mean, you know, life is ultimately meaningless. I mean, and uh, you know, we I'll bring up some conversations we had, like you were talking about others who are like, oh, this guy is crushing it in the gym, and this guy is crushing it in real estate, and like, you know, uh okay, but if that's not going to help you get to heaven, like it is meaningless in the end. And um, and uh the uh this is where I'll bring out our conversation, but I was depressed at one point just thinking about it. Seems to me how uh a lot of human life for people in general is without direction and it's ultimately without meaning. Uh and uh they're not thinking we're on pilgrimage, consciously at least. Um and uh you know uh it's so helpful to have that in your mind that we need to be walking with direction, you know, towards our destination, or otherwise it is meaningless. But I like what you said. You we were having this conversation. I was a little depressed at the time, like like just how looking around it seems like the consciousness that you know of the life to come and of the real meaning of life is just not present uh in the world. We live in such a materialistic world where you know uh by way of by way of analogy, it's like how can I maximize my tiny little stay at the Sal Berge and make it, you know, as pleasant as possible is so short-lived. But um but you were saying how well what does it look like to make progress towards that destination? And uh I was saying, well, I think that first of all, it it requires consciousness of you know a destination which determines your your direction and everything. And but you said okay, that's one way of looking at it, but another way of looking at it is you know, just growth and and like knowledge of the other, like who you're walking with, like who's at your side or who's who happens to be, you know, not according to your intent, but by divine providence, you know, walking with you at this time. And how can I, you know, see the other as other and love the other as other. And you know, a lot of people do do that, like uh on the pilgrimage, you see that uh and uh you experience that. I personally experience I received that many times on the pilgrimage. Uh and uh, you know, Christ works through that. He's always he's always at work uh offering, you know, to uh a fuller the greater fullness of life in ways like that, with or without consciousness. And uh I I I think uh that really affected me. I mean the experience of it and you know, with or I I'm a philosopher and a Dominican and everything, so I you know, if I I'm in my mind a lot, obviously, which is good, that's part of our vocation. But uh to to see how Christ uh meets people where they're at and without words uh uh encounters them uh in various ways. Uh that I did I did see that more and and uh it was beautiful.

Robert 16:39

No, it is beautiful. No, and I know that you and Father um Father Coo, you know, you you had a chance to really uh have some long conversations. So I I I felt like uh that was a good thing also that you guys I mean you live together back in DC, but I'm sure you don't want to spend this kind of time uh discussing different uh thoughts and different um premises. And uh it was a joy to walk with both of you. And it was a great blessing, uh one of the greatest blessings of my life to have mass every day on the Camino and to discuss, you know, uh the our faith and it deepen my faith. So I appreciate um I'm glad you said yes to uh Father Coo. It would have been a different um experience if we're you know, just the two of us, Coo and myself. Um would you recommend it to other people or would you are you let's would you recommend it?

Fr. Jerome 17:33

Yes.

Robert 17:34

And would you ever do it again?

Fr. Jerome 17:37

Uh yeah, if I do it again, uh I well, I wouldn't do the same thing again just because I'm like that. Like I only watch movies once and everything else. So uh but uh I I mean it would be I think years from now, I'd have to save up for it, honestly, or get donors or something. Uh but I would like to do the one from Saint Jean. Not next year, but maybe a few years from now.

Robert 18:07

Right.

Fr. Jerome 18:08

Yeah, that that would be St.

Robert 18:09

St. Jean to Santiago.

Fr. Jerome 18:10

The whole thing.

Robert 18:11

Okay, yeah, 500 miles.

Fr. Jerome 18:13

But that would take time and maybe, you know, yeah, when I have a sabbatical or something, but it would take time and money. Right, right. Uh so which would be a few years in the making. I would like to do that one day, yes.

Robert 18:27

Alright, that's fine. That's good. It's like that, uh yeah, that's that's awesome. Any last words?

Fr. Jerome 18:35

Uh no, I just well, uh there was there were several individuals that I'll mention by name. I mean, there was uh Julie, there was Yella and Lawrence, uh Koss and Kirsten, uh, and uh some others, but I will be I will be continually thinking about them and praying for them. So I don't know if they happen to listen to this. Oh it's Juan Pablo. Juan Pablo awesome. Uh uh I'll be thinking and praying for them.