D. Jenaro Cebrián Franco - An appreciation

The staff of the Pilgrims' Office was shocked to learn of the sudden death of the Director, Don Jenaro Cebrián Franco, priest and Canon of the Cathedral Church of Santiago de Compostela. He was 77 years of age and had served as the Canon in Charge of Pilgrimages for 8 years. Messages of condolence and support flowed into the office from all over the world, from individual pilgrims and many associations and confraternities of Saint James. I join them in saluting Don Jenaro, a valued colleague with a great sense of humour. He was essentially a simple priest whose ministry started with his ordination in 1957. After being appointed to the Cathedral of Santiago, amongst other responsibilities, he heard confessions in Confessional Number 2 for over 30 years. He was a quiet and sensitive man and would have been amazed at the sentiments expressed at his passing. His funeral mass was held the day before yesterday and concluded with his burial in the cathedral cloister beside his brother, also a canon who died two years ago.

What struck me about his funeral mass was not the solemnity of the liturgy or the huge amount of priests who attended led by the Archbishop and two other Galician Bishops. Rather it was the sheer number of ordinary citizens who packed the cathedral, lining the aisles, standing room only. It was as if all of Santiago had come to bid farewell to one of their own: Don Jenaro Cebrián Franco, priest and teacher.

A year before his death I interviewed him:      

The confessionals line the walls of the great cathedral of Santiago. The very size of the building seems to make them small. Like confessional boxes in a doll's house if there were such things. The priests inside are no less diminutive, their heads glow like those of saints as the single light above shines on both bald and silver. These are the canons of the cathedral. The "canonigos" who make up the cathedral chapter led by the Dean who is appointed by the Archbishop. This way of  running cathedrals is universal in the church. The canons are the venerable, the experienced. Hence traditions are carried on. In Santiago the canons sing the 9.30 mass every morning starting with Laudes. Then on a rota they go to the confession boxes and sit like statues waiting for the faithful to kneel for the sacrament.

Every day the light goes on in confessional number 2 and the same priest as always takes his place. A pile of books on which he rests his arm gives a hint as to how quieter moments are spent. He is dressed in a long black cassock bearing the red sword of St James. Around his neck is the purple stole. The symbol of his priesthood first placed on him at his ordination. From a distance he looks austere but up close and in conversation his eyes twinkle with life and his face breaks into the broadest of smiles. When he isn't hearing a confession pilgrims and locals who know who he is stop to chat. They usually talk about the Camino because this modest, almost anonymous priest who sits here everyday is Don Jenaro Cebrian, canon delegate in charge of pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. This man is the Chief Executive of the Pilgrims' Office which this year has broken all records and issued over 180,000 compostelas. He is the one who arranges the botafumeiro, special masses for pilgrimage groups and during the busy season single handedly runs a daily evening service for pilgrims who have arrived on foot, on horseback or by bicycle.

I learn later as we chat in his room in the Pilgrims' Office that the confessional in which he sits every day near to the tomb of  St James is only a few metres from the house in which he was born just off the Plaza Quintana. His early years were very happy and he enjoyed his primary education at the Colegio de los Remedios. In those early years he wasn't aware of pilgrims. There really weren't very many arriving in Santiago. But from as early as he can remember he was aware of St James. His older brother went off to seminary to train for the priesthood and at the age of 10 the young Jenaro wanted to follow him. His mother however wanted him to finish his education before considering seminary. Perhaps understandably she wanted to keep her youngest son at home for a while longer. This was not to be and the vocation of the youngster prevailed and off he went making the journey of 50 yards from his home to enter the Seminary at San Martin Pinario. Despite the proximity of his home, like the other boys, he lived in the seminary. These were happy days and he smiles as he relates the story. For one who hadn't travelled very much from home to cathedral and to seminary his favourite subject was geography.

He sighs as he describes how the church was different then. From his year alone 130 priests were ordained. He was ordained at the age of 21 with more than 20 others from his class. In his final year of studies he had been secretary to the assistant bishop of Santiago and after ordination he spent some time in the local parishes of San Benito and then Santa Maria del Carmen before becoming a member of staff in the cathedral. His first appointment there was in 1961 and his job was to organise two main services each day - Laudes in the morning and Vespers in the evening. He worked at this and various other administrative tasks for the next 27 years before being made a canon of the cathedral in 1988. In that role he taught religious studies in a school in Santiago and increasingly became involved in the education of young people.

