A group of lay people and Jesuits have set up a new pilgrimage route in Spain that should appeal to walkers and cyclists with an Ignatian bent. It’s called the Camino Ignaciano (the Ignatian “way” or “road”). It’s the route St. Ignatius walked in 1522 after his conversion. It begins at his family’s home in Loyola and ends in the town of Manresa, where he began to put together the book that would become the Spiritual Exercises.
The route is about 340 miles long. The pilgrimage team (which includes my friend Chris Lowney) has mapped the route, divided it into 27 daily walking segments, and cataloged hostels and services along the way. All this information can be found in five languages at the website caminoignaciano.org.
Anyone who walks the route for five consecutive days in the next two years will be enrolled as a “pioneer” pilgrim.
Ten years ago I traveled this route by bus when I made an Ignatian pilgrimage. The countryside in this part of Spain is gorgeous and diverse–mountains, fertile land, rivers, even a desert. 2022 will be the 500th anniversary of Ignatius’s trek. By then the team expects the Camino Ignaciano to be well-established.
Jim Manney
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That is fantastic! I love the idea of an Ignatian way… really great.
My friend Claire is on the camino and not for the first time; I will send her this link as she checks in periodically. You can read about the path that she and her husband have set out upon, from Sevilla to Compostela at her blog, Strolling to Compostelle.
Great idea. It looks a challenge.
I’m glad that Fran has linked to Claire’s pilgrimage.
Her accounts so far are full of spiritual insight as well as graphic descriptions of the physical struggles involved in the journey.
Blessings
What a pilgrimage. It looks really challenging, exhausting but fulfilling all at the same time. I have never gone on one but this sure seems like one of the best ways to go.