Nobody walks the Camino alone

MANILA, Philippines -  Because each piece of artwork reveals the soul of its master, it can be said that art is a manifestation of faith. It is in this faith that the artist elevates his creation into the spiritual plane until the artwork becomes a tool for evangelization — to do good, to take a stand, to live and love, to move on and move up.

In the case of Fr. Manuel Leandro “Manny” Domingo Jr., his photo exhibit entitled “Buen Camino!” — recently shown at the lobby of Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati and will be mounted again in malls and museums around the Philippines soon — simply speaks and inspires the viewer to do the walk, the Camino de Santiago walk. Also known as the Way of St. James, the walk is actually a thousand-year-old pilgrimage route that culminates at the Santiago de Compostela in the Galician region of Spain, considered by Romans as the finis terrae or end of the earth. 

For 37 days, Fr. Manny walked 770 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Along the way, seeing through his heart, he clicked away his point-and-shoot 10-megapixel Canon camera. His photographs prove that anything done with a loving heart and the purest intention will surely have the touch of divinity in it. His pictures evoke of a journey enjoyed by a peregrino (pilgrim) and guided by the supreme spirit.

 “I did the Camino as a pilgrimage in honor and in the memory of my late mother, Maria Salome C. Domingo (who died on Jan. 16, 2009) and in prayer for the recovery and healing of former President Corazon C. Aquino, who at that time was very sick,” he shares. Fr. Manny says he realized that the miracle the Filipinos prayed for was not meant for the country’s Mother of Democracy’s cure but for “our healing as a nation.” (Fr. Manny recalls that the first gift he received for his priestly ordination in 1991 was from Tita Cory. From then on, he started to celebrate Mass at the Cojuangco building in Makati and on other family gatherings. At the opening of his “Buen Camino!” exhibit in Don Bosco last month, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Tita Cory’s eldest daughter, was the guest of honor who cut the ribbon.) 

Receiving plenary indulgences is common among those who have done the Camino walk. I personally learned about it when I was in Santiago de Compostela last year at the tail end of winter. To become a certified peregrino, one must walk at least 100 kilometers. Certification is issued at the cathedral of the Santiago de Compostela after presenting stamps gathered along the way of the Camino. The stamps are issued by priests in the churches visited by pilgrims along the way or by owners of refugios (inns) where pilgrims spend the night over before continuing their walk the following day. Stamps can also be had at bars where peregrinos choose to refresh themselves.

It’s still a far cry for me to be called a peregrino but still I managed to navigate the more-than-an-hour, six-kilometer sample walk that led me to the 17th-century Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

In that short distance, I walked through a breathtaking thicket, a refreshing brook, walked past storks laying eggs on top of abandoned lampposts and got my one and only stamp from the bar owner who served me a cold bottle of cerveza. The sounds and scenes — echoing and imitating the way Paolo Coelho wrote The Pilgrim — were enough for me to revel in glee. How much more for Fr. Manny, the kind and comely priest who belongs to the Salesian Community of Don Bosco, who walked 770 kilometers in 37 days?

“Without a map but guided only by yellow arrows or the scallop shell, the symbol of St. James, strategically placed along the path, I crossed the Pyrenees mountains, passed vineyards, wheat and sunflower fields, cherished shaded paths lined with beech, pine or eucalyptus trees,” says Fr. Manny. All these descriptions he captured in his photographs.

His photos on exhibit are so alive the pilgrimage scenes are jumping out of the frames, allowing the spectators to feel, too, the joy and bliss and blessedness Fr. Manny felt when he was walking his good journey. 

His pictures are hopeful and enticing, one would not feel that along the way of doing the Camino, Fr. Manny also endured the scorching sun shining gloriously over the long stretch of the Meseta in Castilla y Leon, survived the cold pouring rain from Cacabelos to Villafranca del Bierzo, braved the punishing winds up the climb to O Cebreiro, hiked cautiously through thick fog along the highway from Triacastela to Samos.

 “And then on July 31, 2009, I left Arca o Pino with so much anticipation on a cold rainy day, and with a mix of happiness, exhaustion, triumph and relief, reached the glorious Shrine of the Apostle, James the Great in Santiago de Compostela,” recalls Fr. Manny.

He adds, “When I arrived at Santiago de Compostela in the morning, I was in awe and in utter disbelief! There at the vast expanse of the Plaza do Obradoiro, with a staff in my hand, my knapsack at my back, perspiration flowing from my forehead and tears from my eyes, I beheld the magnificence of the Cathedral of Santiago! At that moment, I realized that I was not dreaming, I was living my dream!”

Each scene that Fr. Many took a photograph of as he walked the Camino reflects how he rediscovered his inner strength. “Along the way, I have learned to accept my fears, my hurts, my insecurities, my doubts as I discovered my faith, my courage, my trust and my hope. God’s presence was evident everywhere and in every step of every stage of the Camino. With blessings and surprises that came along the way, how could I not be grateful, very grateful! Indeed, the Camino was a journey of tremendous blessings for me,” relates Fr. Manny.

Fr. Manny says although he went all by himself, he never felt alone or lonely doing the pilgrimage. “As the saying goes “nunca se camina solo,” nobody walks (the Camino) alone. I believe the magic and charism of the greeting “Buen Camino” united me with my fellow pilgrims. Strangers at first but later through time and through the walk became my family.”

His photographs confirm that, indeed, Fr. Manny did not do the Camino alone. With the clear lens of his heart, he clicked away with his camera. He knew too well that in this particularly journey, he was truly traveling with God.

Buen Camino! Indeed, for Fr. Manny, it was a good journey. 

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E-mail the author at bumbaki@yahoo.com.