In June of 2017, the author made a pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela with his wife Elizabeth and their grandson Gian. They chose the Camino Frances, the most popular route, which begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de–Port, France and ends in Santiago, Spain – a distance of 790 kms. It was during this time that he conceptualized the “Camino de Peñafrancia” as a devotional pilgrimage to honor Our Lady of Peñafrancia. He himself is a devotee of our INA primarily because of his mother’s affiliation to OLPA (Our Lady of Peñafrancia Association) as a long-time member and officer. This is the untold story of the first Camino which the author and a handful of his friends from Ocampo started in September of 2022.

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Another year had passed, marked by uncertainty due to the devastation caused by the coronavirus, which halted all human activities. Throughout this time, there were ups and downs as everyone sought peace and looked forward to returning to their regular routines.

However, our faith was never shattered; we clung to our devotion to our beloved INA. We wondered when we could once again honor Our Lady of Peñafrancia during the festivities held every September.

In May of 2022, we received word that the Traslacion would be scaled down, resulting in fewer people participating in the procession. Although the archdiocese had previously acknowledged our Camino pilgrimage, this time they were hesitant to allow us to walk, as they were not entirely confident that the virus was no longer a threat.

At that moment, I was skeptical but determined to continue in our Camino de Peñafrancia pilgrimage. I started to wonder if, rather than being permitted to join the Traslación, we could still walk the entire Camino, especially since I knew we wouldn’t be a large group. I wasn’t even sure how many of my friends wanted to join this pilgrimage.

If we didn’t undertake this journey that year, the Camino would be forgotten, and interest would fade. Thus I began discussing this situation with my close friends—my confidants and most trusted companions who shared my enthusiasm. We came to a firm decision to move forward and walk the very first Camino de Peñafrancia.

THE FINAL DECISION

Monday, September 5, 2022 — Glenn Vergara, Mike Collao, and I convened for a brief meeting in the morning to discuss our upcoming camino. We reviewed what to bring, the logistics of the trip, and our accommodations. To begin, we arranged for transportation to carry our tent, chairs, cooking cookware, and other luggage. At this point, I had no idea who would join us.

At 5:00 PM, one by one, people began to arrive at the porch of St. Bernard Abbot Parish Church in the town of Ocampo, Camarines Sur. Mike and Ivan Brita Conde had pitched their tent in the middle of the church compound. The rest of us preferred to set up our tent on the porch near the church doors.

At 6:00 PM, a group of eight individuals was scheduled to participate in the first Camino. The participants included Mike Colloa, Ivan Conde Brita, Jervin Durante, Rhen Coderes, Noli Felizmeno, Julius Aguilar, and Jay-Ar Marpuri, along with Donald Odiame and Glenn Vergara, as well as myself, accompanied by our transport driver, Edgar Babala.

That night, there was so much anxiety on my part. My group was relying on me for guidance and inspiration, despite having a lot of skepticism.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022 — Finally, everyone woke up at 4:00 AM and began packing their belongings. Of course, an early morning wouldn’t be complete without preparing our coffee for an energy boost. After stretching our muscles, we started our walk to the next parish church in the stillness of the early morning darkness. By the time we arrived at St. Peter Baptist Parish, we caught the tail end of the morning Mass, and the Priest graciously allowed us to take a photo with him. Our group secured our first Camino stamp.

As we continued our Camino towards the town of Tigaon, we met Emm Suarez. Although he liked the idea of joining us, he couldn’t at that moment because he was mourning the death of his sister. He promised he would join us next time when he was free.

Once we reached Tigaon, we met Richard Cuerdo and convinced him to join us. Without hesitation, he began to follow along.

By 11:00 AM, the heat was draining our energy, so we took cover at St. Claire Parish and rested for two hours before resuming our journey. Some of us took a short nap, waiting for the temperature to become more favorable for walking.

At 2:00 PM, we continued our journey towards the town of Goa, where we planned to stay overnight at St. Marten de Porres Parish. We traveled a distance of 24 kilometers and arrived at our destination by 4:00 PM. Along the way, people began to notice us with our backpacks and asked where we had come from and what our intended destination was. While some were amazed by what we were doing, they did not fully grasp the significance of our journey.