Although he had been aware that the previous Director of the Pilgrims' Office, Don Jaime Garcia, had become ill he was genuinely astonished when on the fateful day of the terrorists attacks in Spain, the 11 March 2004, the Archbishop appointed him to be in charge of  pilgrimages and de facto CEO of the Pilgrims' Office.

"Why did the Archbishop pick you for this job above all of the other canons?" I asked. I could see him deciding how to answer the question when the moment was lost as his mobile phone rang with an incredibly jazzy ring tone which seemed strange emanating from the pocket of the priest. With a nod of apology he answered and conversed in a stream of Gallego, the language of the region.

I tried a different tack..."How does it feel to be in charge of the pilgrimage and this office?" I asked. "With so many people arriving" he replied, "it is a huge responsibility, we have to welcome pilgrims properly, we can't keep them waiting too long. I have to deal with the press, do interviews. But I am helped a great deal by two permanent assistants, Eduardo and Mari who help run the office, but we only ever have temporary staff. Such is the nature of the way we are funded. But we do it and this year more records have been broken. This is a good team."

He went on to describe the changes he has seen in the pilgrimage over his years in Santiago. It has always been a special place, he says. "We have the relics of the Saint and so people have always come here. But in the 1980's the town started to change as pilgrim numbers slowly increased. By 1992 around 10,000 pilgrims arrived. However in the Holy Year in 1993 this number expanded 10 fold when almost 100,000 compostelas were issued in addition to all of those who came by bus or car." 1993 says Don Jenaro was the turning point. "Everyone started to take notice: central and local government, the Chamber of Commerce. People saw the tourism possibilities. Some of us also saw the potential of the Camino as an expression of religious devotion and spiritual exploration. The network of albergues expanded as organisations such as the Confraternity of St James stepped up to the plate." For this he says, "pilgrims should always be grateful."    

In his analysis and reflection his religious convictions are always to the fore and he speaks of the rise in secularism and the selfishness of the 1990's to which faith in his view is the only antidote. He sees the Camino and all pilgrimage experience as part of the spiritual thirst he sees in the world as people strive for another way to live. People are looking for more meaning than money and material success. He is concerned that as numbers grow the spirit of the Camino, as essentially the search to come closer to God, will be devalued. It may simply become "something that is done for sport, for fun, because everyone is doing it." However as if to reassure himself he immediately related that only that very morning he was talking to some young people who had been deeply moved by their Camino experience.

"What of the future?" I ask, "Will the Camino continue to grow?". "Only God knows the answer to that" he replies and this eyes twinkle mischievously, "but I think it will, we have not yet reached the plateau if that day will ever come."

Don Jenaro Cebrián Franco 1935 - 2012 Rest In Peace

Then they lost the baby Jesus...All the Pilgrim Statistics for 2012

Happy New Year!

The good citizens of Santiago may very well be relieved that 2012 is over. What a year! 2012 started with the city still reeling from the theft of the medieval Codex Calixtinus. If the theft itself wasn’t enough people were shocked by its discovery in a garage in a suburb of Santiago along with over 2 million euros in cash methodically stolen from the collection boxes in the Cathedral.  That started a chain of events leading to the recent resignation of the Dean of the Cathedral and the suspension of key personnel as everyone awaits the revelations which will come out during the January trial of the former cathedral electrician who it is alleged stole the cash and the Codex.

2012 was also the year when the mayor of Santiago, Gerardo Conde Roa, had to resign having been accused of tax fraud. That scandal occupied many column inches and was the only thing that nudged the Codex off the front pages.

So having lost the Codex, 2 million euros, the Mayor, key cathedral personnel and then the Dean people in Santiago must have wondered if anything else would happen before the cathedral bells welcomed the new year. And it did.

