Camino

Camino Companions

Camino Companions is an adventurous invitation for everyone – in-person and online - to join in a spiritual pilgrimage to explore faith, discern a rhythm of life and put your faith into action.

Our 93 pilgrims were commissioned on St Cecilia's Day on Sunday 22nd November 2020 and will journey together until St James's Day on 25th July 2021. Whether or not you signed up for the pilgrimage, you're very welcome to make use of the materials below.

Your Camino guides are Lia Shimada (facilitator and mediator), Mariama our curate and John our Associate Rector

What’s the invitation?

On the first Tuesday of each month, to attend the weekly Tuesday evening Silence and Eucharist at 6:00pm and meet afterwards with the whole Camino Companions group for input and discussion on a variety of topics, reflecting on the reality of life in the light of God’s presence.
To join a Camino ‘group of six’. These meet however often, wherever and however (online or in person) the group decides. There is a short set liturgy for each group and topics to discuss.
Develop your own rhythm of life in conversation with your group. Each person makes their own pattern, to live as creatively and holistically as possible, including Eucharist, Silence, Conversation and Action to be interpreted in whatever way feels right for you.

5. APRIL 2021 - PRAYER

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This month our blog is full of prayer, starting with six very different versions of The Lord's Prayer. Which is your favourite?

Sister Janet Mead (1973)
Roy DeLeon - Body Prayer (2012)
Only Boys Aloud Welsh Choir (2013)

Rescue for Refugees - in Aramaic (2015)
Stellenbosch University Choir - in Swahili (2018)
Amira Willighagen - young Dutch soprano (2020)

Three short powerful videos on prayer

A Prayer for Women : Remember Your Daughters - a poem composed by writer and advocate, Rachel Asproth, which centralizes the work, stories, and experiences of women who have been silenced and erased by the powerful (March 2017)
Rowan Williams (erstwhile Archbishop of Canterbury) speaking to Aled Jones (2010)
Prayer is the greatest freedom of all by Benedictine monk Father Giles (2019)

Two versions of The Jesus Prayer (our guided prayer for April)

Sister Tereza Vodjana of the Greek-Catholic Sisters Missionaries of the most Holy Redeemer in Ukraine
The Valaam Choir singing in Slavic

Further reading for a deep dive
There are many 1000's of books on prayer. Here are four accessible and practical books on prayer from the modern era

J. Neville Ward, The Use of Praying (1969) - Neville Ward was an English Methodist minister who served a 5-year term at Hinde Street Church in the West-End of London and wrote over a dozen books including this clear practical guide to the different intentions we can adopt in prayer.
Sister Wendy Beckett, On Prayer (2006) Sister Wendy became a TV celebrity for her art history programmes, and in 2006 she published this short but profound book on prayer. She said it was her most difficult book to write. While her art history was mere opinions, she felt that her convictions about prayer were matters she 'would be prepared to die for'.
Ruth Burrows OCD, Essence of Prayer (2006): Ruth Burrows is a Carmelite Nun from Quiddenham in Norfolk who has written several books on contemplative prayer: 'what God is doing for us in prayer is nothing other than giving us God's very self in love.'
James Martin SJ, Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone (2020) - the author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, explains what prayer is, what to expect from praying, how to do it, and how it can transform us when we make it a regular practice in our lives. Martin lays out the different styles and traditions of prayer throughout Christian history and invites us to experiment and discover which works best to feed our soul and build intimacy with our God.

4. MARCH 2021 - JOINING IN THE DANCE THAT IS GOD

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Watch videos of dancers from the St James's community: Heather Williams dancing a solo piece called Ursula's Choice in the Chapel of the Royal Holloway University, commissioned as part of the Great Charter Fair in 2015; and Jules Cunningham in rehearsal for her dance work inspired by the writings of French feminist Monique Wittig, commissioned by Sadler's Wells Theatre in 2018. Joyce Henderson was assistant director on this work with Jules, and also part of the central team that 'choreographed' (not the word she would use!) the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics - have a look from about 19 mins in to remember how that 'moved' the nation/world.

