Cross of Saint James

[scruffy1]

Coming home through Fiumicino Airport while on the train between terminals I saw from afar a man perhaps a priestor a lay brother wearing a brown cassock with a white scapular marked by a huge chin-to big toe sized Cross of Saint James. Too many people on the train and he ran like a bunny to catch his plane so I never was able to talk with him. Which order? Perhaps a Franciscan with a pledge to the Confraternity? Something else? Just wondering.

 

[akula415]

Coming home through Fiumicino Airport while on the train between terminals I saw from afar a man perhaps a priestor a lay brother wearing a brown cassock with a white scapular marked by a huge chin-to big toe sized Cross of Saint James. Too many people on the train and he ran like a bunny to catch his plane so I never was able to talk with him. Which order? Perhaps a Franciscan with a pledge to the Confraternity? Something else? Just wondering.

I i think the group that you're referring to are actually called the Heralds of the Gospel. They are a relatively new were religious order or rather and institute of consecrated life very different than Franciscans or other older orders. They were only approved in 2001 under John Paul the 2nd. They mostly consist of younger adults. I'm fairly certain what you are describing are the Heralds, but i will post a picture to be sure.

 

[Kathor1]

I'm fairly certain what you are describing are the Heralds, but i will post a picture to be sure.

That's interesting, thank you for posting this. I still didn't get the connection to the Saint James cross. However, from their website and from Wikipedia, I now see that their main symbol is an image of the Virgin and that they apparently adhere to a tradition called Wandermadonna - Wandering Madonna. Which means nothing to me. So I thought that's the connection: wandering = pilgrimage. But that's not the case. On their website it becomes clearer: the cross is shown next to the word reconquista, ie contemporary re-evangelisation efforts.

See also: Habits, Uniforms and Symbols of the Heralds of the Gospel on their US website.

 

[Kathor1]

A video that explains the habit of the contemporary Heralds of the Gospel. I think this may be of general interest as it is a habit that is "taken from various elements of Christian Catholic tradition". It may help to interpret some of the historical images and symbols that you see along the Camino Frances for example.

 

[SabsP]

Please be aware of their reputation.

Vatican investigates Catholic group after exorcism claim that Francis is devil's man

The leader of a Brazilian traditionalist movement that was praised in the past two pontificates has resigned, and a video has subsequently emerged of the leader relaying bizarre claims by one of his priests regarding Pope Francis. Mgr João Scognamiglio Clá Dias, the founder and now ex-leader of...

www.thetablet.co.uk

 

[Tincatinker]

Members will be minded of Rule 2 when considering contributing to this thread.

 

[henrythedog]

With Rule 2 at the forefront of my mind, I’ll confess to being rather frightened by the photo in post #2.

 

[Kathor1]

With Rule 2 at the forefront of my mind, I’ll confess to being rather frightened by the photo in post #2.

Totally non-religious Sci-Fi movies?

I've been racking my brain to find a way of gently steering the thread away from Rule 2 waters ... to cut a long story short: from the time-honoured Austrian tradition of wanderer madonnas to the famous La Peregrina statue in Pontevedra to the even more famous La Peregrina pearl that Richard Burton once purchased and gave as a gift to Elizabeth Taylor and to the question: Why is it called Peregrina pearl aka Female Wanderer pearl? Do you think it will work?

 

[wayfarer]

With Rule 2 at the forefront of my mind, I’ll confess to being rather frightened by the photo in post #2.

I have to agree.