Training Walk 1, 2013

On the afternoon of Sunday 23 June a group of ten Ignatian Pilgrims gathered at Campion Centre of Ignatian Spirituality in Kew for a training walk.  After introductions we talked about our gear.  Day packs, water bottles, boots, socks to avoid blisters and so on were compared. Then we set off on a two-hour walk around the Yarra River culminating with coffees at the Studley Park Boat House. The afternoon was clear and fresh and we all enjoyed the walk. 

Kay Quisenberry pausing for a drink of water

The group resting at Dight’s Falls

Training Walk 2, 2013

On the afternoon of Sunday 7 July we gathered again at Campion Centre of Ignatian Spirituality in Kew for our second group training walk.

Taking inspiration from Saint Ignatius of Loyola, we began with the preparatory prayer he suggests in the Spiritual Exercises. We asked “God our Lord for the grace that all our intentions, actions and operations might be directed purely to the service of the Divine Majesty (Spiritual Exercises 46).  Another way of saying this is that we were asking God for the grace that our intentions (our desires and motivations for making this pilgrimage), our actions (our training walk this afternoon), and our operations (our reflections, plans, questions as we walked) be oriented towards Jesus, the Light of Life.

At 2.30pm after we set off on a three-hour walk around the Yarra and Maribrynong Rivers stopping for coffees, cakes and cookies at the Fairfield Boat House where we sat in front of a fire. The afternoon was cold and overcast. Afterwards we walked along the Yarra River to back Kew. We were back at Campion by 5.45pm after our 10 kilometre walk. We are all getting fitter.  It is just under eight weeks until we fly to Barcelona. We need to get a lot of walking into our legs before then.

Geraldine Naismith, Dani Chamberlin, Helen Lucas, Larry Naismith and Jan FitzPatrick stepping out

Jan Sebastian, Kay Quisenberry, Helen Lucas, Dani Chamberlin, Geraldine Naismith, Patrick Hynes, Stephen Delbridge, Jan FitzPatrick and Michael Bertie at the Fairfield Boathouse

Larry Naismith, Michael Smith SJ, Jan Sebastian, Jan FitzPatrick and Michael Bertie on the trail

Training Walk 3, 2013

On the afternoon of Sunday 21 July a group of us met again at Campion for a training walk.  We walked virtually the same route to the Fairfield Boathouse that we  did two weeks ago, but in the opposite direction. This time we were each reflecting on our purpose for walking the Ignatian Camino. We shared a little about this on the three-hour walk.

Jan, Vin and Jan pausing by the Yarra River

Sandra and Kay

Michael Bertie

Helen, Michael, Dani, Jan, Jan, Stephen, Vin and Sandra under the Eastern Freeway

Michael, Michael, Helen, Dani, Jan, Vin, Jan, Kay and Sandra stopping for coffee at the Fairfield Boathouse