My scallop shell-symbol of the Camino

The scallop shell is the symbol of St. James, one of the twelve apostles. According to legend, after he was killed by Herod, his body was transported by ship to Padron, Spain & then on to Santiago where he was interned in the cathedral.  Consequently all the different Camino paths converge on Santiago de Compostela.

My scallop shell, a symbol of the Camino

Beatitudes of the Pilgrim

The Beatitudes of the Pilgrim is a prayer that was recited at our Shell Ceremony.  It says
“Blessed are you pilgrim,
** if you find that the Camino opens your eyes to the unseen;
** if what concerns you most is not arriving, but arriving with others;
** when you contemplate the sights of the Camino & find them full of names & new dawns;
** if your backpack empties of things, as your heart doesn’t know how to fit so many emotions;
** if you discover that a step backwards to help another is more valuable than a hundred forward without awareness of those at your side;
** when you have no words to give thanks for all the wonders in every nook of the Camino;
** if you search for the truth & make of your Camino a life, and of your life a Camino, after Him who is the Way, the Truth & the Life;
** if on the Camino you meet yourself & make yourself a gift of time without hurry, so that you may not neglect the image of your heart;
** if you find that the Camino is rich with silence & the silence is rich with prayer & the prayers are encounters with the Father that awaits you;
** because you have discovered that the true Camino begins at its end.

“Receive this concha (scallop shell), the badge of the pilgrim, that all may recognize you as a pilgrim to Santiago de Compostela.”