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| FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | Forsythilews.com
4A
Local pastor prepares for European pilgrimage
By Alexander Popp
apopp@forsythnews.com
Mark Laßocca-Pitts, pastor
of Bethelview United
Methodist Church, is going on
a journey.
But not just any journey to
the beach or across the country.
This summer, Laßocca-Pitts
will set out on a pilgrimage, in
the oldest and most traditional
sense of the word, through
France and Spain on the
Camino de Santiago, a series of
ancient footpaths to the holy
city of Santiago in Galicia,
Spain.
Over his month long trip,
Laßocca-Pitts will hike 500
miles down ancient roman
brick roads, and through the
mountains of France on cattle
paths, in a quest to find spiritu
al fulfillment in the community.
and solitude of travel. |
“I have been a pastor now
for many years, and I'm 61.
I'm just in need of spiritual
renewal,” Laßocca-Pitts said
prior to taking the trip.
Laßocca-Pitts, a Harvard
trained theologist, said that he
first learned about the trail
years ago after watching “The
Way,” a movie starring Martin
Sheen, and knew it was some
thing that he wanted to do.
~ “I watched the movie like
twice in a weekend, and it was
funny because that next Sunday
a friend did a presentation in
Sunday school class on the
Camino, about taking a group
there to do the last 100 miles,”
he said. :
Laßocca-Pitts said that this
coincidence was all the urging
he needed to get started on his
dream of hiking the Camino.
He said that he and his wife
joined up with a group to com
plete the last 100 miles of the
Camino over a span of ten days
in 2016.
“And, that really fired me up
about wanting to-do the whole
thing,” he said. -
He added that this time he
means to finish the entire pil
grimage and will be taking the
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‘I have been a pastor
now for many years,
and I'm 61. I'm just in
need of spiritual
renewal.’
Mark Laßocca-Pitts
Pastor, Bethelview United
Methodist Church
“French way” or Camino
Francés of the Camino de
Santiago. He said that this is
the most traditional and well
To train for this upcoming
pilgrimage, Laßocca-Pitts
walked 5 to 6 miles each day
with his weighted pack and his
walking shoes.
“You want to break in every
thing you are taking, before
you get there. Especially your
shoes and socks,” he said.
He explained that his goal is
to carry less than 12 pounds on
his back the whole trail. His
pack will contain two complete
changes of clothes, a good first
aid kit, toiletries, a sleeping bag
liner, a water bottle and rain
gear. :
According to him, this low
weight and minimalist pack is
possible because of how giving
and fruitful communities along
“There’s a saying that ‘the
is that everything you’ll need,
you will find along the way,” he
said.
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A stone bridge that was crossed by Bethelview United Methodist Church pastor Mark
Laßocca-Pitts when he hiked the last 100 miles of the Camino de Santiago in 2016. Below,
one of the many countryside views. . . ;
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He said that one specific and
special item he will be carrying
with him along the pilgrimage
is a small brass hand held cross
that will remind him every day
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of why he chose to take the
journey. :
“I’ll be carrying it to kind of
remind me why I’'m doing the
walk. I'm doing it because I'm
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in search of deepening my spir
itual life. Yes, there is the chal
lenge and the fun, but I want to
deepen my spiritual commit
ment,” he said.
A family friend of Laßocca-
Pitts, Eric Norman, said that he
and his wife Judy just returned
from hiking the same trail that
Laßocca-Pitts is about to
embark on, and says he knows
the pastor is going to do fine.
“He’s a driven kind of per
son,” Norman said.
He said that his advice to
Laßocca-Pitts or anyone
attempting a hike of the
Camino de Santiago is to “be
open to whatever happens” and
to not “apply too many expec
tations to what may happen.”
“Prepare your body and mind
for something you haven’t ever
experienced before and don't
try to control what is going to
happen; it’s going to happen
anyway,” he laughed.