Fr. Pat's Sabbatical: Day 34 of the Camino - Dedicated to the unemployed.

Today was day 33 of the Camino. Our destination was Ribadiso (16 miles). It was another long day with several tough hills to climb. The path was beautiful and green.

I spent the day walking alongside Sr. Leota, Janice and Peter. "Speedy" (aka: Padre Benjamin) left us behind in the dust at the beginning of the day and we didn't see him again until 5:45pm when we finished the walk.

I took this picture of Janice and Sr. Leota in the morning at one of our restroom stops. They look very joy-filled and ready to walk.

We had Peter stand by this sign because the ladies called him "Casanova." Did I tell you that the ladies both need glasses in order to see? Unfortunately they forgot them this day. Just kidding. Janice says that Peter will always be her "Casanova."

I also thought of my compadres, Carlos and Cleo Casanova, and offered up a prayer for them and their family.

I dedicated my walk and prayers this day for the unemployed. U.S. statistics show that 6.30% of the population is unemployed. It's 8.1% unemployment in Cameron County. Before I left on sabbatical, several parishioners told me that they were unemployed and finding work was difficult, especially because many of the jobs in our area are seasonal that pay only minimum wage. It's very difficult to raise a family on such little income. Let us pray for our parishioners and others who are unemployed so that they may find work that will sustain them and their families' needs.

The following three pictures are images of churches on the Camino where I stopped to pray for the unemployed and all others who are on my prayer list.