500 years ago, in 1522, a Spanish nobleman traveled the 310 miles between Loyola and Manresa by mule. This man was St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.
Now, a film presented at the Vatican film library sponsored together with the Society of Jesus shows the path that St. Ignatius took after being wounded in battle.
JORDI ROIGÉ
Director of 'The Ignatian Way'.
And there he had a conversion. And he came to the conclusion spiritually that he had to lay down his arms and serve God. So he said, 'I'm going to do a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.' And to go to the Holy Land, he had to go from Loyola, in Guipúzua, to Barcelona, take a boat to get to Rome and from Rome, travel to the Holy Land.
The documentary tells the story of four pilgrims guided by Josep Lluís Iriberri, Jesuit and director of the Pilgrim's Office of the Ignatian Way. Each one of them has a different motivation for making the journey and will experience an inner transformation.
The pilgrims come from various religious backgrounds, which is something the filmmakers wanted to stress as the Ignatian Way is for everyone. For example, Mbassa is a Muslim woman from Senegal.
JORDI ROIGÉ
Director of 'The Ignatian Way'.
We also chose not to use formal interviews. Rather, we show the pilgrims speaking with one another.
At the beginning, they don't know each other and they don't trust each other. Then, they develop a sense of trust and commitment to each other. A mutual understanding...
The film is not so much a spiritual film as it is a promotion of the Ignatian Way. It is also a film for those who like sports because it only takes a month to complete it. The film's director, Jordi Roigé, wanted to show the best parts of the path in the film.
JORDI ROIGÉ
Director of 'The Ignatian Way'.
I call it a handmade film. Handmade in the best sense and in the noble sense of the word, made with hands and the heart.
There is a lot of culture, a lot of architecture, a lot of heritage, a lot of gastronomy, good wine, good food, a lot of nature in the film..
There are many reasons to follow in the footsteps of the creator of the spiritual exercises. One being that embarking on the 300 mile path can transform people in more ways than one.
RM
TR: KG
