2017 Pilgrims Progress Report

This page tracked the progress of our four pilgrims across Portugal — Lisbon to Fatima, June 7 to June 12, 2017

We ARRIVED at our destination: FATIMA

Day 6 – June 12, 2017

Tomar to Fatima — Miles covered: 18.4 miles

The forecast for today is a high of 100 degrees. Very fitting for our 100-mile pilgrimage to honor the 100th anniversary of Our Lady's apparitions at Fatima! By the time we got started, it was already 9:00 a.m. and the sun was beating down on us.

Today, we veer off from the ancient Camino de Santiago and take the "Camino Nascente" that runs between Tomar and Fatima.

Portugal is a small nation with a grand history. We ascended the steep path up from the town of Tomar to the Convento de Christo, the headquarters of the Knights of Christ (formerly the Knights Templar). This was the headquarters of Prince Henry the Navigator, who was the driving force of the Age of Discovery when Portugal spread the Faith to Africa, India, Brazil and Asia. We raised our ANF banner at the castle to honor the great Portuguese navigators whose valiant efforts made it possible for the conversion of so many peoples to the Catholic Faith.

Then we walked along the massive aqueduct that provided water to the castle. The terrain was the most varied and beautiful that we have seen so far. It was also difficult terrain with many rocks and hills. But we trudged along, admiring the landscape while praying our rosaries for your intentions.

Because of the extreme heat, we made sure to bring lots of water and take regular breaks. At one point, Mr. Peter Shibler ran out of water. Concerned, we asked Our Lady to help us reach a fountain soon. Lo and behold, within 15 minutes, we came upon a fountain with delightfully cool water. Thank you, Our Lady of Fatima!

Then we found a strategically placed cafe for lunch. The lady running the cafe ran out of bread at one point because we were so hungry. Noticing the problem, one of the local residents ran to her home and got some more bread for us. During this Camino, we experienced many acts of kindness like this.

We climbed a mountain at one point. It was so taxing that once we reached the top, we found the biggest tree and slept under its shadow, until I woke up feeling large ants crawling all over me. They were the biggest ants I had ever seen! But I came away without a single bite. It was as if Our Lady told them, "Wake up my pilgrims; but don’t bite them!"

Our progress on this last day was very slow due to the heat and the rough terrain. At a certain point, Mr. Matthew Shibler commented, "A fruit stand would be really good right now." I was more concerned about getting more water, so as we passed a house, we greeted a man working in his garage. Then realizing he might be the only source of water for a while, I turned around and asked him for some water. He jumped up and very happily brought us to his water faucet. The water was very cool and refreshing. Then he told us to wait and ran into his house, emerging a moment later with a half dozen cold peaches. "Take them all." Then he ran back into his house and came back with another half dozen cold fruits that were a cross between prunes and peaches. We were so grateful. We thanked the man profusely, who wished us a "Bom Caminho" and encouraged us along. We promised to pray for him, so as we started again we prayed a "Memorare," thanking Our Lady for finding this man and asking her to bless him and his family for his kindness.

We walked for another two hours until we reached the village of Aljustrel, stopping at the house of Saints Jacinta and Francisco Marto and stopping to greet their niece who runs a museum and gift shop just across the road from the Marto home. Then we proceeded to Valinhos, where Our Lady appeared to the three children in August 1917, after they had been imprisoned by the mayor of Ourem. Then we visited Loca do Cabeço where the Angel of Portugal appeared to the three children in 1916 to prepare for Our Lady's apparitions the following year. We prayed in each of these places in thanksgiving for a safe pilgrimage and for all of your intentions.

Then we walked another mile or so to the Cova da Iria where all but one of the apparitions of Our Lady took place and where she performed the miracle of the sun. The sun was setting and we were greeted by a cool breeze as we prayed our final prayers of the 100-mile pilgrimage at the Chapel of the Apparitions that marks the spot where Our Lady appeared.

What an honor, blessing and joy it has been to do this pilgrimage! We prayed for all ANF benefactors and friends, remembering them in the numerous rosaries we were able to pray. Thank you all for your prayers for our safe journey. May God bless you and may Our Lady of Fatima keep you always close to her Wise and Immaculate Heart!