More dance and movement

The Dubliners sing The Lord of the Dance (2006)
Duke Ellington's David Danced before the Lord, with tap dancer Dario Natarelli (2016)
Nuns at the monastery of St Alphonsus in Dublin take on the Jerusalema dance challenge (2021)

Additional material on this month's topic

Click here to explore the awesome Dancing Saints mural at St Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. Completed in 2009, it wraps around the entire church rotunda, showing ninety larger-than life saints, four animals, stars, moons, suns and a twelve-foot tall dancing Christ. The saints—ranging from traditional figures like King David, Teresa of Avila and Frances of Assisi to unorthodox and non-Christian people like Malcolm X, Anne Frank, and Margaret Mead—represent musicians, artists, mathematicians, martyrs, scholars, mystics, lovers, prophets and sinners from all times, from many faiths and backgrounds. As the congregation dances around the altar, the saints dance above, proclaiming a sweeping, universal vision of God shining through human life.

Art: Mark Dukes. Photo: David Sanger. Copyright St. Gregory of Nyssen, San Francisco 2021 (with permission)

Further reading for a deep dive

Mark Thibodeaux, Reimagining the Ignatian Examen (2014) A short 88-page book that includes 34 different versions of the Ignatian Examen, a prayer to discern the presence of God in our everyday experience, with an introduction, tips and a glossary of Ignatian terms.
David Lonsdale, Dance to the Music of the Spirit (1992) An exploration of discernment as dance: 'We hear the Spirit's music in creation, in our own gifts, in life as it unfolds in us and in the world around us, and in the word of God. God's gracious invitation is that we dance to that music.'
Layne Redmond, When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm (2018) A richly illustrated book recovering the lost history of ancient drummer-priestesses who celebrated women's spirituality, wisdom, and sexuality through ritual drumming. Written by a brilliant female drummer, this book encourages women and men to re-establish rhythmic links with themselves, other people, nature and the divine through the power of drumming.
Michael Mayne, Learning to Dance (2001): 'My theme is dance: the dance of life; the dance of the cosmos, of the natural world and the tiniest particles of matter; the dance of music and paint and words; the dance of those cruel times which feels like dancing in the dark; the dance of relationships, of forgiveness, friendship and love; the dance of faith; and finally, that hidden dance that some call heaven.'

3. FEBRUARY 2021 - GOD WITH US IN SUFFERING

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Watch videos of a reading of Untitled by James Baldwin (brace yourself for a few seconds of frenetic intro titles!), O God our help in ages past (based on Psalm 90) sung at Westminster Abbey, and our own Alison Beck singing Come Healing by Leonard Cohen (2020)

Additional material on this month's topic

Click here to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and watch a narrated slideshow in which Andrea Bayer, the curator of European paintings, traces her process of mourning after her parents' recent deaths.

Raphael Soyer, The Artist's Parents (1932)

During February, Joan wrote a reflection of this month's theme which you can read here.

More words and song

David Suchet reading Psalm 5 (the psalm Lia used in her 'praying with the psalms' exercise)
Mahalia Jackson, God Will Take Care Of You (c1960)
Holmes Brothers, Amazing Grace (1992)

Further reading for a deep dive

Frances Young, Arthur’s Call: A Journey of Faith the Face of Severe Learning Disability (2014). Frances Young is a Methodist minister, a theologian and the mother of Arthur who lives with a severe learning disability. In 2014, she published this reflective memoir full of hope and help for all who struggle with faith in the face of unremitting suffering.
Christopher Chapman, Seeing in the Dark: Pastoral perspectives on suffering from the Christian spiritual tradition (2013) Christopher Chapman is the Spiritual Formation Adviser in the Diocese of Southwark. Here he reflects upon what Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross, the medieval poet Hadewijch, Simone Weil and others have to say to us about faith and suffering.
Simon Cuff, Only God Will Save Us: The Nature of God and the Christian Life (2020) The question of God and suffering, and the way in which God is with us in suffering, has been a fruitful area of modern theology since Jürgen Moltmann published The Crucified God in 1972. Last year, Simon Cuff wrote a very accessible introduction to this complex area of systematic theology, in which he reaffirms 'the God of classical theism' in light of Moltmann's work.

