New beginnings ...

Welcome to my blog! Okay, so I figure I must be the last one through the door at this point ... it's taken me a long time to make the jump and join the rest of you out here in the "blogosphere," but here I am at last. I'm not sure that I have much to offer that others can't set forth in a clearer, more concise and convincing way, but there are a lot of interesting folks out here (some of whom you can find in the Blog List to the right) and now finally seemed like the right time to get in on the conversation. Plus, this gives family and friends another way to keep up with what on earth I'm doing.

But the biggest reason of all for starting this blog is that I'm (once again) setting out on a brand new adventure, and I'd like to invite everyone to have a look at it. A new apostolate, Pilgrim Pathways S.L., made it's official debut at the end of April!

What's Pilgrim Pathways, you ask? The answer is so easy and, at the same time, so complicated to give you. At the most basic level it's the company I've put together with some friends, so it's my new job. But job doesn't even begin to cover my dreams for Pilgrim Pathways. It's not just a job; it's a full-time apostolate centered around pilgrim spirituality in the Catholic tradition that I hope to develop in order to share with others the extraordinary experiences I have had, as well as the numerous graces that God has granted me, in my many pilgrimages along the Camino de Santiago.

When I set off down the Camino de Santiago for the first time some 13 years ago, I knew that my life was going to change in ways I couldn't even begin to fathom, and, boy, has that played out! Not only did I move to Spain ten years ago as a result of that first experience, but I set out on an entire process deepening and bringing to fullness the conversion that began when I was 16 years old and first became Catholic. The last ten years have witnessed a long, and sometimes difficult, process of growth. Faith, now matter how fervent in its initial stages, must deepen and mature if it is to survive, and that process always implies suffering. "As silver is tried by fire, and gold in the furnace: so the Lord trieth the heart" (Proverbs 17). I'll be sharing some of my experiences with you along the way as this blog develops.

But the most important change is the step that I've taken with Pilgrim Pathways. If you've never heard of the Camino de Santiago, I'll be telling you more about it here. For now, I invite you to check out the web page of Pilgrim Pathways for yourself. There I explain the origins, traditions, and the history of the pilgrimage. Hey, if you want to brush up that high school Spanish, I've even prepared the page in that language. And if you think you'd like to make the journey, contact me! It's the most amazing pilgrimage in the world, and I guarantee you an experience like you've never had before. I'll be adding new itineraries and modifying the existing ones too, so if you like what you see but it doesn't quite fit you or your group's needs, just get in touch! I'll be happy to arrange something that adapts to your schedule and budget.

You can find the page at www.pilgrimpathways.com. And please let me know what you think. God bless!