Source: Lo+RC
The Social Pastoral Award is one of the four granted by the Alter Christus Foundation, and on this occasion, it was awarded to the priest from the Diocese of Astorga, Don Antolín de Cela. Fr. Agustín de la Vega, L.C., director of Alter Christus, explained during the presentation of Don Antolín that this award aims to recognize the social and Christian imprint he has put into the pilgrim hostels he founded as a priest: “The award aligns with thanking You and God Our Lord for maintaining your priestly identity throughout your social work.” Since 1983, Don Antolín has been rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Encina in Ponferrada, and delegate of the Camino de Santiago for the Diocese of Astorga. Since then, he has built a hospital, a hostel for transients, and three hostels for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela.
Father, it is significant that the focus of this year’s social pastoral award is thought of in terms of welcoming the pilgrim. It is an act of mercy…
Indeed, it is an act of mercy: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was sick and you visited me, I was a pilgrim and you welcomed me…”
You cannot imagine the needs that pilgrims have. If you are open, they will tell you their problems, they want to confess… Along the Camino, I have even heard confessions about abortions. What happens is that the Camino has sparked an encounter with themselves, and sometimes we end up crying, both they and I. It’s as if they cannot reach Santiago without reconciling themselves, and Santiago is the place of great forgiveness…
In other words, the hostel is also a place for evangelization…
The one who walks the Camino makes two journeys: one external and one internal. And this is the liveliest and most creative Camino, and therefore also the most important from a religious and human perspective. Sometimes we look for forums like the Atrium of the Gentiles, but the Camino de Santiago is the greatest Atrium of the Gentiles that exists and the largest forum for young people in Europe. And it is necessary to discover it. The Church is impoverished and cannot offer everything it would like, since we are few priests and parish priests serve towns.
Volunteer work in hostels is important. If one can, it is good to give back to the Camino what the Camino has already done for you. In our hostel, there is volunteer work to provide Christian hospitality, help with the needs of pilgrims… The volunteer can lead an evening prayer, give testimony to those present… so that the pilgrimage preserves its values, its most vital and Christian spirit. Facilitating welcoming and encounters with others. Growing in humanity and spirituality.
There is also social support for the pilgrim from the hostel…
There are people who walk the Camino without money, like St. Francis. Our hostel is based on alms, in a medieval style. As long as there is space, those who can enter, enter; those who cannot, do not. Every year, about 20,000 pilgrims pass through the hostel in Ponferrada. It is open all year round; in winter, fewer people come, and in summer, more. But in winter, we also have hot water, heating… It is very important that hostels remain open and ready to welcome people. It is different to walk the Camino in summer than in winter. In winter, there are fewer people, but you find more of yourself.
How did this work in favor of pilgrims begin?
One day, while going to celebrate Mass at a hospital, a Swiss couple approached me and asked where Mass was held. I explained that I was about to celebrate it at that moment. After the Eucharist, I thought that if they asked for alms, I would give it to them, as they dressed very poorly. I invited them for a coffee at the hospital bar, and they asked if there was a hostel in this town. I explained that there was a very simple one, of little value, and they told me they were willing to support it. I thought it would be a humble donation, but what they proposed was one million pesetas. We had land, and a hostel was built there that cost one hundred million pesetas, half of which was contributed by them. The rest was paid by the parish and the town hall. The hostel is called San Nicolas de Flüè, who is the patron saint of Switzerland, and who also pilgrimaged to Santiago. It is an ecumenical figure, as Protestants also value him.
Don Antolín, but there are also many churches along the Camino that remain closed for many hours a day
The fact is that the church cannot leave them open because anyone could come and steal the tabernacle or whatever they find. It is a form of impoverishment because an open church evangelizes by itself: a person who enters can take advantage of the coolness, an image they have, a childhood memory, their First Communion… The Lord speaks to you from an open church; an open church evangelizes, enriches.
The Church should think about volunteer work, about older people, about young people who have a subject left to pass in September, and they set up a table and stay there… Take the opportunity to display a history of the church in several languages so that passersby can read and visit…
Besides the religious value, an open church also provides other benefits in towns suffering from depopulation. If the church is open, the bread shop, ‘Mrs. María’s’ store, is also open, people stop to have a coffee… there is a human value that must also be rediscovered and that is enriched by open churches.
If you want to see a photo gallery, go here.
