Library to host El Camino de Santiago program
Javier Fernandez
On Wednesday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m., the Dover Public Library will host a virtual program titled El Camino de Santiago featuring Javier Fernandez, who, as a sophomore in high school, trekked across the northern country of Spain with his uncle and cousin.
Fernandez will show the equipment, routes and passport used for the journey. He also will talk about the people they met and the memories they made along the way.
El Camino de Santiago, known in English as the Way of St. James, is actually a network of dozens of paths or roads that lead to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Northwestern Spain. Tradition tells the remains of St. James the Great are buried in a special shrine located beneath the main altar of the cathedral.
It is said the apostle James traveled all over the northwestern regions of Spain, preaching the Gospel before returning to Rome, where Herod Agrippa ordered him beheaded in 44 AD. The path he took became an important pilgrimage for Christians in the late Middle Ages, as were the routes to Rome and Jerusalem.
Medieval Christians made the journey, hoping to receive an indulgence that would guarantee their place in Heaven.
Today, pilgrims still travel the various routes for religious reasons, but many hiking and cycling enthusiasts also embark on The Way of St. James. The most traditional route begins in St. Jean Pied de Port, France and covers the 500 miles to Compostela.
Pilgrims follow the symbolic shell that is prominently displayed all along the route and on the clothing and gear of the pilgrims. In order to get the official Certificate of Completion, they must prove they have walked (not biked) at least 100 kilometers of the pilgrimage.
They must get their special Camino passport stamped in towns along the way to prove their progress. In 2019 nearly 350,000 people made the journey. Because 2021 marks the Jubilee of the Camino de Santiago, it is expected that number will be surpassed.
Fernandez is a graduate of Dover High School and Miami University. He will continue his studies at the Ohio State University in the fall.
Go to www.doverlibrary.org/register or email Sherrel Rieger at srieger@doverlibrary.org to receive a Zoom invitation. For more information call the Dover Public Library at 330-343-6123.