Day 17: Montserrat – Manresa

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

Today was a 25 km walk in 31-degree centigrade weather. We began our day with Mass at 7.00am after which we visited the Black Madonna. The Black Madonna is sometimes referred to as the Virgin of Montserrat. The statue sits behind a sheet of glass. However, one of her hands that is holding a sphere (which symbolizes the universe) is not behind the glass. It is tradition for you to kiss or touch the Virgin’s hand while opening out your other hand to Jesus.

The day started off foggy and cool, and Montserrat was shrouded in fog, but this did not last.

We had to get off the trail…

**Jim Strickler and I stopped at a memorial to some women religious who were killed here in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War**

Manresa from the top of the hill overlooking the city

**A new “cave” at Manresa looking out at Montserrat**

Jesuit and Companion Schools Australia (JACSA) is an educational network which provides a forum to share expertise, resources, and professional development programs, and to engage with formation programs and other experiences that are based on a common and integrated spiritual foundation grounded in Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy.

**I met up with Fr Nico Lariosa SJ, a member of the Australian Jesuit Province who is in Manresa with a group of teachers from Jesuit and Companion Schools** **Australia**

Day 16: Igualada – Montserrat

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

Today we walked from Igualada to Montserrat, which is the second to last day of our Ignatian Camino. It was a tough walk but we managed it.

**We left the pilgrim hostel at 7:30 am.**

**It was still dark when we started walking.**

**Jim Strickler looking at an icon of Mary on the side of the trail**

The view from the trail up to Montserrat

The view from the place where we stopped for lunch

For much of the day, we were walking along busy roads

Day 15: La Panadella – Jorba – Igualada

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

We left La Panadella before 9.00am and walked for 16 km to Jorba where we had Mass and lunch in a pilgrim hostel run by the local parish priest (a chef for many years before he became a priest, and the food provided was excellent). After Mass and lunch, we walked another 7 km to Igualada, population 38,918.

**Much of the way today was along highways**

However, there was some greenery along the way

**Josep Lluis Iriberri explaining the details a a pilgrim refuge where Saint Ignatius almost certainly stayed**

As we were walking, some of us were keeping tabs on the Australian Football League Grand Final between Collingwood and Brisbane at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Collingwood won by four points, much to the delight of Peter Davine who follows Collingwood. When we had our first break, some of us sang the Collingwood theme song:

Collingwood’s win in the Grand Final was celebrated on the Ignatian Camino

**Our guide, Josep Lluis Iriberri SJ, said Mass for us at the pilgrim hostel**

After mass, we had an excellent lunch. (L-R) Joe Napolitano, Paul, Walczyk, Nicola Reynolds, Katherine Stewart, John Egner, Bob Foley, Paddy Mugavin, Michael Smith, Peter Davine, Jim Strickler, and Don Stewart.

**As we left Jorba, we had our first view of Montserrat in the distance**

**As we walked closer to Igualada, Montserrat began to loom. We will be at the Benedictine monastery there by tomorrow afternoon.**

**The group is staying in a brand-new pilgrim hostel which has excellent facilities. They even have a display of the sort of clothing that Saint Ignatius would have worn as a pilgrim.**

Day 14: Cervera – La Panadella

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

Today we had a shorter walk — 15 km — from Cervera to a truck stop called La Panadella which has an excellent hotel and an even better menu.

The view from Cervera. We gathered here to begin our reflections for the day.

Walking down from Cervera

**Looking back at Cervera. (L-R) Peter Davine, Paddy Mugavin, Don Stewart, and Jim Strickler**

The land is very dry

In one farmer’s backyard, there are three Soviet-era fighter jets and a U.S. Lockheed Starfighter

**We stopped for a coffee before the final hour-and-a-half walk to La Panadella**

**Fr Josep Lluis Iriberri SJ and Fr Paddy Mugavin after their arrival at La Panadella**

Day 13: Verdú – Tarrega – Cervera

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

We had an 18 km walk from Verdu to Cervera. The temperature was 30 degrees centigrade and there was a steep climb up to Cervera. We walked for just an hour to Tàrrega where we stopped to visit the Church of Santa Maria de l’Alba. It was an exquisite example of an old church which has been refurbished beautifully.

Walking early in the morning with Joe Napolitano and Paul Walczyk

**Shade was at a premium today, and we tried to find some when we stopped each hour**

**We visited a church that was burned down during the Spanish Civil War and reconstructed**

We met a man in one of the squares in Tarrega who had his dog wearing a hat and sunglasses

**Walking through one of the small villages on the way. (L-R) Joe Napolitano, Bob Foley and Peter Davine ahead**

**Some of the day we walked on bitumen which reflected the heat**

**Don and Katherine Stewart, Paddy Mugavin, Peter Davine, John Egner, with Bob Foley and Nicola Reynolds in the background seeking some shade during our break**

**There is extensive irrigation in this area, but the water levels are low because there has been a drought for three years**

**Joe Napolitano and I can see the town of Cervera in the distance, but it is still 1.5 hours of walking in the heat away**

**Katherine Stewart, Jim Strickler, and Tim Voelkel explore Cervera in the early evening**

Day 10: Zaragoza – Pina de Ebro – Venta de Santa Lucia – Bujaraloz

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

We drove from Zaragoza to

**The group getting ready to begin our walk at 10 am**

A period of quiet reflection in the desert

We each spent time alone in the desert listening for God

**The road was long and the weather hot. We didn’t reach Bujaraloz until after 6:00 PM.**

**A large sheet metal bull on the horizon**

**We had an excellent buffet this evening at the Hostel Bujaraloz which included a chocolate fountain**

Day 8: Xavier – Luceni – Cabañas – Zaragoza

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

Today we took a private bus from Xavier to Luceni, then we walked for two hours the 8 kilometres to Cabañas. Then we took a private bus to the magnificent city of Zaragoza.

**Me heading out of town with a long walk ahead**

**Our guide, Josep Lluis Iriberri SJ, briefing us for the day’s walk**

In a children’s playground in a small town is this quote from Don Quixote painted on a wall: *“Cambiar el mundo, amigo Sancho, no es locura ni utopia sino justicia”*
**(Changing the world, my friend Sancho, is not madness nor utopia but justice)**

**We followed the River Ebro for a while today**

**We stopped at the place where Ignatius made an important decision**.
**Which road would he take?**

**It was hot walking in the afternoon sun**

**We found some shade to stop for lunch** **and check our phones**

**The ham and cheese rolls that we typically have for lunch on the trail**

**Storks make their nests in the oddest of places**

Dinner in Zaragoza

Day 7: Navarrete – Logroño – Xavier

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

In the morning, we had a three-hour walk from Navarrete to Logrono where we had lunch. At 3 pm, we took a bus to Xavier.

**Fr Josep giving instructions in the morning. Behind is the place where we stayed last night. It was the house where Ignatius used to stay when he worked for the Duke of Navarre.**

**The bull on the hill on the road between Navarrete and Logrono**

**Jim Strickler and Peter Davine putting up crosses made out of twigs and pieces of wood on a fence along the highway**

**The trail into Logrono was through beautiful public parks**

Day 6: Laguardia – Navarrete

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Fr Michael Smith SJ under On the road

Today was a much easier day. After breakfast, we spent the morning visiting the Church of Santa María de los Reyes in Laguardia. We had an interesting description of the portico.