Sacred Paths
Interview with the Secretary of the Brotherhood of St. James the Apostle of Madrid, Jesús Vaca
A historic brotherhood that, as Jesús explains to us, belongs to and is registered in the Church of Santiago and San Juan Bautista in Madrid and was founded over 100 years ago. It was created with the vocation of providing service and help to pilgrims making the Camino de Santiago, and of spreading the faith and spirituality that a pilgrimage to the Apostle's tomb should embody.
Every path is a life experience
1º How did the association you represent come about? What is its history?
The brotherhood belongs to and is registered with the church of Santiago and Saint John the Baptist in Madrid. It was founded more than 100 years ago and was created with the vocation of providing service and help to pilgrims who make the Camino de Santiago, as well as spreading the faith and spirituality that a pilgrimage to the Apostle's tomb should embody.
2º Tell us about your experience as a pilgrim. How do you or have you experienced doing the Camino?
My experience is spiritual, and also religious, and I live it as a transformation of the self through walking and thinking. It is true that walking helps you achieve this, as it means putting all our thoughts and doubts in order as human beings (Path of Personal Change).
3º What would you advise current pilgrims, whether young people or older ones, so they can enjoy the magic of the camino?
Enjoy the journey, and let the essence and magic of the camino flow, don’t go all tied up with reservations and schedules, and let the camino surprise you with everything it offers; that’s when you’ll feel the true magic it has over the pilgrim.
4º Why would you advise pilgrims from all over the world to walk the Madrid Camino and stay at the pilgrim hostel in Mataelpino?
I would recommend it because it’s a very little-traveled path and therefore not crowded, and it’s where the pilgrim can find themselves, since it goes across the entire Castilian plateau. It’s in these landscapes where the pilgrim deeply reflects on their most true and authentic self, and stopping to sleep at the Mataelpino hostel is to experience the genuine and humble traditional welcome that every pilgrim should explore and live.
5º According to your experience and point of view, do you think the old sense of 'welcoming' the pilgrim is being lost?
In my personal opinion, yes, because we live in times of trends, like going on the Camino de Santiago more as tourists and not as pilgrims, and the institutions, even if they want to tell us otherwise, are not really doing the work of informing, raising awareness, and spreading what it actually is: a pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostle in Santiago. And pilgrims are being attended to less and less, they're not really being explained or taught what it means to be on a pilgrimage, and there's no information about how Santiago lived and died either. Without these points, you can't fully understand the pilgrimage itself.
6º Do you think it's important to try to keep churches and chapels open at the different points and stages along the way?
Of course, most of the churches and parishes we come across on the way are usually closed, and that’s also a handicap for pilgrims and the route.
7º Do you think the Camino de Santiago is a sacred path?
Yes, what I think is that it has transformed into a more secular path.
8º Do you want to add something you think might interest our readers?
Let them live and feel the path from within themselves, and let that inexplicable magic of the path flow, experiencing it through their personal spirituality, but never losing what it is—the foundation of a pilgrimage, which involves many things, but above all is religious and spiritual.
Thanks. Buen camino !
Albergue de Acogida Tradicional de Mataelpino.
Calle de la Higuera 1. Mataelpino. Madrid
Teléfono:
+34 669 779 493
E-mail:
Localización:
Céntrico; a pie de camino