The scene of the crime

In the week before Christmas new headlines screamed: El Niño Jesús desaparece del belén del Obradoiro  "The Baby Jesus has disappeared from the crib in the Plaza Obradoiro."
It was soon announced that the figure of the baby Jesus hadn’t just disappeared, he had been kidnapped by a group wanting to draw attention to the plight of the poor and in particular the people who are being evicted because they can't pay their rent or mortgage because of the current economic crisis. The group Stop Desahucios Compostela issued a statement and a video, “the baby Jesus is unharmed and is being well looked after...he will be released when people understand the problems caused by evictions”. And  he was. The baby Jesus was soon discovered being kept warm inside the foyer of a bank beside the Automatic Cash Dispenser.

Midst all of this drama during the year over 192,400 pilgrims arrived.  All of them I am sure largely oblivious to the events in the Cathedral and in the Town Hall. Except perhaps for the much needed increased security in the Cathedral. This is but one of the measures instituted by the new Chief Executive of the Cathedral, the former Finance Director of Televes, personally appointed by the Archbishop to modernise the practices of the medieval institution.

There are many stories from Santiago in the last year. My favourites are those of the individual pilgrims I was able to meet and of course the wonderful Amigos who came to Santiago to welcome the pilgrims. Together they welcomed at least 100,000 pilgrims. A magnificent achievement.

This New Year also sees the first competition to guess the exact number of pilgrims who have arrived. The Pilgrims' Office has organised a Twitter Competition http://twitter.com/#/OfiPeregrinos  and I have been asked not to confirm the exact number until it is announced in a few days. The following numbers are accurate as on noon on new year's eve. Go on Tweet what you think the final number is. You may win!  

Pilgrim Numbers

Over 192,400 pilgrims arrived during 2012. That is a 5% increase on last year. The growth rate year on year however appears to be slowing down and it will be interesting to observe this in 2013.

Also this year saw less Spaniards than before making pilgrimage to Santiago. A sign perhaps that the economic crisis is now starting to bite.

The big story continues to be the staggering rise in pilgrims from English speaking countries with the greatest increase being in the numbers coming from the United States.

Pilgrims from English speaking countries

Country	2009	2010	2011	2012	Growth
Australia	1015	1162	1352	1885	39%
Canada	2194	1879	2362	2904	23%
Ireland	1722	2306	2677	3841	44%
South Africa	262	301	513	711	39%
United Kingdom	1700	2028	2389	3756	57%
United States	2540	3311	3726	7071	90%
New Zealand	200	221	238	377	59%

Number of pilgrims who arrived in 2012 is "192,400"

Routes

Camino           Number of pilgrims

Frances-Camino de     134961 (70,13%)

Portugues-Camino      25599 (13,30%)

Norte-Camino de        12919 (6,71%)

Via de la Plata             8163 (4,24%)

Primitivo-Camino        6341 (3,30%)

Ingles-Camino             3575 (1,86%)

Otros caminos             456 (0,24%)

Muxia-Finisterre          417 (0,22%)

Mode of transport

Mode              Number of pilgrims

On foot           164725 (85,60%)

Bicycle            27403 (14,24%)

Horseback       281 (0,15%)

Wheelchair      22 (0,01%)

Gender

Gender                       Number of pilgrims

Male                           108778 (56,53%)

Female                        83653 (43,47%)

Reasons for pilgrimage

Reason                        Number of pilgrims

Religious and others   101153 (52,57%)

Religious                     79460 (41,29%)

Not religious               11818 (6,14%)

Status

Status              Number of pilgrims

Employed                    43057 (22,38%)

Students                      34737 (18,05%)

Technicians                 24746 (12,86%)

Retired                        22092 (11,48%)

Self employed             21771 (11,31%)

Teachers                      14391 (7,48%)

Public workers            8751 (4,55%)

Manual worker            7252 (3,77%)

Unemployed              5168 (2,69%)

Housewive                 4366 (2,27%)

Directors                    1817 (0,94%)

Artists                        1469 (0,76%)

Priests                         1159 (0,60%)

Farmers                      631 (0,33%)

Religious                     477 (0,25%)

Sailors                        350 (0,18%)

Sports                         167 (0,09%)

Oikoten                      30 (0,02%)

Ages

Age                 Number of pilgrims

30 - 60             109267 (56,78%)

