Botafumeiro. Aquarelas book.

[Rosina Lila]

Hola,
Ma. del Rosario de Souza, mother of the president of the Vigo fishing firm Pescanova has donated a new rope for the Botafumeiro. The same firm had donated the rope that was put in place in 1998 and which deteriorated rapidly; apparently there was a duplicate which has now been put in place and which has allowed the Botafumeiro to be put back in use, much to the delight of all.
Nevertheless, a new rope more akin to the pre-1988 one which lasted for decades is in the process of being manufactured.
It appears that the Archdiocese feels that the rope installed two days ago, which was subject to a series of tests, will suffice for the rest of this Holy Year.

Regarding the gorgeous watercolors book, it does contain about 260 watercolors of various parts of the Camino, as walked by the artist.  It is really too beautiful for words.  Since the painter chose to describe his pilgrimage through the paintings, there is very little narrative.

As mentioned, when the book first came out last year I spent months and months trying to get a copy through letters, phone calles, the Internet, etc. without success.  Reportedly the book is sold out in Santiago; I expect that those pilgrims who know about it waited to get it in Santiago and bought it out.
I am willing to get a copy for those of you who may want it and mail it personally.
The book costs 36 Euros and the postage to send it is about 12-14 Euros via ship. (Packages mailed "on the surface" take weeks and weeks to arrive, but they do. I´ve miled dozens of packages to myself and have received every single one)

The Via de la Plata credential is larger than the usual one, and it is very pretty. I´ve been fortunate enough to have it sealed in Seville in some of my favorite churches, most notably the Basilica of the Macarena and the Basilica of Jesus del Gran Poder.  Most churches in Seville have a museum, and it is a wonder and a joy to see the thousands-of-years old art works exhibited there. Because I usually come to Seville during Holy Week when everything is closed, beginning the Camino from here has been doubly propitious.
When we were given the (very) long pilgrims´blessing at the Cathedral we were also given a scapulary symbolizing the pilgrims´ cape and a small stick symbolizing the walking staff, since both items are mentioned in the blessing.

There appears to be a desire to have pilgrims go to confession before the pilgrimage, at least those of us who are Catholic. In Santiago they have twenty multilingual confessors on hand at any time, but in Seville the confessions are only in Spanish. I, very generously, volunteered to translate my relatives´confessions but was rebuffed on both sides.  Oh well!
When one goes to Jerusalem the tourist office there gives a certificate of visit, upon request, as a souvenir.  But the object of most Christians who make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem is to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; the church will give a pilgrimage testimonial, similar to the Compostela, but the recipient must go to confession and receive Communion.
The Santiago Archdiocese seems to be preoccupied with the secularization not only of the pilgrimage, but of the receipt of the Compostela itself, and it might be that they want to return the document to its original intent by imposing some religious observance in order to get it.
They have, of course, other documents who attest to the visit.

Let me know if I can do, or get, something for you while here.
Big hug!
Rosina