On 31 December, the Jesuit Provincial, Antonio España SJ, has proclaimed that a Jubilee Year of the Camino Ignaciano will be celebrated every seven years, starting in 2022. The Jubilee Year of the Camino, which began on 1 January on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Ignatian pilgrimage, with the initial experience of the first pilgrim, Ignatius of Loyola himself, came to an end on this very day. His arrival in Manresa on 25 March 1522 marks a historic milestone, now taken up in the 21st century by the Society of Jesus in Spain.

The celebration of these Jubilee years will apply to the entire route of the Camino, in its almost 700 km along the five Autonomous Communities through which it passes, in towns and cities that wish to join, and especially to the sanctuaries marked by the Jesuit tradition: mainly at the beginning and end in Loyola and Manresa, as well as at the sanctuary of San Pedro Claver in Verdú. The next Jubilee year will be 2029.

Every seven years

Antonio España's statement records this measure: "Therefore, by the authority granted by Fr. General, I order that a JUBILAR YEAR OF COMMEMORATION OF THE IGNACIAN WAY be celebrated EVERY SEVEN YEARS FROM 2022 onwards, both at the two shrines of Loyola and Manresa, as well as along the Ignatian Way. My invitation to this periodic celebration is extended to all those institutions and persons who feel called to do so".

The Ignatian Way is an itinerary that begins in the hometown of Ignatius of Loyola, in Azpeitia, and follows the pilgrimage he made in 1522 to Manresa. The pilgrim Ignatius underwent a profound spiritual transformation on this route. During this pilgrimage of almost 700 km, the pilgrims cross the Basque Country, La Rioja, Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia and pass through 12 dioceses. The itinerary links, like a necklace, six sanctuaries: three Marian and three in the Jesuit tradition. Loyola, Arantzazu, El Pilar, San Pedro Claver-Verdú, Montserrat, Manresa-La Cova.

Pilgrims walk stamping their credentials and at the end of the route they receive a document accrediting the pilgrimage, following the model of other older pilgrimages. For more information, consult the website: https://caminoignaciano.org/

Jesuitas España