Men in their 60s make a pilgrimage on foot from the Monastery of Guadalupe in Spain to Rome

Jesús Pino and Jesús Monja not only share the same name, but also a great friendship since childhood. After spending several years separated by the future of life, they decided, upon retirement, to make a pilgrimage on foot to Rome (Italy) from the Monastery of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Extremadura (Spain), for which they have a special devotion.

Both Toledoans, aged 60 and 61, just turned 61, began their journey from Guadalupe on April 16. After more than 3 months and 2,670 km traveled on foot, they arrived in Rome today after having lived a “magnificent experience.”

In conversation with ACI Prensa from the Eternal City, they reported that the initial idea “seemed crazy, but little by little it took shape.”

“Our families always encouraged us, our wives and children. I was scared to death, but Jesus encouraged me and took charge of collecting all the information,” says Jesús Pino, retired Latin teacher.

“We have a lot of veneration for the Virgin of Guadalupe and leaving from there was not a coincidence,” he added.

Before beginning their trip they asked the Virgin to accompany and guide them during the journey. “We asked her to give us strength to get there, to give us faith, and we know that from above she has been helping us.”

“There have been difficult moments and we think that from above they have given us a hand, both the Virgin of Guadalupe and the people who have prayed for us. They have also protected us with our health, we have had no injuries, something difficult due to our age,” they highlighted.

They also emphasize that “it has been a path of discovery, it cannot be that we have arrived with our feet intact, that is not a product of chance.”

The two are moved when they remember that during their visit to the Italian city of Viterbo, on Via Francigena, they received the sad news of the death of their friend “Moncho”, from the city of Oropesa (Toledo).

“That has been the hardest moment, but surely it has also helped us from above,” they say.

With this pilgrimage, the two sought to “deepen their faith.” “We have prayed together every morning, it was the first thing we did when we got back on the road. Upon arriving in Rome, we were able to confess and take communion; today was a very special day,” they say.

More than 3 months on foot and 2,670 km traveled

“We went to Madrid along the royal road to Guadalupe, which is normally taken from the Jerónimos Monastery,” explains Jesús Monja, a reserve soldier.

Later, they arrived in the city of Zaragoza: “We wanted to visit the Virgin of Pilar, and from there we headed to Catalonia, to the Virgin of Montserrat.”

They also traveled the Ignatian path from Manresa, in Catalonia, and reached France, passing through cities such as Perpignan, Narbonne and Arles, until reaching the Italian coast and taking the Via Francigena, which leads to St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

This afternoon, they plan to pick up tickets at the Vatican to attend Pope Francis’ General Audience tomorrow.

They say that they have also written a personal letter to the Holy Father, whom they would like to greet. “I don’t know what I would say, but I would thank him, it would be enough for me to look at him and convey affection to us,” concluded Jesús Pino.

The Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico and Spain

Although with the same name, the Marian devotions of Guadalupe have different origins in Spain and Mexico.

In the case of the Virgin of Guadalupe of Extremadura, tradition says that a shepherd found her image in a river at the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th century. She was canonically crowned “Queen of Hispanidad.”

The Marian shrines of the Virgin of Guadalupe of Spain and Mexico They were definitely twinned on September 3, 2023, in an event held in the Basilica dedicated to the “Morenita del Tepeyac” in Mexico City.