Pilgrimage to Fatima: Day 5

June 11, 2017

Golegã to Tomar — Miles covered: 18.5 miles

It seems like the closer we get to Fatima, the number of shrines, churches and flowers increased. First we walked among vast stretches of sunflowers, all turned toward the rising sun.

Then we left the alluvial plains of the Tagus River and began climbing rolling hills and then a small mountain covered with eucalyptus trees whose aromatic leaves reminded us of the incense used in church for High Mass. Then we began to pass through small charming towns with the majority of homes displaying azulejos (blue tiles) of Our Lady of Fatima, St. Anthony or the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If we saw a particularly prominent one, we would make sure to invoke Our Lady of Fatima or the particular saint with a short prayer.

Drinking fountains were more plentiful today, a big relief since the sun is quite intense here especially when you consider we are exposed for upwards of 9 to 10 hours. As we crested a hill, we could see the imposing Templar castle of Tomar in the distance, a sight that raised our spirits.

As we walked into town, we were greeted by many of the townsfolk as we walked into the main square, clearly weather-beaten and dusty. We arrived at our hostel, checked in, took a quick nap and washed up before heading to 6:30pm Sunday Mass at the Church of Holy Mary of Olivais (Igreja de Santa Maria Olivais).

Then we had dinner, which consisted in the national food: bacalhau (dried codfish). The Portuguese love cod, even though it is not available off their shores. They go all the way to the North Atlantic, salt and dry their catch and bring them all the way back.

After dinner, we were treated to a sound and light show about the Knights of Christ, whose headquarters was the imposing castle on the hill. It showed the good stewardship of the knights in protecting the people from all sorts of dangers, their monastic devotion and their heroic deeds in spearheading the Portuguese maritime discoveries.

Weary, but happy, we limped our way back to our hostel. Tomorrow is the final day into Fatima and it should be a difficult day since the trail is a new one that goes through mostly forests and climbs up towards Fatima's elevated position. With Our Lady of Fatima's help, we'll make it. Of course, you will be in our prayers as we complete the final miles of our 100-mile pilgrimage to honor the 100th anniversary of Fatima.

Pilgrimage to Fatima: Day 4

June 10, 2017

Santarem to Golega — Miles covered: 24 miles

After a continental breakfast at N1 Hostel, we headed to the Church of the Miracle (Igreja do Milagre). This is the site of a thirteenth century Eucharistic miracle.

Here is the story behind the miracle:

A woman, desperate to regain her husband's fidelity, consulted a sorceress on what to do about it. The evil sorceress told her she had to bring her a consecrated Host. So the desperate wife went to Mass at the Church of Saint Stephen. When she received the Eucharist, she removed It from her mouth and placed It in a veil. Upon doing so, It began to bleed. Her fellow parishioners, thinking she had cut herself, tried to help her. But she quickly ran to her house, depositing the bleeding Host in a trunk. Her husband returned late that night, as was his habit, and went to bed. In the middle of the night both were awakened by a light emanating from the trunk. The wife then confessed her sacrilege and the two knelt down before the glowing trunk, repentant of their respective sins. The parish priest came and placed the Host in a wax container and placed it in the tabernacle. When he opened the tabernacle again, the wax container had shattered and was miraculously replaced by a silver one.

Today, Matthew, Peter and Kenneth had the blessing of seeing and venerating this Eucharistic miracle up close in the renamed Church of the Miracle.

After praying for all the intentions of ANF’s benefactors and friends, we proceeded to "Portas do Sol," the overlook that opens towards the Tagus River. We took in the breathtaking panorama for a few minutes and then proceeded through the Gate of Santiago and down the hill. The rest of the day was spent walking through fields of corn, sunflowers and tomato plants. The sun was quite hot and there were long stretches with no restaurants, cafes or grocery stores. We were deep in the countryside.

For some odd reason, we ended up walking 24 miles instead 18.6 miles, as stated by our guidebook. As a result, we arrived in Golega at 8:30 p.m. Towards the end, we became so weary of walking that we began to jog. Believe it or not, it felt better for our feet and legs. It helped loosen us up.

