Capturing the magic of the Camino
Brendan McManus SJ just took delivery of the Spanish version of his book written with Jimmy Fullam, Brothers in Arms » . It’s an account of their experiences walking the Ignatian Camino together. The Spanish title for the book is Companeros de Camino » which Brendan McManus ( who is fluent in Spanish) says is “a much more evocative title which encompasses the ‘magic’ word ‘camino’.
This is Brendan’s first Spanish version of any of his books. His Irish Times best seller Redemption Road: Grieving along the Camino » has been translated into Portuguese and Slovenian.
As the blurb for Brothers in Arms explains the summer of 2022 saw an unprecedented heatwave in Spain as Brendan, a Jesuit priest, accompanied a Dublin taxi driver on a walking retreat along the Ignatian Camino, the lesser-known cousin of the Camino de Santiago.
Their book tells the story of that testing pilgrimage: severe heat, finding accommodation and negotiating unexpected hurdles; and the retreat that they did together, that looked at faith, prayer and blocks to progress. It’s a story of friendship between two very different personalities, and also a story of two souls on a spiritual search for God is the basis for Brothers in Arms.
According to Brendan, “En este libro, un jesuita y un dublinés se lanzan a recorrer el Camino Ignaciano, siguiendo los pasos de Ignacio desde Loyola hasta Manresa. El calor, los tropiezos y la convivencia les ponen a prueba, pero también les abren a la confianza, la amistad y la fe. Entre anécdotas, silencios y herramientas ignacianas, descubren que peregrinar no es solo avanzar, sino dejarse transformar. Un libro que combina relato, guía y vida compartida, pensado para quienes buscan caminar con sentido.”
As in his other books, Brendan highlights the Ignatian learning points gleaned along the journey. And he recounts the many adventures they had to go through, coping with exceptional circumstances. “Brothers in Arms is a story of two pilgrims finding God in the messiness of less than ideal situations, developing a heart-warming friendship, and finding a way through the challenges they faced using Ignatian principles of reflection and flexibility.”
