Along with other pilgrims, Diocese of Owensboro seminarians Tommy Rhodes and Wes Wheatley stand in front of the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, which is the concluding point of El Camino de Santiago, which they walked in summer 2025. COURTESY OF TOMMY RHODES
A place of rest and refuge
Seminarians journey toward God while walking the Camino
BY TOMMY RHODES, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
“Blessed the man who finds refuge in you, in their hearts are pilgrim roads.” -Ps. 84:6
In our lives, we face moment after moment of decisions, challenges, and change. Each choice we make and each step we take creates a path that is unlike any other, a journey unique to the individual. No matter what words you use to describe it, we all enter into moments that extend beyond the plans we make or the paths we trek. This universal experience lies at the heart of human life and defines the idea of pilgrimage. Every person is a pilgrim navigating the foreign lands of life, traveling from one moment to another, unsure of where the next step may lead, trusting in the path, knowing there is a destination in which we may find rest and refuge from the journey. This is especially relevant in this Jubilee Year of 2025 as we are called to renew ourselves as “Pilgrims of Hope.”
At the close of my Propaedeutic Year of formation at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, I was blessed to embark on a pilgrimage to follow The Way of St. James, known as El Camino de Santiago, in Spain. With my backpack on, passport in hand, and no idea what I was setting out to experience, I left the Holy Hill of Saint Meinrad for Spain.
The Way of St. James is one of the most popular pilgrimage routes, its destination being the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, where the tomb of the apostle St. James the Greater remains to this day. It became a destination for pilgrims to visit in a spirit of penance and devotion. As the tradition grew, routes began to develop and have now been well established, from Roman trade roads to well-marked paths.
We began our journey in Sarria, Spain, which is about 75 miles from Compostela. Setting out, we began walking through the Spanish countryside amidst hundreds of pilgrims from around the world. Each day consisted of 5-6 hours of walking with my fellow seminarians and pilgrims, visiting small churches in town after town, and going to Mass. Most of the time, however, was spent talking to other pilgrims about their experience as we walked.
Each person I spoke to had a different story and a different reason for taking part in this pilgrimage but some key components remained the same in these stories: a desire for change, clarity, escape from stress or pressure, a longing for growth. These reasons point to a deeper desire, a deeper need: the need for rest and refuge. Amid the stress of life, we seek out peace and safety just as a pilgrim seeks shelter during a long journey. As we trace our needs and desires deeper, we find that below the surface, every need and every desire is a need and a desire for God. God is the destination of our pilgrimage, the place of refuge that we seek amid the twists and turns of life. In God, we find our rest. In God, we take refuge.
Tommy Rhodes, a seminarian of the Diocese of Owensboro, will enter his first discipleship stage of seminary this fall. His home parish is St. Lawrence in Philpot.
Originally printed in the August 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