‘Mélancolie’ by Albert Gyorgy (Lake Geneva, Switzerland)

2. JANUARY 2021 - GOD'S DREAM FOR ME

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Watch videos of a reading of Psalm 139 and of Malcolm Guite reading his poem 'Singing Bowl' here:

Additional material on this month's topic

Expressing the individual in science and art
For an up-to-date exploration of the modern science of human development and its impact upon morality, public policy, religion, education and law, read David Linden's Unique: The New Science of Human Individuality (2020)

Click here to access a National Gallery of Art activity pack on Expressing the Individual including 22 images exploring how personal identity is shaped, formed, and expressed.
How much of your personal life do you reveal to others? How do you choose to share it?
Diane Arbus, A Young Man in Curlers at Home on West 20th Street, N.Y.C. (1966)

Some music

Margaret Rizza, Let Your Beauty Shine in Me Lord (2014)
Aretha Franklin, My Way (c1967)
Morris Chapman, Be Bold, Be Strong (2010)

Further reading for a deep dive - 3 spiritual autobiographies

Etty Hillesum, An Interrupted Life 1941-43 In her letters and diaries, Etty Hillesum describes her religious awakening and the persecutions of Jewish people in Amsterdam during the German occupation. In the concentration camp of Westerbork, she had unusual experiences of spiritual awakenings and insight: "Those two months behind barbed wire have been the two richest and most intense months of my life, in which my highest values were so deeply confirmed. I have learnt to love Westerbork". In 1943 she was deported and killed in Auschwitz concentration camp.
Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948) Merton grew up in a non-religious family and reflects on the quest for faith in God that led to his Christian conversion at age 23. He resigned his position as an English teacher and entered a Trappist monastery: "Brother Matthew locked the gate behind me, and I was enclosed in the four walls of my new freedom." Encouraged by his novice master to write down his spiritual journey, the book has sold millions of copies and been translated into 15 languages.
Sara Miles, Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion (2007) A witty and accessible modern spiritual testimony by Sara Miles who set up The Food Pantry in 2000, which offers free, fresh groceries to 400 families every Friday at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. “Thank God for Jesus. Because, you know, he was here like us, so he knows how hard it is to be a person. He must have a sense of humor about us.”

1. DECEMBER 2020 - THE JOURNEY BEGINS: GOD'S DREAM FOR THE WORLD

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Watch videos of this month's two key pieces of text for prayer and reflection on our YouTube channel here:

Additional material on this month's topic

Some art and images

Click here for a collection of images of Jesus and Mary from all around world (external link on Pinterest)
See The Guardian's 10 best representations of God from Alanis Morissette to Groucho Marx here.

Some music

Alex Chellun, As I Wake Up in the Morning (2013)
Natasha Atlas and Jocelyn Pook, Adam’s Lullaby (2003) with a slideshow of paintings in the Hudson River School style
Richard Smallwood with Vision, Psalm 8 (1984)

Further reading for a deep dive

Ruth Valerio, Saying Yes to Life (SPCK, 2019) – The Archbishop’s Lent Book last year. As people made in the image of God, we are entrusted to look after what he has created: to share in God’s joy and ingenuity in making a difference for good. Ruth imaginatively draws on the Creation story in Genesis 1 as she relates themes of light, water, land, the seasons, other creatures, humankind, Sabbath rest and resurrection hope to matters of environmental, ethical and social concern.
In theology, this topic of the faith-vision of the world and of humanity is known as theological anthropology. An excellent readable short introduction (112 pages) is The Christian Vision of Humanity: Basic Christian Anthropology by John R Sachs (1991)
For a longer and more scholarly read, try Creation: A Biblical Vision for the Environment by Margaret Barker (T&T Clark, 2009)