The Office of the Pilgrim of the Ignatian Way dependent on the Society of Jesus, Jesuits in Spain, presents the statistics collected by the Office throughout the year 2019.

See the report here

The Heretat Oller del Mas today has more than 1,000 years of history, and, therefore, as early as 1522 the family was able to welcome Iñigo in his castle during his time in Manresa. Evidence of the family’s devotion to Saint Ignatius is the 17th century family chapel dedicated to the saint. Generations have followed one another in the castle, but the chapel has remained in the same place. Ignatian pilgrims pass by the castle, which opens its doors to invite them to have a glass of wine, if they have time to enjoy it.
The medieval castle, that dates back to the 10th century, breathes the captivating history of the Oller family: knights, noblemen, religious men and master craftsmen who have left their mark on the country’s history. The portraits of Joan, Bernat, Jeroni, Jaume, Bonifaci and others Oller, painted in the Middle Ages and still hanging today on the castle walls, certify this unique story. A story that now, more than 1,000 years later, continues to be written with extraordinary wines.
Today, the Margenat family is the heir to an ancient history. They preserve it with love and work with passion to marry it with the modernity of the new times. The pilgrims pass through its vine fields and contemplate Montserrat from their lands, as Íñigo de Loyola did so many times between 1522 and 1523. A year of his life in which, in all certainty, he visited the inhabitants of the castle of the Oller del Mas.
On the family crest, three pots of gold appear on a red background. And is that Oller, means “he who makes pots.” For this reason, in the middle of the vineyards there is a 13th century dry stone oven. An oven that in the 21st century has been re-lit, to make new pots with the clay from the farm.

To learn more, visit here

The Loyola pilgrimage route is a kind of anti-tour to the classic Camino de Santiago

See BEATE SCHÜMANN’s text here

A road from the Basque Country to Catalonia connects the most important stages in the life of Saint Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order. The soul recharges along the historical route.

See Günter Schenk’s text here

For yet another year, pilgrims from around the world join in pilgrimage to follow in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius. Different cultures, with different aspirations, but with the decision to live an experience that marks them and provides them with a new vision of themselves and their lives. Effort and guaranteed fight along the more than 650 km of the Ignatian Way. Also company and mutual support to grow together on the Camino.

To know the experience read here

When a pilgrim sets off, the limits disappear: the horizon is the destination, wherever he is. The humility and simplicity in his plans with which he must start each stage, and the simple lifestyle with which he must advance day by day, are the sign of the authentic pilgrim. His lifestyle is the vehicle that will allow him to reach unthinkable extremes at the beginning of his journey. Little did the pilgrim Sergio Klecker, a former student of the Jesuits and currently a professor at the Pontifical University of Comillas, imagine that one day he would reach that Ultreia (always beyond) the pilgrims on their journey. Always pointing higher (the Suseia of the pilgrims), Sergio did not hesitate to approach Rome to meet the Holy Father Francis and offer him a copy of the Official Guide to the Ignatian Way. Explaining his personal experience, Sergio, a pilgrim of the Ignatian Way, invited the Pope to also become a pilgrim of the Way, which made him laugh for a moment, and thanked him for being welcomed as such on the first opportunity he visits our land. Perhaps in the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the conversion of Saint Ignatius and his first pilgrimage to Manresa, it would be a good time. “We will continue to pray for him, as he always asks us,” says Sergio. And we will continue building the Ignatian Way with our daily effort. Forward pilgrims!

When the Ignatian Way Pilgrim Office began its journey in 2011, from the first summer we already had pilgrims who helped us to better outline the route and who contributed their knowledge to create a proposal for pilgrimages that would be open to everyone . The first foreigners, such as the Irish Jesuit Terry Howard sj (2011) or the Filipino Fr. Riyo (2012), left a deep mark in places like Navarrete or Cabredo. The Jesuits were followed by lay Ignatians interested in following in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius on his pilgrimage to Manresa. Natalie Lacroix (2011) and Caroline Vital (2013) have been accompanying groups of more than 30 francophone pilgrims for years, every summer. Internationalization corresponds to the Ignatian vocation to go out and go beyond local borders.

