Brendan McManus - Redemption Road: From Grief to Peace through Walking the Camino de Santiago

In memory of Donal;

dedicated to my family and

all those bereaved by suicide.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me...

Psalm 23 (Donals favorite Psalm)

A.M.D.G.

If you want to know what it is like to set out on a journey of bereavement, if you want to know how suicide affects a person, if you want to know what it feels like to find some healing, then this is the book for you. Brendan writes beautifully and evocatively about his brother Donal and the lengths that he goes to (the end of the world) for him. I couldnt recommend it highly enough.

Paul Kelly, CEO and founder of Console

Brendan McManuss profoundly moving memoir of his journey to wholeness and healing after his brothers suicide is a standout. He takes the reader along on a physical pilgrimage, but also on a remarkable journey of reconciliation, grace, and ultimately, peace. Redemption Road moved me deeply, and Im proud of my brother Jesuit for sharing with us his honest and heartfelt story.

James Martin, SJ, Jesuit priest, editor of America magazine, and author of several award-winning books

Brendan McManus has written a very vivid and absorbing account of his personal pilgrimage on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. Riveting and intense, this is no walk in the park, but an invitation to see Ignatian discernment in action and to accompany a grieving man going through great darkness to light. It is a great read.

Fr. William A. Barry, SJ, distinguished spiritual director and author

In this beautiful book Brendan McManus shares with us the authentic story of his journey on the Camino. Through his experiences along the ancient route he comes to understand the process of his own transformation as a modern-day pilgrim moving away from despair, searching for the restoration of his faith in hope and love.

Dr. Jim Lucey, psychiatrist and medical director of St. Patricks University Hospital

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2014, 2016 Brendan McManus

All rights reserved.

Published in Ireland by Orpen Press, Lonsdale House, Avoca Avenue, Blackrock Co., Dublin, Ireland. E-mail: info@orpenpress.com www.orpenpress.com 2014 Brendan McManus. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover art credit: iStock/rdonar

eBook ISBN: 978-0-8294-4412-4

Based on the print edition: 978-0-8294-4411-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015959420

16 17 18 19 20 EPUB 5 4 3 2 1

I first met Brendan McManus, SJ, on a November evening in 2007 when I was sharing my personal story with a Console support group of which he was a member. Having lost my own sister to suicide, I set up the suicide-prevention agency Console in 2002 with the desire to support those in a similar situation of loss and hopefully prevent others from dying in such a tragic way. I was impressed by Brendans authenticity and humility in asking for help, a big challenge, particularly for grieving males. As a priest, Brendan is not afraid to write about his own faith crisis and rage at God, a key theme on this epic journey. Many people will identify with Brendan on the Camino because they will recognize the courageous struggle to keep going, to keep taking the next step, and to keep following the winding trail wherever it takes you.

Redemption Road tells Brendans personal story of walking the Camino de Santiago, some five hundred miles, in memory of his brother Donal, who had died by suicide. It is a story about fraternal love, but also about loss and the quest for inner peace. The enigmatic trail in northern Spain provides the dramatic backdrop for Brendans healing quest, with its stunning beauty as well as its enormous physical and personal challenges. As a Jesuit, Brendan uses all the wisdom and tools of the societys founder, Ignatius of Loyola, the quintessential journeyman and saint. His sixteenth-century spirituality, with its pilgrim, decision-based approach, guides Brendan through some difficult situations. He learns how to go at his own pace, to be free of the pressure to compete with others, and to live in the moment, being present to himself and others.

As the founder of Console, I have a keen interest in how people grieve the death of a loved one. In this book, walking is the therapy that allows Brendan to heal the wounds of the past. On the trail he experiences a number of adventures and trials that bring his inner tensions to the surface and pave the way for a deep healing process. Redemption Road is a story about redemption, about gently mending a broken life through pilgrimage, movement, and meditation. It is a story about how spirituality is present in the grit of everyday experience, and how a sixteenth-century Basque pilgrim, Ignatius of Loyola, illuminates the journey for us today.

I was particularly moved when Brendan mentions how important Console was for him and how being part of a support group was an essential part of the healing process. What interests me is the uncovering of successful survival skills and creative ways of coping. Here is a book that does precisely that, in a way that is neither preachy nor prescriptive, but convincing because it is personal. I believe there is something unique about the process of suicide bereavement that literally drives people to the End of the Earth (part of the last chapters title) to seek solace for their wounded souls. I found that Brendans account beautifully describes the human drive for healing, both its difficulties and its consolations, and culminates in an eminently hopeful conclusion.

Paul Kelly, founder and CEO of Console