< 30                 54719 (28,44%)

> 60                 28445 (14,78%)

Countries

Country          Number of pilgrims

Spain              95252 (49,50%)

Germany         15617 (8,12%)

Italy                12391 (6,44%)

Portugal           10322 (5,36%)

France             8121 (4,22%)

USA               7071 (3,67%)

Ireland             3841 (2,00%)

UK                 3756 (1,95%)

Holand            3011 (1,56%)

Canada            2904 (1,51%)

Korea             2493 (1,30%)

Poland             2307 (1,20%)

Brasil               2229 (1,16%)

Belgium           1955 (1,02%)

Australia          1885 (0,98%)

Austria            1772 (0,92%)

Denmark         1682 (0,87%)

Switzerland     1308 (0,68%)

Sweden           1275 (0,66%)

México            1047 (0,54%)

Norway           969 (0,50%)

Hungary          885 (0,46%)

Japan              860 (0,45%)

Rep Checa       832 (0,43%)

Argentina        822 (0,43%)

Finland            720 (0,37%)

South Africa   711 (0,37%)

Slovaquia        636 (0,33%)

Russia             503 (0,26%)

Colombia         455 (0,24%)

Venezuela       444 (0,23%)

New Zealand 377 (0,20%)

Eslovenia         373 (0,19%)

Rumania          281 (0,15%)

Bulgaria           211 (0,11%)

China   1          85 (0,10%)

Ecuador           183 (0,10%)

Chile                178 (0,09%)

Lituania           169 (0,09%)

Uruguay          165 (0,09%)

Perú                 162 (0,08%)

Israel               160 (0,08%)

Filipinas           127 (0,07%)

Puerto Rico     121 (0,06%)

Estonia            120 (0,06%)

Andorra           108 (0,06%)

Malta               106 (0,06%)

Luxemburgo    105 (0,05%)

Ucrania            91 (0,05%)

Croacia            71 (0,04%)

Letonia            60 (0,03%)

Grecia             59 (0,03%)

Taiwán            58 (0,03%)

Dom Rep         56 (0,03%)

Islandia           55 (0,03%)

Costa Rica       54 (0,03%)

Bolivia             54 (0,03%)

Paraguay         49 (0,03%)

Singapur          46 (0,02%)

Cuba                44 (0,02%)

India                38 (0,02%)

Malasia            36 (0,02%)

Líbano             33 (0,02%)

El Salvador     33 (0,02%)

Guatemala       30 (0,02%)

Panamá            26 (0,01%)

Turquía            21 (0,01%)

Marruecos       21 (0,01%)

Nicaragua        19 (0,01%)

Honduras        17 (0,01%)

Serbia             16 (0,01%)

Bielorrusia       12 (0,01%)

Irán                  11 (0,01%)

Bosnia             11 (0,01%)

Angola            11 (0,01%)

Guinea             8 (0,00%)

Emirates          8 (0,00%)

Islas Feroe       8 (0,00%)

Indonesia        8 (0,00%)

Argelia            8 (0,00%)

Tailandia         8 (0,00%)

Vietnam          7 (0,00%)

Nigeria            6 (0,00%)

Egipto             6 (0,00%)

Macedonia      6 (0,00%)

Armenia          6 (0,00%)

Liechtensein    6 (0,00%)

Moldavia         5 (0,00%)

Saudi Arabia   5 (0,00%)

Albania            5 (0,00%)

Mozambique   5 (0,00%)

Namibia           5 (0,00%)

Zimbabwe       4 (0,00%)

Kenya             4 (0,00%)

Siria                 4 (0,00%)

Senegal            4 (0,00%)

Camerún          4 (0,00%)

Mauritania       3 (0,00%)

Congo             3 (0,00%)

Georgia           3 (0,00%)

Pakistán           3 (0,00%)

Ghana             3 (0,00%)

Groenlandia    3 (0,00%)

Trinidad          3 (0,00%)

Irak                  2 (0,00%)

Chipre             2 (0,00%)

Antigua           2 (0,00%)

Mali                 2 (0,00%)

Kazajistán       2 (0,00%)

