Sept 3: first Pilgrim's Mass

We attended our first Pilgrim's Mass today at 7:30pm.  Since we aren't Catholic and 95% of it was in Spanish, I didn't catch much of what they were saying.  However, upon entering the church, someone asked us what language we spoke and then handed us a small piece of paper that explained a little bit about the Pilgrim's Mass at the Iglesia de Santiago (Church of St. James) in Logrono.  That small sheet of paper said enough for me to want to stay throughout the entire service and get the full experience.  It went as follows (this is verbatim, so excuse any improper English :-):

"At the end of the mass there is a special blessing for the pilgrims.  For those who would like to receive the blessing, they are requested to come near to the altar.

Our beloved pilgrims, you have left your home, your family and your work, in order to engage yourselves in this lengthy journey towards the tomb of the Apostle in Compostela, imitating the millions of pilgrims who had done so in the past.  Certainly, each one of you has different intentions and motivations of taking part in this kind of activity.  All of which are righteous, though they may not be directly for a religeous cause.  But, now that you on the the Way, you can make this journey a true spiritual pilgrimage.  Your daily effort as you go along with your journey can help you to be with others, with yourselves and especially with God, thus discovering a true campanion on the Way.

In this blessing, we ask for the intercession of St. James the Apostle, that God may bless you and keep you in your journey.  And from all of us here, as your campanion in the Way, we also pledge to pray for you every day until the day that you reach your goal which is the tomb of Saint James the Apostle in Compostela."

Obviously, the majority of the people attending were pilgrims, but there were also probably around 20-30 local towns people as well.  And there regular mass wasn't until 8:30pm, so the people who were attending this 7:30pm mass really were doing it for the pilgrims.  And this Pilgrim's Mass is held every day at this church from 7:30-8:00pm.  It was nice to know that these people, even though they didn't know who we were and regardless of our nationality or background, were praying for us on this journey.  These daily Pilgrim Masses occur in almost all of the towns and cities along the Camino.  As I mentioned, this is just the first time we've been able to attend one.  I've included a couple of pictures that LInda took of the church of St. James in Logrono.