We ate a dinner of lamb chops with rice and potatoes. Now we are preparing to go to bed for an early rising tomorrow, our second-to-the-last stage from Golega to Tomar (18 miles). As always, we have been keeping you all in our prayers, especially the many rosaries we have the opportunity to pray throughout the day. May God bless you and Our Lady of Fatima keep you!

Pilgrimage to Fatima: Day 3

June 9, 2017

Valada to Santarem — Miles covered: 12.3 miles

This morning we awoke to the sound of sheep bleating in the nearby pasture. After a good breakfast of granola, bread, cheese, ham and honey, we walked along a gravel farm road. Our feet welcomed the sandy gravel road, as we passed more fields of tomatoes, corn and grapes.

We stopped at Cafe O Cardaso, the last cafe before a long 10-mile stretch with nothing but farmlands. We stocked up on ham and cheese sandwiches and apples and oranges that the elderly proprietress kindly gave to us for free. The Portuguese have been very hospitable and generous to us pilgrims. It also helps that three out of four of us speak Portuguese, a fact that never fails to tickle them since it is rare for Americans to speak their language.

The sun cooked us as we walked and prayed along the dusty farm road. After about 6 miles, we found a large poplar tree and had our picnic of ham and cheese sandwiches in its shade. We supplemented our sandwiches with half a head of broccoli we found lying in the ditch, still clean and freshly fallen from a farm truck. Since it was on the road, we thought the farmer wouldn't mind if we made use of his produce for the price of keeping the Camino a bit cleaner.

In the distance, we could see Santarem which commands a strategic place on a hill 443 feet above sea level, well out of reach of the flood waters of the Tagus River. At the foot of the hill, a stone monument with plaques shows the many severe floods and the levels they reached.

This town is full of churches and rich in Catholic history, including the Church of the Miracle, which houses a famous Eucharistic miracle. Since it was closed, we will be visiting it tomorrow morning. We went to Mass at the Church of Saint Nicholas, the walls of which are decorated with beautiful azulejos (blue tiles). Then we went to a pharmacy to consult the pharmacist about Matthew and Peter Shibler's blisters. He gave us an ointment and some special salt for soaking feet. We'll see if that help with the blisters.

In the evening, we enjoyed a pilgrim's meal at N1 Hostel, our lodging for the night. The owner's wife cooked it herself and we ate together at one table with other pilgrims from Italy and Germany. The conversation was quite lively, with bits of German, mostly English and some Italian thrown in the mix. There is something about suffering the rigors of the Camino that brings people together.

We were all tired, but very happy, as the hostel owners served us a meal of carrot, onion and pumpkin soup, topped with a little green salsa and cayenne pepper. The main dish was an excellent meat loaf with a special mustard sauce and rice. Dessert was a dark chocolate pie with ice cream and slices of fresh pineapple. We ate with gusto as we shared stories about our pilgrimage experience so far.

We will be getting to bed as soon as possible to rest our feet as much as we can. Tomorrow, we will head to the Igreja do Milagre (Church of the Miracle) to venerate the Eucharistic Miracle. More about the story of the miracle tomorrow. Until then, God bless and may Our Lady of Fatima pray for us!

Pilgrimage to Fatima: Day 2

June 8, 2017

Miles traveled: 21.7

After a good night's rest in Vila Franca de Xira, with a cool breeze blowing through our hostel from the Tagus River, we ate a continental breakfast and began the second day of our 100-mile pilgrimage at 9:20 a.m.

Much of the path ran beside the train track that followed the banks of the Tagus River and through farm fields. This area is considered the “market garden” of Portugal with its rich alluvial soil. As we prayed rosary after rosary, we walked through rice paddies, fields of wheat, tomatoes, sunflowers, as well as apple orchards and vineyards.

All kinds of birds are attracted to this area. We observed flocks of different kinds of cranes soaring in the wind above us as we would lie down to give our feet a rest. We traversed ugly industrial complexes as well.

