Equestrian Order of s. Sepulchre - Finland

PILGRIMAGE TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA BY THE FINNISH LIEUTENANCY


In 2009 the Knights, the Ladies and the friends had several already traditional activities and events. The yearly retreat took place in the Bridgettine Convent in Tallinn in early February, our bishop Teemu Sippo, the Grand Prior of the Finnish Lieutenancy, giving the meditation. The Bridgettine sisters provided, as always, a peaceful, warm environment for the retreat weekend. In September a gala dinner, as in the preceding year, took place in the Italian Embassy. The income of this event added substantially to the net funds to be sent to the Holy Land. The series of the so called “home seminars” hosted by each Knight or Lady in his or her turn provided a good opportunity to discuss and deepen the understanding and the content of being a Knight or a Lady in our Order.
The main event of 2009 for the Finnish Lieutenancy was the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. When the Finnish knights and ladies were on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2007, the unanimous decision was made there and then to head the next pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The West Spanish Lieutenancy was very helpful in planning the trip, which took place in October 2009.
The group from the Finnish Lieutenancy chose the so called Portuguese route, which is one of the five main official routes, the same route which is believed to have been followed by “Prophet Jacob” himself. This route is more than 100 kilometers long, well above the minimum of 100 kilometers, which is the official requirement. The pilgrimage started from Santa Maria Cathedral in the Spanish town Tui, close to the northern border of Portugal. During the pilgrimage there was heavy, almost continuous rain, sometimes even thunder, sometimes the pilgrims walked in a half meter deep brook that used to be a path. However, the weather was warm and the local people were very supportive towards the determined pilgrims.

The highpoint of each day was the mass, either held in a small chapel, a big church or a cathedral. Another daily highpoint was the dinner together. Events of the day, thoughts of why each one was attending the pilgrimage, the inner feelings during the daily walk, the good moments and also the inevitable bad ones, the tiredness and physical strain, all this was discussed during the dinner in the evening.
The pilgrimage ended in the beautiful, old cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, built in 1078. There the statue of Saint Jacob welcomed the tired, but happy pilgrims.