Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Our last couple days were pretty hectic. We drove the Camino twice over first getting Bryan to Pamplona and then getting interviews in Carrion de los Condes and Astorga in one day. In total, the last two working days, we drove 14hrs. Our last two interviews were the founder and President of the Camino Federation, and a young pilgrim that Elena had met a year ago who was walking the Camino for the third time at only the age of 22. It was a very successful last day and provided me with a nice capstone to a difficult but rewarding experience. I can rest well on our 40 total interviews.
That being said, this would never have been possible without the myriad other people who participated. I want to especially thank the team, Bryan and Elena. They took on a project that was not their idea, showed an amazing amount of dedication, and really went above and beyond the call working long hours under often-ridiculous conditions. This project would not have been possible without the people and organizations that sponsored us. They believed in our shared vision and helped to build something bigger than all of us. Also, thank you to everyone who read this blog, prayed for us, or even thought about us along the way. It takes more than money and a team to keep this project going. Knowing that there is a community of people behind us makes all the difference.
However, the project unavoidably ran over budget. If you are able, please click the donate button at the top of the page and give what you can. We accomplished a lot but keeping a team going for four weeks takes more resources than we could have imagined. Please help if you are able.
It is often said that religion is dying in Europe. Church attendance is through the floor. Something like 94% of Spaniards claim to be Catholic, but hardly any of them attend mass on Sundays. Churches are starved for both congregation and pastors. The official statistics and the impressions of people on the Camino point to the fact that young people walked the pilgrimage increasingly for tourism and adventure, while it is the older pilgrims that walk for the spiritual reasons. This would seem to fit with the general trend of flagging religious fervor on the continent that gave the world Augustine, Luther, and Wesley.
However, in my mind, there is more to it than simply that. In October, I was able to visit the Taize community. Here, every weekend throughout the year and every week during the summer young Christians from around Europe and the world flood in by the bus load to worship, pray, and spend time in fellowship together as young Christians on a continent that seems to have no young Christians left. Taize handles up to 10,000 people a week at its peak during the Easter season, and most of these are young people. This relates to our work on the Camino because over half of the young people that we interviewed cited a religious motivation despite often pointing out that most young people are not similarly motivated. We may have just interviewed unusually spiritual young people, but I think that there is more there. The Christian apologist C.S. Lewis talks about humanity’s innate need for God, and these places and times of pilgrimage in Europe seem to bring that fore bringing out people even those who feel solely motivated by adventure to come into the space of something greater. Religion itself may not be thriving in Europe but pilgrimage by young people is and continues to grow. Maybe, this is a sign of things to come – a different future for faith in Europe than is currently predicted by the statistics.
For the Young People on the Camino project, this is Trey Comstock signing off wishing everyone a Buen Camino. Check back here in August for the first rough cut of the documentary.