Today was a difficult day due to the fact that we had walked 25.9 miles the day before. So we walked more slowly. As we were walking down a country lane, a bicyclist with full saddle bags stopped to talk to us (see photo). He asked how our pilgrimage was going and helped us adjust our backpacks so the weight was better distributed. I asked if he was part of an association related to the Camino. He said, "Yes, I'm the president of the 'Association of Friends of the Caminos de Fatima.'" I pulled out my pilgrim's passport and he exclaimed, "Yes, I sent those to you!" He was riding along the Camino de Fatima doing maintenance and repainting the blue arrows to Fatima. You could tell he did this work purely for the love of it.

By the time we arrived in Valada it was already 8:00 p.m. For dinner, we ate veal sandwiches and snails at Cafe Mano Velho (Cafe of the Old Hand). Yes, snails! There was a sign with a snail on it, so I asked the locals if they actually ate snails. They all chimed in and said they were good and that we should try them. So the owner of the cafe brought us a platter of little snails boiled in a special broth. When we asked how to eat them, he simply picked one up and said, "Like this" and he deftly got the cooked snail out with his teeth. For a couple of us, it took some coaxing to even try it. In the end, we all agreed that they were tasty.

After saying goodbye to the cafe owner and to the friendly locals, we walked down the river levee to our lodging, a converted farmhouse called "Casa das Areias." As I finish this report, we are washing our clothes and taking showers. We are tired, sore and have blisters, but we're happy to do this pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Fatima and for your prayer intentions.

Pilgrimage to Fatima: Day 1

June 7, 2017

Miles traveled: 25.9

We are following the ancient Camino Portugues that leads all the way up to Santiago de Compostela. Then, when we get to Tomar, we will head west to Fatima.

We started our day by visiting the Church of Saint Anthony of Lisbon (Padua), a church built over his birthplace. There, we prayed for all the intentions sent to us by ANF members and supporters and to ask him to protect us on our 100-mile pilgrimage.

After a tasty breakfast of coffee, pasteis de nata (little custard pies) and croissants, we went into the Cathedral of Lisbon. There we prayed for the same intentions and got our pilgrim passports stamped. We had to pull ourselves away from inquisitive onlookers at the Cathedral who peppered us with questions about our pilgrimage.

Since we had a bit of a late start, leaving at 9:30 a.m., we got the full brunt of the sun and heat that rose to about 90 degrees. As long as we were in the city limits, we could walk along the eastern side of buildings for shade, but then we left the buildings behind and walked through open spaces. But we were happy to suffer since the whole idea of a walking pilgrimage is to do penance and to pray.

It took us a total of twelve hours to go from Lisbon to Vila Franca de Xira, taking necessary breaks to change socks and put our feet up for some minutes to let blood come back up from our feet. We also took a lunch break.

This first day was difficult because of the lack of shade and long stretches without cafes. Of course, we traversed in one day what most people would do in two days. In any case, we persevered through the hardships, dealing with sore feet and blisters as best we could. Many locals greeted us and wished us a "Bom Caminho," recognizing us as pilgrims and not just holiday-seekers.

We arrived at Vila Franca de Xira at dusk, a beautiful purple hovering over the eastern sky as we walked along the Tagus River. At the suggestion of a local, we ate at O Retiro Restaurant and had a hearty meal of fish and potatoes as well as grilled Picanha (beef steak) and the house white wine. For dessert, we had orange cake.

Then we checked into DP Hostel for the night, but not before showering and putting our clothes in the washer. Since we are traveling as light as we can, we have to wash clothes every night. Today, I set a record that I hope will please Our Lady: I prayed a total of 16 rosaries! That’s 80 decades for all the intentions of ANF members and supporters and in reparation for all the sins and offenses against the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as well as for my own sins. Please pray for us as we continue our pilgrimage.

May Our Lady of Fatima bless you all!

Meet ANF's Pilgrims:

Matthew and Kenneth are Fatima Custodians on a full-time volunteer basis. They have dedicated their lives to traveling across America visiting homes and schools spreading the Fatima devotion and message.

Michael and Peter are dedicated volunteers at the America Needs Fatima Headquarters. The four pilgrims are currently far away from home, walking 100+ miles from Lisbon to the Fatima shrine where Our Lady appeared 100 years ago in Portugal.

The 100 Mile walk (acc.115miles) is a fund raising effort to help finance the 20,000 Public Square Rosary Rallies here at home on October 14, the Centennial year of the Miracle of the Sun.