Tom’s Story: Tom openly shared his story with folks in Pamplona and elsewhere. He told us when we first met him in Orrison. He’s walking the Camino with his wife’s uncle, Capt. Gerry Spencer (USN RET).
On December 8, 2018, while watching the Army/Navy game, Gerry told Tom about his plan to make his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago – the Way of Saint James. Tom wanted to learn more, so Gerry recommended the film, The Way. In the film, Martin Sheen plays Tom, a father who learned of the death of his son, Daniel, played by Emilio Estevez, Sheen’s own son. Daniel had died of exposure on the second day of the pilgrimage, a journey he had wanted his skeptical father to take with him. After traveling to France to reclaim and then cremate his son’s remains, Tom decides to walk the Camino himself, carrying his son’s ashes and spreading them along “The Way.”
On January 3, 2019, Tom’s son Daniel died of apparent heart failure on his front porch in Lake Ridge, Virginia. Inside the house, Dan’s Bible was found opened to page 1013 – James 5:7 “Patience in suffering” and James 5:13 “The Prayer for Faith.” Later on, as Tom watched the film, The Way, he was struck very personally by the film: the mourning father in the film, also named Tom, and his son was named Daniel. And then there was the direct link to St. James (Santiago). So Tom committed himself to walk a meaningful pilgrimage. ”In September of 2019, I will accompany Gerry on his pilgrimage and I will be accompanied by the ashes of my father, John J. Corris and my son Daniel A. Corris and the play dirt of my grandson Jayson T, Corris.”
Thank you, Tom for letting us share your very moving story.
How Gerry became a legend on the Camino: Gerry is a retired US Navy doctor, now 78 years old. He’s walking the Camino with Tom, his “nephew-in-law.”
On his third day of the Camino, the hike between Roncevalles and Zubiri, Gerry took a serious fall. Tripping on a curb in Burguette, he smashed his face on the sidewalk – the effect of which you can see in the photo here. He was taken to a hospital and treated, and then returned to Roncevalles to rejoin the Camino.
Given Gerry’s age, and now this injury, other would ask how he could continue? But Gerry never doubted. Indeed he was happy to share pictures of his very bruised forehead and face. Thus Gerry’s bruised image was spread around, so he is a legend among the current cohort of pilgrims.
We shared a room with Tom and Gerry in Zubiri, the night of his accident, and we walked with them the next day, on the trip to Pamplona.