Túnez             2 (0,00%)

Libia                2 (0,00%)

Jordania           2 (0,00%)

Sri Lanka         2 (0,00%)

Togo                2 (0,00%)

Guyana            2 (0,00%)

Santo Tome     2 (0,00%)

Etiopía             1 (0,00%)

Timor              1 (0,00%)

Cabo Verde     1 (0,00%)

Chad               1 (0,00%)

Camboya         1 (0,00%)

Haití                1 (0,00%)

Tanzania          1 (0,00%)

Islas Caimán    1 (0,00%)

Jamaica            1 (0,00%)

Benin               1 (0,00%)

Eritrea             1 (0,00%)

Bermudas        1 (0,00%)

Samoa             1 (0,00%)

Bahamas          1 (0,00%)

Marfil               1 (0,00%)

Nepal               1 (0,00%)

Burkina Faso   1 (0,00%)

Starting point

Starting point             Number of pilgrims

Sarria                                       40723 (21,16%)

S. Jean P. Port                         22213 (11,54%)

León                                        10406 (5,41%)

Cebreiro                                  10313 (5,36%)

Roncesvalles                           8465 (4,40%)

Tui                                           8436 (4,38%)

Ponferrada                              7765 (4,04%)

Oporto                                     7635 (3,97%)

Astorga                                   5666 (2,94%)

Pamplona                                4172 (2,17%)

Oviedo - C.P.                          3956 (2,06%)

Burgos                                     3864 (2,01%)

Le Puy                                     3433 (1,78%)

Ferrol                                       3372 (1,75%)

Irún                                         3142 (1,63%)

Valença do Minho                  3089 (1,61%)

Vilafranca                               2667 (1,39%)

Resto Portugal                        2660 (1,38%)

Sevilla                                     2287 (1,19%)

Ourense                                   2277 (1,18%)

Francia                                    2130 (1,11%)

Triacastela                               2024 (1,05%)

Lugo - C.P.                             1557 (0,81%)

Resto C. León                         1358 (0,71%)

Samos                                      1300 (0,68%)

Resto Asturias                         1189 (0,62%)

Santander                                1134 (0,59%)

Ribadeo                                   1094 (0,57%)

Lisboa                                     977 (0,51%)

Logroño                                  941 (0,49%)

Bilbao                                     905 (0,47%)

Ponte de Lima                         901 (0,47%)

Vilalba                                     845 (0,44%)

Holanda                                  786 (0,41%)

Gijón                                       731 (0,38%)

Oviedo                                    699 (0,36%)

Somport                                  664 (0,35%)

Alemania                                 603 (0,31%)

Avilés                                     552 (0,29%)

Salamanca                               515 (0,27%)

Madrid - C.F.                         480 (0,25%)

Zamora                                    459 (0,24%)

Resto País Vasco                    430 (0,22%)

Sahagún                                  426 (0,22%)

Mondoñedo                            374 (0,19%)

Bélgica                                    372 (0,19%)

Puebla de Sanabria                  371 (0,19%)

Rates, S. Pedro                       343 (0,18%)

Braga                                       333 (0,17%)

Resto Asturias - C.P.             324 (0,17%)

Vega de Valcarce                    319 (0,17%)

San Sebastián                          308 (0,16%)

Baamonde                               305 (0,16%)

Resto Cantabria                      298 (0,15%)

Jaca                                         295 (0,15%)

Chaves-Portugal                      290 (0,15%)

Lourdes                                   279 (0,14%)

Suiza                                       277 (0,14%)

Muxia                                     273 (0,14%)

Frómista                                  261 (0,14%)

Barcelos                                  234 (0,12%)

Gudiña                                    227 (0,12%)

Neda                                       199 (0,10%)

A Guarda                                198 (0,10%)

Porriño                                    197 (0,10%)

Fonsagrada - C.P.                   193 (0,10%)

Sto. Domingo de la Calzada   191 (0,10%)

Vezelay                                   179 (0,09%)

Carrión de los Condes            176 (0,09%)

Puente la Reina                       169 (0,09%)

Cataluña                                  164 (0,09%)

Lourenzá                                 163 (0,08%)

Arles                                        158 (0,08%)

