The "Tour Saint Jacques" (Tower of Saint James) rises well above the trees on the right bank of the Seine river in Paris. It is all that is left of a church that was built long ago on the site where pilgrims gathered to begin their journey to Santiago de Compostela. The inscription at the base of the tower traces this tradition back to the tenth century, when news first spread through Europe that the bones of Saint James the apostle (Santiago) had been laid to rest under a field of stars (Compostela) in western Spain. As we sat beside these words etched in stone, a deep feeling of connectedness came over me. I likened it to the feeling pilgrims have when they place their hand on the marble pillar of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in the same place where millions of others have put theirs over the centuries. For us, seated at the base of the tower in Paris, these companions could not be seen. But, it was enough to know that we were now joining the endless procession of those who have gone before us and those who will come after us on this road. Buen camino, peregrino!
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