Archbishop Hicks recounts pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks completed the final 62 miles of the Camino de Santiago and celebrated the pilgrim’s Mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. In his homily, Hicks reflected on carrying his prayers and struggles along the route and walking alongside pilgrims of different ages and backgrounds as part of the Church. He said Our Lady of the Pillar points people to Jesus and emphasized that the journey of faith continues toward eternal life. Hicks said he had planned the pilgrimage for three years and was encouraged to undertake it by his predecessor, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
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New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks completed the final 62 miles of the Camino de Santiago and celebrated a pilgrim’s Mass at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral on Oct. 12. In his homily, he described the pilgrimage as a journey made with personal concerns and fellow pilgrims, and as part of a continuing journey of faith with Jesus. 1
Hicks said he walked with more than his backpack and walking gear: he brought his prayers, problems, and thoughts. He also wore a cap bearing Pope Leo XIV’s image as a sign that he was walking as a Catholic and with the Church. 1
He recalled meeting pilgrims from around the world, including an 89-year-old woman and a family traveling with a seven-month-old baby. Hicks said the gathering of pilgrims reflected the Church as a community, and described the apostle James as accompanying them along the way. 1
The Mass coincided with the Oct. 12 feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, whom Hicks described as calling people to know her Son and find salvation through Jesus Christ. He said the Camino’s completion was not the end of the journey: the journey of faith continues toward eternal life. 1
Hicks said he had planned the pilgrimage for three years but questioned whether he could fit it into his schedule. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, his predecessor as New York archbishop, encouraged him to go, saying he regretted never having made the Camino himself. 1
Hicks arrived in Spain on Oct. 4 and described the trip as a spiritual journey. He said he disconnected from social media during the pilgrimage and, after reaching Santiago, shared that he had felt Jesus walking with him throughout. 1
Santiago de Compostela is among five cities identified in the reports as having the privilege of celebrating jubilee years in perpetuity, along with Jerusalem, Rome, Santo Toribio de Liébana, and Caravaca de la Cruz. 1*
Christian pilgrimage embodies the Church’s communal journey toward salvation
A Christian pilgrimage is more than travel to a sacred place: it makes visible the Church’s shared journey toward God and the Kingdom of heaven. Since Christ’s definitive passage to the Father, the whole Christian life has become a pilgrimage, and the Church is understood as a people journeying toward heaven.
Its communal character matters. Pilgrims encounter themselves as brothers and sisters moving together toward God, while the Church’s journey is made in communion with Christ and guided by faith, hope, and love. The physical journey can therefore become a sign of the Church’s larger journey: Christians are not yet at their final homeland, but travel in hope toward it.
Pilgrimage also calls for conversion. Prayer, sacrifice, and reflection can help pilgrims recognize sin and attachments, seek God’s mercy, and return with a resolve to live more faithfully. The destination is not an end in itself; it points beyond the shrine to life with God.