09/19/2026
Day 11: Our pilgrims made it to Santiago de Compostela yesterday, and had a special treat today. Traditionally, pilgrims would keep walking for a few days and finish their pilgrimage at the lighthouse at Finisterre. In Biblical times Finisterre, which means, "the End of the World," was thought to the be the end of the Earth......which was how far St. James was prophesied to spread the Gospel in Acts 1:8. After 7 days of hiking, the pilgrims hopped on a bus with their tour guide Adrian, and spent the day visiting places on the way to Finisterre. They started off in the city of Muros seeing the old city, the boats in the port, and the Church of Santa Maria do Campo. Next they visited the beautiful Ezaro Waterfall and had time to do a little shopping and have a coffee. After a little more time on the bus, they reached Finisterre. They traveled to the lighthouse after a delicious lunch full of fresh seafood.
All of the lighthouses in Spain have been automated, so no one works in the lighthouse anymore. The pilgrims have been following markers that were counting down how many kilometers it was to reach the Cathedral in Santiago, but the 0 km marker is not there, it is actually in Finisterre. Our pilgrims all got photos with the 0 km marker :-) After taking in the incredible view and some reflection time, the pilgrims hopped back on the bus for one more stop at Ponte Maceira. They saw a very old manor, mill, chapel, and bridge that were built in the 13th century. Legend tells us that St. James' apostles crossed the bridge when on the run from Roman legionaries with his decapitated body and it collapsed by divine intervention. The bridge was later rebuilt on the original Roman pillars. After a full day of sightseeing, the pilgrims returned to Santiago. Father Vogel celebrated a private Mass for them in the Church of Saint Mary Salome, which was very special as it is the only church in the entire country of Spain that she is the patron of. She is one of the 3 Mary's mentioned in the gospels, the mother of St. James and St. John, the wife of Zebedee. After a beautiful Mass, the pilgrims found a restaurant and enjoyed a lovely meal together.
