Ignatian Pilgrimage in Spain

This looks enticing - An Ignatian Pilgrimage following the same route St. Ignatius walked through Spain in 1522 after his conversion.

It begins at his family’s home in the Basque region of 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. 

More information on the route here from the organisers, a small group of men and women, lay and Jesuit, whose goal by re-creating this pilgrim route is to revitalize a living tradition in a 21st century route.


I am familiar with the Logrono to Zaragoza part of this but only by car !


The Ignatian pathway is different from the Santiago route and this edited extract is from the website :


"During much of his pilgrim journey, Ignatius would have passed many pilgrims who were travelling in the opposite direction. He was heading south toward Montserrat and, thereafter, to ports where he could sail to the Holy Land. 

Most other pilgrims on these roads would have been travelling the opposite direction to Ignatius, heading along the famous Camino Santiago toward the town of Santiago de Compostela, where according to Christian tradition, the relics of St. James the apostle are reverenced.
 
So, more than once during his long and sometimes lonely journey, Ignatius must have felt he was swimming “upstream” as he crossed paths with so many pilgrims flowing in the opposite direction. 

But we can think of this as a metaphor for one for a very characteristic feature of Ignatius’s spirituality: each of us must discern God’s particular call to us, that is, the way in which God is leading us to walk for “his greater glory,” to use a common Jesuit phrase. And we must be attentive to God’s call, even when it feels to lead us “against the current” of popular opinion and fashion.


Modern pilgrims on the Camino Ignaciano will experience the same phenomenon as Ignatius. As you walk toward Manresa, you will pass many pilgrims heading the opposite direction, toward Santiago. Often you will see the distinctive yellow arrows of the Camino Santiago along the side of the road; the arrows will be pointing in the opposite way of your own journey toward Manresa. Ignatius was seeking another horizon than they, and perhaps you will likewise be called to do so.


Ignatius spent many months in Manresa, often living in primitive natural caves along the riverside, today commemorated in a chapel known as La Cueva (the cove).

He wrote in his Autobiography about the many insights he gleaned about spirituality in Manresa, that God seemed to be teaching him there in the way that a patient teacher schools a little child.




Ignatius left Manresa, ultimately destined for Jerusalem. 

But his pilgrimage, ultimately, was less about a geographical place than about developing a personal relationship with Jesus, and feeling the call to serve Jesus.














Pilgrims are fond of repeating an old saying: “Everyone has something to learn on the camino.” No one can predict what you yourself will gain from your pilgrimage, but this much is certain. If you journey with an open and generous spirit, you will also receive generously."



It's a good time to mention my friend Claire's account of her real time ongoing pilgrimage as she is currently trekking her way to Santiago, Compostela.along with her husband Paul.

Her great  posts so far can be followed at this blog Strolling To Compostela

Still on the topic of pilgrimage this film is on my wish list- most of the reviews are pretty good for this and especially for the acting of Martin Sheen . 
The pilgrimage route to Santiago in this film starts in France.
It's available from the end of October from Amazon UK. 

This links to a transcript from a wonderful interview this month with Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez  who also directed and acted in the film.



There is yet another new film on the Santiago pilgrimage , this time a documentary : more details here : it looks great.

This video one shows Martin Sheen talking about The Way and he also endorses the real documentary film which is in need of funds to complete the film.





The official trailer for The Way


A clip from the documentary film follows the reasons why six strangers from diverse walks of life attempt to cross a country on foot with only a backpack, a pair of boots, and an open mind.This is a great preview..................

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