Covadonga will once again be the destination for hundreds of pilgrims who will set out on the march on July 25 from the Cathedral of Oviedo, in what will be the VI Pilgrimage Our Lady of Christendom – Spain.
This pilgrimage model is inspired by the traditional Pentecost Pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres (Notre-Dame de Chrétienté), with more than 40 years of history and which this year will have around 20,000 pilgrims. In recent years, several countries have launched similar initiatives: Argentina (2010), Spain (2021), United Kingdom, Portugal (2025) and Italy (2026).
The choice of Covadonga as the end of the journey is not casual. There where the Reconquest of Spain began with the help of the Most Holy Virgin, it is sought to begin a spiritual reconquest of our homeland, with the aim of restoring the Christian social order.
This event —the organizers explain— has a penitential character, marked by its very nature: almost 100 km on foot covered in three days, sleeping in tents and without access to comforts. The pilgrim knows that they are not going on vacation, but to offer these sufferings —and also the joys— for the Church, especially in the person of the Holy Father, and for Spain.
The pilgrims are organized into chapters, which are groups of pilgrims that respond to a natural reality: a parish, a youth group, an apostolate… Each pilgrim, therefore, walks and camps with their chapter.
This year 40 chapters will participate: 29 Spanish and 11 foreign, coming from very diverse parts of the world, such as France, Mexico, Australia or Poland.
The organizers also encourage those who do not yet know any chapter to attend, and invite them to get in touch through the website to receive guidance on which chapter may best suit them.
The march is not merely a sporting activity, but a continuous turning of the gaze to God, making Him present through the complete recitation of the holy rosary and the reading of the meditations, which will be included in the Pilgrim’s Book and which this year will focus on the virtue of faith.
In addition, the pilgrimage will have the presence of around 50 priests, distributed among the different chapters, who will be available to hear confessions or to give spiritual advice to anyone who needs it. Those who cannot confess on the way will be able to do so during the holy mass, at which time there will also be priests available.
The central point of each day will be the solemn holy mass, celebrated according to the usus antiquior (1962 missal) of the Roman Rite. Gregorian chant will resound in the Asturian mountains during the field masses. At dusk, there will also be a time of Eucharistic adoration in the silence and dim light of the camp.
The organization announces as a novelty a new registration modality for this edition. In addition to the full route and the family route (between 10 and 14 km per day), the «miniroute» is added, designed for families with children under 6 years old, whose approximately 4 km daily can be covered with strollers.
Registrations to participate in the Pilgrimage can be made between May 15 and July 15, although the organizers encourage signing up as soon as possible to facilitate logistical preparation. Volunteer registrations, however, have been open since Easter Monday, as a large number of them is needed for the smooth running of the event.