An Angel With a Mission

Golden light was playing upon the Sacred Heart Mission, a beautiful church building here in Cloudcroft located high in the Lincoln National Forest above Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Almost as soon as I gazed upon the vision a friendly woman walked over to me from the church and asked if I needed help. I suppose I looked like I did: I had travelled hundreds of miles over parched valleys and twisted mountain paths to arrive here. The wear was showing.

No wear was showing on the Sacred Heart Mission, however. I suspect the care and maintenance of this handsome little church has much to do with the care of this woman. Both she and her husband (Mike and Lourdes Blette) were busy on this Wednesday evening pruning the flowers and putting away leftovers from the previous week’s feast day celebration “Fiesta in the Clouds” that featured a 16-ft Piñata Bash.

I am offered a drink and treated to a history of the church and the town (Fodor named the town a ”Most Overlooked and Underrated Destination Spot). Mike even drives me up to The Lodge at Cloudcroft, a secret hideaway decades ago that was frequented by Hollywood Royalty such as Judy Garland, Gilbert Roland, Clark Gable. I am tempted to overnight there, but opt instead for sleeping under the stars at a nearby campsite.

Both Lourdes and her husband Mike are veterans of the Camino de Santiago. Lourdes tells me it is a journey I too must make. She hangs a Sacred Heart of Jesus medallion around my neck and bids me good journey.

I make my way into the night, comforted by the fact I have met an angel on my trip.

[Lourdes recommends the following resources for a proper journey on the Camino: "A good book to read while you are on the road is by Kevin A Codd, To The Field of Stars A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela. I also read Hiking The Camino 500 Miles With Jesus, by Father Dave Pivonka. Good inspiration and lessons learned."]

The Lodge at Cloudcroft

Saint Francis medallion