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ROGERS — Every journey begins with a single step.
But for Deacons Ronnie Hoyt, parish manager of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers and Steve Mallett, a financial advisor in Morrilton, the single step of their Camino de Santiago journey began long before they stepped off the plane in France to begin a revered pilgrimage that has been walked by millions of feet before them, an ancient walk that emulates the way of St. James and ends, according to legend, where his bones have been laid to rest.
That first step occurred three years ago when Mallett confided to Hoyt during diaconate formation that he was considering making the pilgrimage after watching the movie, “The Way.”
Although both grew up in Sacred Heart Parish in Morrilton, they were mere acquaintances in the program. After a few months of persuasion, though, Mallet convinced Hoyt to watch the movie and six months later, he resurrected the conversation and asked Hoyt if he would accompany him on the journey.
“We were still two years out of being ordained,” said Hoyt, 51, “but I did feel it would be a pretty neat way to work through some of life’s issues.”
Except that the diaconate period proved to be tumultuous one for Mallett, 63. During this time, he was hospitalized with a life-threatening bacterial infection that caused him to miss some classes but solidified for him a stronger sense of the meaning of his existence.
“I called him up sometime after ordination (in November 2012) and said, ‘Are you in?’ and we both knew we were ready,” Hoyt said. “I started to understand, after being ordained, the need I had to spend some time figuring out what God is really asking me to do.”
Those first steps on Sept. 28 also proved to be the most challenging.
“Day one was the second hardest day of the whole trip,” Mallett said. “That was the day beginning in the Pyrenees. It was 12 miles going up the mountain and three miles coming straight down.”
The Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James), a sacred pilgrimage dating back to the 10th century retracing the steps of the apostle St. James as he evangelized to villages and towns along his journey, begins in southern France in the Pyrenees Mountains and ends at the Cathedral of St. James in Santiago, Spain. The entire 790-kilometer (490 miles) journey is traditionally walked by pilgrims who travel from around the world to embark on an ancient journey with hopes to restore, in one way or another, the faith of the disciple.
Reasons for undertaking the daunting journey are as varied as the individuals themselves. Some want an adventure, others enlightenment, or spiritual growth, or a conversion. Still others see it as cathartic in their acceptance of a terminal illness or death of a loved one.
Considered one of the top three pilgrimages in the world for Christians, with the Holy Land and Rome, Mallett chose the Camino for the fact that there is so much Catholic history in Spain.
“I wanted to see the many churches and the remains of St. James, but I was also intrigued with the physical aspect of the trip and the fact that it took a month to finish it,” he said.
What began as an adventure for both men metamorphosed into something more with each passing mile.
“Sometime after the first week,” Hoyt said, “I felt the reality of this pilgrimage is simple. It’s designed to be accomplished in 33 days, one day for each year in Jesus’ life. On the walk, you go from town to town and you know the destination, but you learn the focus is on the joy of getting to the destination.”
As each night’s journey ended with the ritual of bedding down on an individual cot with other pilgrims at a monastery or convent; as miles began to melt into miles, painful blisters became calluses, taping feet became a morning routine, and backpacks began to become another appendage, the journey began to teach its own lessons.
“On the journey, an older man said to me, ‘True pilgrims are grateful, but tourists are demanding,’” Hoyt said, remembering a conversation that made an impression on him. “It made me realize the importance of simple things and why it is important to be thankful and not take anything for granted.”
“For me personally,” Mallett said, “I went with an open mind for the experience of the trip, but I didn’t go in search of an answer. But as we went through some of the villages, I did notice the simplicity and how little we need to be content. It made an impression on me on how complicated we can make our lives. Even though there was no life-changing moment, there were moments of the trip that will come back to me for years to come.”
With fair weather and no illnesses, the men averaged 15 to 18 miles a day on their journey, arriving in Santiago two days ahead of schedule. They returned to Arkansas Oct. 1.
“From a physical standpoint, there was not really any recovery period,” Hoyt of his monthlong pilgrimage, “but from all other standpoints, I pray I never recover. The world can suck you in pretty fast once you return.”
“I know, now, the journey is inside you,” Hoyt said. “I am grateful for it and I also know the experience is a gift itself.”
