Author: Thom

Today was largely a walk from one river valley to the next. It ended up being the hottest day yet, and by the time I arrived at my gîte, I may very well have had heat exhaustion. Once again, I started early. This time, I managed a sit-down breakfast of yogurt and pain au chocolat before leaving at just before […]

Today I once again decided to leave early – just before 6 AM – to try to beat the afternoon heat. This time, however, I had a pain au chocolate in my hand. After a moment of panic at not being able to find an unlocked door to get out of my gîte, I finally found a door I hadn’t […]

Last night’s dinner included a regional specialty called aligot. I can’t decide whether this is cheesy mashed potatoes or potato-y cheese. The consistency is really odd, but it’s awfully good. Met a couple of new pilgrims including Alex from Sweden who is also walking all the way to Santiago. I also met an Anglican priest from Connecticut named Merrick. He […]

Domaine du Sauvage sits in the middle of Gévaudan, a remote region only sparsely inhabited until the 19th century. I left there about 5:45 in the morning in the dark, with the full panoply of the Milky Way visible overhead. Even today it seems isolated, and I can well imagine the terror that the beast would have inflicted amongst the […]

Today was a story of unexpected grace and of seizing opportunities.  Last night I had dinner with several French pilgrims, and we discussed the logistics of today’s walk. Specifically, we talked about how to best beat the heat while also dealing with the fact that there is very little in the way of support today.  We learned that one of […]

Woke up early, much to my surprise, but it meant that I was packed and ready to go in plenty of time to pray lauds before breakfast began at 6:45.  Had my first communal breakfast at a gîte and learned some things. In France (or, perhaps, in this region of France) at breakfast coffee comes in bowls. I heartily approve […]

Last night’s dinner in the seminary refectory was my first real chance to sit down and talk with French pilgrims. Well, I say “talk” but we probably only had fifty words in common between two languages and the six of us. None of them are going to be on the trail for more than two weeks, and some for considerably […]

I slept like a rock. After a breakfast of black coffee and fresh bread in the refectory, my first stop was the cathedral. There I gave thanks for having safely arrived in Le Puy, prayed lauds, and then the morning Mass. It was celebrated simply but beautifully, and since we sang the Latin Mass parts I could sing along. The […]

Today the Lord saw fit to begin my pilgrimage with an exercise in humility, patience, and trust. As I write this I am on an air-conditioned train racing the sunset to Le Puy. I flew standby from Heathrow to Lyon, arriving approximately six hours after I had intended. It was a near thing: I didn’t know I was going to […]

Yesterday I received the traditional pilgrim blessing at my parish of Saint Patrick from our pastor Rev. David Mulholland on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This was the first time I received this blessing from the same person twice, which probably says quite a lot about the number of parish transitions we’ve been through over […]