[Gocamino] Don Genaro

[blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
I'll try to answer your queries, with the caveat that I am not a dogmatically religious person; born to Catholicism as a fish to water -and incredibly  fortunate in that I've never had any doubts about my faith-, in my sixth decade, I still have to look around at Mass to make sure when to kneel and when to stand up, and, for sure, other than Our Father and Hail Mary I do not know any prayers by heart and have to read the Missal.
That said, as far as I understand it a "Canonigo" is a priest that is in charge of hands-on care of the day by day administration of the cotidian needs of a Cathedral.  Each Cathedral has several of them; the largest Catholic Cathedral, the Cathedral of Seville, has 34 canonigos (Saint Peter's in the Vatican is a Basilica, not a Cathedral) 
The Cathedral of Santiago is fairly small and I shouldn't think it has many.
Don Genaro possesses several doctorates; he was a Cathedratic (Professor with a "chair") in the Apostolic University in Rome and at the Seminary in Santiago.  The church, however, has a mandatory retirement age of 75 for teachers, and Don Genaro does not teach anymore.
Some years ago he was a provisional Bishop and the position was offered to him on a permanent basis, but he missed being a priest and he turned it down.
That the Pilgrims' office was put under the care of someone with such a distinguished history is a testimonial to the high regard that the Archdiocese has for pilgrims.
When he is not at the Pilgrims' office, Don Genaro can be found doing this or that in the Cathedral.  He created, and often conducts, the Saturday evening pilgrims' get together.  He can also be found officiating Mass in any of the small chapels in the Cathedral, or in the main altar, at several different times during the day.  And, very (very) often he will be hearing confession.
He is very kind and sweet.  Sort-of a Galician version of Barry Fitzgerald in "Going my Way".
If you approach him, at any time, and introduce yourself as a pilgrim, he will give you a hug and will probably invite you to a cup of coffee in the Sacristry.
And no, he has not written any books that I know of.  His brother, also a priest with several doctorates and a teaching career behind him, Don Juan Jose Cebrian, is the prolific author of some 40 books, mostly about the Camino. He is also the one behind the electronic news in the Archdiocese's Web, and the moving force behind establishing an electronic web through the albergues.
 
I hope this answers your questions.
 
Big hug!
 
Rosina
   
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