The article was first posted by the author on her FB page on August 22, 2023.
In early 2016, my husband Dennis and I went on a land tour which started from Lisbon, Portugal visiting Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, towards our destination, Montserrat, Spain. We passed by several landmarks and prominent locations that truly caught our aesthetic inclinations that also awakened our curiosities.
Just to mention a few, we visited Braga City in Spain, then proceeded to Santiago de Compostela where we stopped by at O’Cebreiro, and Burgos, Spain. We also had the chance to visit the Church dedicated to St. Ignatius de Loyola. We continued to visit Lourdes, France where the magnificent Cathedral of Lourdes is situated. We also reached Barcelona, Spain and immersed ourselves in the immense beauty of the Basilica of La Sagrada Familia where one can truly appreciate and stand in awe at its majestic architectural style with its detailed intricacies featured inside and out.
From all these wonderful places and beautiful scenery, stood out the people we saw walking on the side pavements carrying backpacks. Some were using poles to assist their steps and struggling strides unmindful of the heat and hustle-bustle around them. My husband quickly asked our tour guide to explain who these people were and why the backpacks and poles too.
Our guide politely responded that they were pilgrims (peregrinos) from all walks of life coming from different trails and from different places in the world whose main goal was to reach their final destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where the body (relics) of St. James the Greater, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, was buried.
After hearing that story, my husband’s heart was so inspired to become a pilgrim, fully determined to do the “walk,” the Camino way.
True to his words, my husband started reading books and searching YouTube for information and anything and everything he can gather just to prepare for this great project he’s envisioned to take on. What to do, what paraphernalia to carry in our backpacks, what shoes to wear, what training we need to do, where and when to do the walking, and so on and so forth.
Starting from St. Jean Pied-de-port in France, we ascended to Orisson on Mt. Pyrenees on our first day. We chose the so called “Camino Frances,” one of the trails leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and the most famous among them. The rest of the story of our 40-day walk of about 500 miles on foot were all documented on Facebook as related by my husband, as the storyteller.
After a year’s worth of preparation, in June 2017, we finally embarked on our Camino walk with our eldest grandson, Gian.
That’s where, when, why, and how my husband conceived the “CAMINO DE PEÑAFRANCIA.” He is a great devotee of our INA since birth, primarily because of his mom’s affiliation to OLPA (Our Lady of Peñafrancia Association), being an officer and a long-time member of this famous religious organization in Bicol.
So as not to lose the momentum of the CAMINO DE PEÑAFRANCIA inspiration, my husband and a handful of his friends started their very first Camino in September of 2022 (see the featured photos from last year’s pilgrimage).
This year (2022), their group called “CONFRATERNITY OF CAMINO DE PEÑAFRANCIA” is all set to go this coming September. All current members are so energized and enthusiastically awaiting and looking forward for their 5-day walk starting from Ocampo, Camarines Sur.
Everyone is invited and welcome to join this group. Our beloved INA, NUESTRA SEÑORA DE PEÑAFRANCIA is eagerly yearning to embrace all of us, her children under the mantle of her powerful maternal protection and guidance.
VIVA LA VIRGEN!
TO GOD BE ALL PRAISE AND GLORY FOREVER!
VIVA EL DIVINO ROSTRO!
The header shows Elizabeth and Dennis Marpuri on “Alto del Perdon” (Hill of Forgiveness), a prominent hill located about 10 km southwest of Pamplona, in the Navarre province of Spain, on the Camino Francés (French Way) of the Camino de Santiago. All photos featured by the author. This article was updated by Jojo De Jesus on August 27, 2025.
Camino de Peñafrancia Activities in 2025
For more updates on the 2025 activities, visit the FB page of Camino de Peñafrancia.
About the author
ELIZABETH ANZANO MARPURI (shown in photo with husband Dennis) was a High School Teacher at the University of Nueva Caceres. When she migrated to the US, she worked for several years as a Senior Admin for Spectra-Physics, a Laser Company. After retiring, she and her husband, Dennis traveled often where they witnessed the pilgrims patiently walking towards a destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which inspired the conception and realization of “Camino de Peñafrancia.” Currently, Elizabeth is a Lector and a Catechist at St. Bernard Abbot Parish in Ocampo, Camarines Sur. She is also a member of the following religious organizations: Our Lady of Peñafrancia Association (OLPA), Apostleship of Prayer (Sacred Heart of Jesus), and Divine Mercy Association.
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