Mérida                                     157 (0,08%)

Resto Andalucia                     154 (0,08%)

Rabanal del Camino                152 (0,08%)

Resto C. León - V.P.             146 (0,08%)

Montserrat                               145 (0,08%)

Finisterra                                 144 (0,07%)

Allariz                                     143 (0,07%)

Xunqueira de Ambia               141 (0,07%)

Francia                                    141 (0,07%)

Granja de Moreruela               140 (0,07%)

Hendaya                                  137 (0,07%)

Laza                                        130 (0,07%)

Fonsagrada                              129 (0,07%)

Madrid                                    125 (0,06%)

Hospital de Orbigo                 122 (0,06%)

Valencia                                  120 (0,06%)

Abadin                                    117 (0,06%)

Navarra                                   112 (0,06%)

Viana do Castelo                    111 (0,06%)

Austria                                    110 (0,06%)

Estella                                     110 (0,06%)

Fatima                                     104 (0,05%)

Zaragoza                                 102 (0,05%)

Cáceres                                    101 (0,05%)

Verín                                       96 (0,05%)

Baiona                                     94 (0,05%)

Grandas de Salime - C.P.        92 (0,05%)

Barcelona                                92 (0,05%)

Cadavo                                    91 (0,05%)

R.Pais Vasco                           89 (0,05%)

Resto de Extremadura            86 (0,04%)

Vigo                                        85 (0,04%)

Grandas de Salime                  81 (0,04%)

Com. Valenciana                     79 (0,04%)

Tineo - C.P.                             77 (0,04%)

París                                        71 (0,04%)

Italia                                        69 (0,04%)

Canfranc                                 62 (0,03%)

Castilla la Mancha                   62 (0,03%)

Guimaraes                               61 (0,03%)

La Rioja                                  59 (0,03%)

Molinaseca                              56 (0,03%)

Monforte de Lemos                56 (0,03%)

Povoa de Varzim                    54 (0,03%)

Granada                                  54 (0,03%)

Tineo                                       48 (0,02%)

Ponferrada. C.Inv.                  47 (0,02%)

Coimbra                                  47 (0,02%)

Castilla La Mancha                 46 (0,02%)

Com. Valenciana                     44 (0,02%)

Cast. la Mancha                      43 (0,02%)

Huelva                                     43 (0,02%)

Nájera                                     40 (0,02%)

Benavente                               37 (0,02%)

Badajoz                                   35 (0,02%)

Córdoba                                  33 (0,02%)

Polonia                                    32 (0,02%)

Malaga                                    32 (0,02%)

Roma                                       31 (0,02%)

Resto Europa                         28 (0,01%)

Valladolid                               28 (0,01%)

Castrojeriz                               28 (0,01%)

San Sebastian                         27 (0,01%)

Vegadeo                                  25 (0,01%)

Las Médulas                            24 (0,01%)

Murcia                                     24 (0,01%)

Fonfría                                    24 (0,01%)

Reino Unido                           22 (0,01%)

Cataluña                                  21 (0,01%)

La Mesa                                  19 (0,01%)

Republica Checa                     19 (0,01%)

Guitiriz                                    18 (0,01%)

Quiroga                                   14 (0,01%)

Eslovaquia                               13 (0,01%)

San Juan de Ortega                 13 (0,01%)

Salas                                        13 (0,01%)

La Rioja                                  13 (0,01%)

Esposende                               12 (0,01%)

Viseu                                       11 (0,01%)

La Bañeza                               10 (0,01%)

Grado                                     10 (0,01%)

Faro                                         9 (0,00%)

Irlanda                                     9 (0,00%)

Hungría                                   8 (0,00%)

Dinamarca                               6 (0,00%)

Finlandia                                 6 (0,00%)

Resto Galicia                           6 (0,00%)

Aveiro                                     4 (0,00%)

Valcarlos                                 4 (0,00%)

Luxemburgo                            4 (0,00%)

Vincios                                    4 (0,00%)

Peñaseita                                 3 (0,00%)

Rábade                                    3 (0,00%)

El Escamplero                        3 (0,00%)

Jerusalem                                 3 (0,00%)