Camino Ignaciano ( The Ignacian Way)

Admittedly, I had never heard of the Camino Ignaciano until I stumbled upon the blog of John and Robin Piggott, of Portland, Oregon.  In January of this year they set out to follow Saint Ignatius's journey to Manresa in Spain taken in 1522.  The route is about 550 km long, which they divided into 27 walking days.

Ignatius was a Spanish knight, who was wounded in the Battle of Pamplona in 1521.  While recovering he underwent a spiritual conversion and trekked to Montserrat in Catalunya, and then to Manresa and lived a life not unlike Francis of Assisi.  He later founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

This camino as a long distance walk is still a relatively new one, but organizers hope to have it well established by 2022, the 500th anniversary of Ignatius's trek.

 

John and Robin began their walk on Jan. 13 and had a refreshing view that we could all have in our future endeavors:

"The most important element of any journey is not to get bound up in expectations. Robin and I have been particularly mindful of this as we have prepared for this trip. The number of uncertainties that attend this walk are a bit out of our comfort zone, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. We will have to adjust, as all pilgrims do, according to what befalls us. The trick is to do it joyfully. This pilgrimage (a true gift) should not be burdened with a foul mood because of some loopy unmet expectation."

To read the story of their journey begin here: A Good Walk Unspoiled

A video preview of the route can be found here: The Ignatian Way