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Ignatian Camino: Invitation to walk in the steps of St Ignatius


Montserrat in the distance

Montserrat in the distance

Bookings are being taken now for the Ignatian Camino, a walking pilgrimage in the steps of St Ignatius Loyola, which will take place from departing 24 September - 7 October 2017, led by Fr Dominic Robinson from Farm Street Church and Jo Siedlecka, editor of ICN. In his autobiography St Ignatius calls himself simply “the pilgrim” and describes his Camino in the year 1522 from his home town of Loyola in the Basque Country across northern Spain to Montserrat and Manresa in the east.

Our own Camino follows the final part of this route along the ancient Camino trail through Catalunya.

We start at the Shrine and birth place of St Peter Claver, the 17th century Jesuit priest known as the “slave to the slaves” for his work with the slaves of what is modern day Colombia.

We then walk through the beautiful green valleys and hills of Catalunya that St Ignatius knew so well, stopping at churches, shrines of Our Lady and in small villages and towns as he did.

Then we make our way around the breathtaking mountain of Montserrat, known as a place of profound peace and spirituality, and arrive at the great Abbey of Our Lady of Monserrat, where St Ignatius spent three nights in prayer, laid down his sword at the feet of the Madonna and resolved to follow Christ.

Finally we follow the steps of St Ignatius to the town of Manresa, where he settled and lived the life of “the pilgrim” as he composed the Spiritual Exercises.

This pilgrimage, however, is not all walking, although this takes up most of the first ten days until we arrive in Manresa. A Camino is a spiritual as well as physical exercise. During the walk we will stop for prayer at particular places, guided by St Ignatius to reflect on our own response to Christ. St Ignatius in his autobiography charts his own progress as he walks, reflecting on his call to detachment, freedom, indifference. So our prayer will reflect this as we contemplate where God is working in our life. Each day we will celebrate Mass as the high point of the day and eat dinner together.

At the end of our walk we then go on to the beautiful city of Barcelona, home to St Ignatius for several years in two periods of his life. We stay in the Spiritual Exercises Centre to spend a few days of rest, prayer reviewing our Camino experience, and visiting the sites associated with St Ignatius. There will also be time for general sightseeing, shopping and enjoying this wonderful city.


This tour involves a substantial amount of walking - with breaks along the way. Luggage is driven on ahead and if you need a rest you can get a lift! But you do need to be a good walker - and have good footwear- to go on this pilgrimage. Groups that have gone before have enjoyed it very much.

To get a flavour of the experience read last year's blogs:

Walking in the steps of St Ignatius #1

Walking in the steps of St Ignatius #2

Walking in the steps of St Ignatius #3 - Montserrat

Walking in the steps of St Ignatius #4 - on to Manresa


Ignatian Camino - led by Fr Dominic Robinson, SJ, and Josephine Siedlecka, departing 24 September - 7 October 2017

Price £929 - includes:

Scheduled return flight either: London Gatwick/London Stansted/Manchester/Birmingham/Dublin - Barcelona.

One piece of luggage. Accommodation with a twin-bedded room with private facilities at:

Pilgrim Hostel , Verdu 24 Sept to 27 Sept
Moli Blanc Hotel, Igualada 27 Sept to 29 Sept
Abat Cisneros, Montserrat 29 Sept to 02 Oct
Jesuit Retreat Centre, Manresa 02 Oct to 04 Oct
Spiritual Exercise Centre, Barcelona 04 Oct to 08 Oct

14 breakfasts.
ATOL and ABTA financial protection.

Price Extras:

Travel insurance currently at £33 per person. Single rooms supplement at £98 for five nights (limited availability), single rooms at the Pilgrim Hostel are not available so you must share for the three nights there. Lunches and dinners. Drinks. Fuel surcharges if passed on by the airline. Gratuities.Transfers within the UK.

Terms of Payment:

To reserve your place on the tour you will need to complete a booking form and return it to Pax Travel Ltd with a deposit of £200 (plus the insurance premium if the cover we offer is required) per person. Final payment to be received by Pax Travel no later than 24th July 2017.

The above price is guaranteed for the bookings Pax Travel receives before Friday 30th September 2016.

To book see: http://form.jotformeu.com/form/41822175755357

For more information call: Tel: +44 (0)20 7485 3003 or email Fr Dominic at: dtrsj@hotmail.com

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