That night at St. Marten de Porres, Romnick Pontejos came to bring us support, primarily water and dinner for the night. After some persuasion, he agreed to join us and returned early the following morning.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022 — We woke up at 3:30 AM, knowing we had 27 km to walk that day. We started off feeling upbeat and energized for our pilgrimage. As I had anticipated, there were no restaurants or small “carenderias” between Goa and Tinambac proper, so the challenge was figuring out where to buy our lunch. I had instructed our transport driver to stay in Goa a little longer and purchase lunch from Jollibee once it opened. He was to follow us along the highway from Goa to Tinambac.

By 11:00 AM, we reached the parish of Sto. Niño, Tierra Nevada, Tinambac. After a brief visit to the parish, we had our lunch and took a nap before continuing for another 7 km to the town of Tinambac, specifically to the parish of St. Paschal Baylon.

We reached the town around 4:00 pm. Hungry, we started looking for our dinner meal. We decided to visit the fish market and bought fish for dinner that night. Mike and Glenn provided their cooking expertise. We set up our tents and hammocks outside the church premises.

The night was calm, but it eventually gave way to a brief rain shower.

Thursday, September 8, 2022 — We began packing our tents and hammocks at 3:30 AM. After a quick sip of coffee, we began our walk toward Calabanga. The early morning trek was characterized by an unsettling atmosphere due to the complete darkness of the highway, which was bordered by a sparse number of homes. During this time, the main sound were the barking of dogs.

Nonetheless, the excitement for the upcoming event energized our group, prompting us to quicken our pace. As we approached our destination, any feelings of fatigue disappeared among us. Upon reaching the town of Calabanga, our spirits soared, and it felt like wings lifted our feet.

Eventually, we reached the parish of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Bombon. Father Alex Guimpol, the parish priest, greeted us warmly. Fr. Alex is a passionate hiker who has recently been relocated to Bombon from one of the cities in upstate New York.

That evening, we established our sleeping arrangements at the PPC (Pastoral Parish Council) hall, and Fr. Alex prepared our first Camino dinner at his parish convent.

Friday, September 9, 2022 — Today was our last day of our very first Camino. We felt energized as we slowly prepared ourselves for this momentous event. We have 10 or so kilometers for our final walk, and we had accepted the challenge we imposed on ourselves. Finally, we did it.

As we approached the last stretch of kilometers, rain began to pour, and we didn’t mind if we got drenched. Our thoughts brimmed with the excitement of finishing our first Camino. Upon reaching Bagumbayan Street, we were filled with energy. We stopped by a restaurant for breakfast, but afterward, fatigue set in, and many of us took some time to rest and nap. By 10:00 am, we made our way to the Peñafancia Shrine. I felt a sense of numbness. All my anxiety faded away. Tears began to flow, and my heart started to race. Deep inside me, I was pleased and thankful that I had successfully realized my aspirations for our beloved INA.

WHY DID WE CHOOSE TO START FROM OCAMPO, CAMARINES SUR

Many asked why we chose the town of Ocampo and the Parish of St. Bernard Abbot to start the Camino. The answer was straightforward and had no religious significance: all the peregrinos who joined me on the Camino either were from Ocampo or the neighboring town of Tigaon.

The header shows the Camino pilgrims at St. Peter de Apostle Parish Bagacay, Tinambac, Camarines Sur. All featured photos by the author, except where shown.

About the author

DENNIS T. MARPURI graduated from Ateneo de Naga High School. He was an independent IT consultant in the US and worked in nine different states doing contracts primarily with Federal government agencies and Fortune 500 companies. He also became a professional photographer covering NCAA college sports. Now retired, he and his wife love to travel to Europe. They divide their time between Northern California with their immediate family and Ocampo, Camarines Sur, his hometown, where he promotes mountain biking for the local youth. He is the founder and principal advocate of Camino de Penafrancia.