And from life experiences, the publications follow, of course! In recent times, various testimonies of the Ignatian Way have come to light, or will shortly come. Life experiences that mix with the dust and pebbles of the road. Experiences that must be necessarily personal, but that involve all those people, men and women of the towns and cities of the Ignatian Way. Sympathetic and entertaining stories, which are read very quickly, such as that of Ignacio Villameriel, “Tras la flecha Naranja”, which collects multiple anecdotes, including one of importance: finding his girlfriend! Pilgrimages are already known to unite hearts. Or the story more theologically developed and with very good connections to the Spiritual Exercises, offered by Brendan McManus sj, “Walk through Fire”. In his work, McManus leads us through his experience of the Ignatian Way, an experience of injury and reconciliation, of falling and struggling to regain stability. A story that provides many links with Ignatian spirituality experienced on the Camino and also on his return home. And the story of Philippe Lemonnier, “Iñigo, chemin faisant”, started as an isolated pilgrim and ended as a group pilgrim: two experiences on the same pilgrimage. Lemonnier is a non-believer who approaches the pilgrimage experience, with the opening of the curious investigator, who wishes to discover the interiors of the Ignatian pilgrimage. Author of several books on pilgrims and pilgrimages, it is fortunate that he has noticed the Ignatian. The icing on the cake is offered by an author unknown to us, of Korean origin. His book, published in South Korea, came into our hands. But we don’t know much: he did the Ignatian Way two years ago and offers his experience in a beautiful guide book … of which we only understand photos and maps. When someone publishes in Chinese, an English translation will have to be requested. Buen Camino to everyone!

Since 2013, the city of Manresa, the heart of Catalonia, is preparing to welcome Íñigo again. 500 years later, the city recovers its Ignatian and Jesuit roots, with the collaboration of the La Cova Sanctuary. Architectural renovations. Recovery of the places with an Ignatian presence, such as the old hospital of Santa Lucía, where Íñigo experienced the well-known spiritual abduction. Or the place of the great lighting of Íñigo, contemplating the Cardoner river.

The Manresa 2022 website is the portal where you can consult everything that has been done and what is planned for the future. Although the original page is in Catalan, with Google Translator you can translate the page into all languages from the Chrome browser.

This group of pilgrims from CLC Philippines have already been able to enjoy the Ignatian Manresa, that heart that beats to the rhythm of the 500 years of the pilgrimage of Saint Ignatius.

Ignatius 500 will be the name of the fifth centenary of the conversion of Ignatius of Loyola that the Company of Jesus in collaboration with the entire Ignatian family will celebrate between May 20, 2021 and July 31, 2022. The General Curia has announced the Ignatian Year logo, made by the Spanish architect Emilio Ortiz Zaforas.
The name “Ignatius” is the one that Íñigo de Loyola adopted during his time in Paris. The theme chosen for this celebration is “See all things new in Christ.”
The Province of Spain of the Jesuits launches for this reason a website about the event in our country. It is a provisional website that offers basic information about the celebration, allows subscription to a future newsletter. Work is underway to prepare a complete program of activities for the centenary that will contribute to making this Ignatian Year a profound experience of conversion.

https://ignatius500.org/

I arrived at Hotel Arrupe, Loyola on May 13 with Maria Isabel, a good friend from Colombia since our high school years. Fr. Josep Lluis welcomed us at the hotel lobby and invited us to the evening meeting, where he introduced the group of 12 pilgrims from Australia, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Singapore and the United States. He gave us the guide that pointed out the most prominent places along the Camino Ignaciano; practical advice and tips for the inner and outer journey; and a pilgrim passport to be stamped in each place we visited. From the introduction, it was clear to me that we had an eclectic and interesting group. That was a very good start. The first two nights…

Keep reading this interesting experience written by Pilar Londoño-Kent

I chanced upon Loyola. On a drive from San Sebastian to Bilbao, we saw “Loiola” on the map. After finding out that this was the Loiola of St Ignatius, we stopped by out of curiosity. As it turned out, we stayed the whole morning, leaving with a greater knowledge as well as appreciation of St Ignatius and the Jesuits. I also picked up a bookmark showing the Camino Ignaciano, which was something new at the time. It looked frighteningly long, but tempting. Over the next few years, perhaps by divine design, I learnt more about…

Keep reading this interesting experience written by J. Tan.

Fin décembre 2018, je visite une librairie religieuse en quête d’un bon livre afin d’assouvir ma passion en rapport avec la démarche pèlerine et notamment les chemins de Saint-Jacques et je trouve le livre intitulé « Chemin Ignatien », dont l’auteur est le Père jésuite José Louís Iriberri s.j., paru aux éditions Vie Chrétienne en 2018. Ma première réaction fut : « Ah, non ! Pas encore un topoguide et un nouveau chemin !  Pas pour moi, en tout cas ! »  Quelques jours après…

Pour lire cet intéressant récit de Pierre Genin