President Harris’ Perspective

On our last day walking the Way of St. James, we entered the city together and celebrated mass with our fellow pilgrims from all over the world at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. University Ministry Chaplain Father Gregory McGivern, was the co-celebrant at the mass and the spirit of that moment was joyful.

It was also bittersweet. The Camino had been such a wonderful and impactful experience, and while we all were looking forward to returning to our family and friends back home, in that moment, we also recognized that we would likely never be together as a group again.

In the days and weeks that have followed, the group has stayed connected through a group chat where we continue to share our thoughts on how the Camino impacted each of us.

For me, the impact of the Camino was not immediately clear, and I have found it difficult to frame and articulate my thoughts.

That was until one morning when I woke up to a text from a dear friend (who I have known for over 30 years). He sent me a message asking three questions.

Did God meet you on your walk? What did you learn? How will you proceed differently?

These three simple questions were on my mind as I went to mass that morning.

So, did we meet God on our walk? I feel that we did. He was present when people greeted complete strangers with a smile and a kind “Buen Camino” along the way. He was present when we walked in silence, praying for our own intentions or for others. He was present when as a group we celebrated special life moments together as if we were family, even though many of us had never met before the Camino. And his presence was felt in each church we visited, each stream we crossed, and every forest we entered.

So, what did I learn? Probably my biggest takeaway has been that creating a sense of community is still possible, even within a diverse group of people who don’t know each other well. However, it doesn’t come easy and requires work. First, having a common mission or common goal matters. On the Camino we had a clear mission: Walk nearly 60 miles to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where the remains of St. James rest.

The strong sense of community we developed was accomplished because we took the time to truly accompany others along the way. That required spending time together and listening to each other, in a deliberate way. The author, Dr. Stephen R. Covey once described this type of deliberate listening as “seeking to understand before being understood.” During our daily walks on the Camino we spent time engaging our fellow pilgrims in conversations that were deeper than just a daily recap of the day. We had the luxury of time, something that seems to be missing in everyday life. Walking together every day for many hours, often without cell phone coverage, gave us the gift of time and we all seemed to put it to good use.

The third question – “how will you proceed differently?” – is easier said than done. For me, I believe the first step will be to build more time in my schedule to reflect and take a step back. This will require me to separate myself from my phone and other devices for extended periods of time. During the Camino my phone usage dropped dramatically. I don’t recall spending much time scrolling through reels or other feeds that distract me. One thing I plan to do is try to not be so distracted, and focus my attention on what really matters, truly connecting with others and working to build a sense of community everywhere the “Buen Camino” of life takes me.