The Way of Sant James

Xacobeo manager Rafael Sánchez attended the award ceremony for the APECSA 2016 International Award, presented to Peregrino magazine by the Association of Way of St. James Journalists and Scholars.

The magazine has been published by the Spanish Federation of Friends of the Camino de Santiago Associations since 1987 and is run by José Antonio Ortiz. The award ceremony was held this morning at Samos Monastery.

The 2016 award is dedicated in memoriam to the British professor, scholar and academic David Mackenzie, who, in addition to his efforts on behalf of Galician language and culture in the English-speaking world, was one of the promoters of the British Pro-Jacobean Committee in 1992.

The judges were impressed by the work presented and voted unanimously to award the prize to Peregrino magazine for its efforts in disseminating and promoting the values of the Way of St. James.

The award was given for the twelve numbers of the magazine published in 2014 and 2015, issues which form part of a much broader publishing project dating back to 1987, when the first number of Peregrino magazine was published. It continued the work begun by Elías Valiña Sampedro with the publication of the Boletín del Camino.

Through the 166 issues and more than 5,000 copies published to date, the collection has become an extraordinary promotional channel for the Jacobean phenomenon and the Way of St. James. This has been made possible by the original articles written by historians, theologians, anthropologists and authors who have been pilgrims, as well as by the magazine’s distribution through subscriptions held by all members of the Spanish associations in the federation, as well as other domestic and foreign associations.

Peregrino magazine also reaches public and ecclesiastical institutions, and obviously, pilgrims and the general public. It is catalogued under Jacobean subject headings at leading national and international libraries, a clear demonstration of its mission to disseminate information about the Way of St. James.