• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Marist
    • A Certain Way
    • Bearing Mary’s name
    • Doing Mary’s work
    • Marist Founder: J C Colin
    • Marist Places
    • Spirituality
    • Marist Family
  • Marist New Zealand
    • New Zealand Marist news
      • Get Marist News
    • Administration
      • Finance and administration
      • Marist Archives
      • NZ Marist History
      • NZ Marist Links
      • Privacy Policy
      • Renewal
    • Education and Youth
      • Gap Year
      • Logos
      • Marist Colleges’ Senate
      • Network of Marist Schools
      • School chaplaincy
      • Youth House
    • “Foreign Lands”
      • Social Outreach
        • Abandoned and neglected
        • L’arche
        • Ministry to Seafarers
        • Not-for-profit facilitation
        • Police Chaplaincy
        • Wellintown
      • CathNews
      • Marist Internet Project
      • Music Ministry
      • RPD Unit
    • Marist Spirituality
      • In Every Way
      • Marist Messenger
      • Pa Maria
      • Spiritual Direction
    • Marist Laity
      • Marian Mothers
      • Marist Third Order
      • Mother of Good Hope
    • Missionary parishes
      • Homily Helps
      • John Rea: Healing ministry
    • Tangata Whenua
  • Marist World
    • International Marist news
    • Marist Americas
    • Marist Asia Pacific
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
      • Oceania
    • Mission Districts
      • Asia
        • Ranong
      • Brazil
    • Marist Europe
  • Marist Vocation
    • Who are the Marists
    • What Marists do
    • Life as a Marist
    • Train as a Marist
      • Good Shepherd College
      • Marist Seminary
      • Marist Novitiate
      • Pastoral Placement
    • Want to know more?
  • Contact us
    • Fr John Rea
    • Marist Archives
    • Marist Laity
    • Safeguarding minors
    • Society of Mary New Zealand
    • Vocations Enquiry

Society of Mary

Marist Fathers New Zealand: Life and spirit

  • cerdon
  • reflection
  • jeffdranesmoa
  • refugeekids
  • kk-at-wairoa
  • mike-mahoney-wataraoa
  • everyway
  • christie baptism
  • laneyliere
  • arthurtoothillmarae

New pilgrim hostel on the Camino an exciting leap of faith

Marist Hostel
Sahagun: Click map to locate Marist pilgrim hostel

The Marist Fathers and Brothers in Europe, April 22, lauched the “Sahagún Project,” a Hostel for pilgrims on the Way of St James, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

The hostel or albergue is a place where those walking the pilgrimage can stop for a night, recover and share their experience of the Camino.

Located in Sahagún, an isolated town, it is geographically half way between the French border and Compostella in the French Way.

Although not yet high season, initial reports indicate the hostel is already being well used.

Records show between 20-30 pilgrims stay each night.

In 2016, 176,000 pilgrims received a Compostela certificate of completion from the pilgrims’ office in Santiago.

The formal structure of the Marist hostel is simple, involving,

  • Pilgrim’s coffee: At 5pm pilgrims gathers and chat over a cup of coffee or tea.
  • Mass and blessing: Mass is celebrated at 6:30pm each evening in different languages.
  • Communal dinner: Pilgrims are invited to share food and life with other pilgrims at 8:00pm.

The Europe province calls the initiative an “exciting act of faith” and a sign it is working more creatively beyond national boundaries to meet the needs of international pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

The team comprises three of Europe’s youngest Marist priests, Frs Andrea Volonnino, Daniel Fernándes and Toño Fernándes.

Facilities

Formally part of the Santa Cruz monastery of the Benedictine mothers, the Albergue has 50 beds of various configurations available on any given night

  • 7 rooms with 4 bunk beds
  • 1 room with 6 bunk beds
  • 8 rooms with 2 beds: possibility of double/single rooms.

In addition it offers a

  • sitting room to chat, sit and rest
  • large dining room where each evening the Marist community and pilgrims share dinner, and in the morning, have breakfast before beginning the next leg of their pilgrimage
  • courtyard with clothes lines and laundry and where pilgrims relax
  • a washing machine
  • basic kitchen with ceramic stove and fridge
  • beautiful chapel.

Feedback

Open only for a few days, initial feedback on the Camino de Santiago forum is very positive.

Biarritzdon says:

“Here is my shameless salute to the newly opened Benedictine Monastery in Sahagun.

“I hope it will become a “must to” stop like Granon.

“It is clean and welcoming, there are plenty of beds in dorms and private rooms, the Dia across the street allows pilgrims to buy and share salads, roasted chicken, empanadas and an assortment of wine.

“The Marist priests are engaging and mult-lingual and the pilgrims mass before dinner is a real treat.

“A great stop at the mid-point, not to be missed.”

Bala says:

“It is a very special place. I stayed there in April, just a few weeks after they opened, and my thoughts were the same as @biarritzdon, this may well become one of those special spots to be sought out.

“The warm, friendly welcome from the priest who greeted me made me feel immediately at home.

The lovely historic facilities, the stunning church where mass is celebrated, and most of all the conversations, laughter, and fellowship at dinner and in the big living room for “coffee hour” with the priests and other pilgrims are treasured memories.”

Bernard Boisseau SM in EuroInfo writes:

“What a delight it was to witness the start of this Marist community which will welcome many pilgrims mirroring the ‘peripheries’ of our world: Christians on the margins of the Church, seekers for God.”

Sources

  • Marist Europe
  • Albergue de peregrinos de la Santa Cruz
  • Google Maps

Related posts:

  1. Marist Fathers school transferred to Marist Brothers The only Marist Fathers school in Spain has been transferred to the Marist Brothers. The process of transferring Sant Pere...
  2. Suzanne Aubert biography launched in France Suzanne Aubert’s biography in French was launched on 31 May at a function in Paris. The function, held at the...

June 6, 2018 Filed Under: Front page story, International Tagged With: Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Marist Europe, Marist Hostel, Sahagún Project

Primary Sidebar

Recently

  • Mike and Yvonne Moore thanked for involvement at St Bede’s College
  • Tim Duckworth assumes office of NZ Provincial
  • €20k needed to reopen Marist Camino pilgrim hostel
  • Abuse and Cover-Up; Gerald Arbuckle’s challenging new book
  • Marist Ranong secondary school reopens
  • LOGOS celebrates 20 years

Keep chatting



Search sm.org.nz

We’re about

Administration Asia Australia Chris Skinner City centre church Earthquake Education Foreign Lands Formation Gerald Arbuckle International International Mission Looking outwards Maori MAP Marist Media Mission Missionary Parishes New Evangelisation Oceania Ranong Rome Seminary Spirituality St Mary of the Angels Superior General The Future Vocations Youth

Copyright © 2023 · Society of Mary New Zealand ·