Alison Bezzina shares the story of a young pilgrim who inspired a group of trekkers during their 120km journey along The Way of St James.

Earlier this year, Jean Pierre Fenech, a 24-year-old man with Down Syndrome, walked 120km from Saria to the medieval Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Accompanied by a group of other pilgrims, volunteers and a personal tutor, Jean Pierre not only finished the whole distance but was also an inspirational motivator for the whole group.

“It was quite hard,” he explained on his return. “Sometimes my feet hurt a lot, but I kept pushing and challenging myself to keep going.”

Spanish for The Way of St James, El Camino de Santiago, dates back over 1,000 years.

The entire trek stretches 800km from St Jean Pied du Port in the French Pyrenees mountains and goes through the wine region up to Galicia, where the famous Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is situated.

In May, Inspire – the foundation for inclusion ­– led a guided pilgrimage covering 120km of the trek over five days.

Jean Pierre, who attends Inspire, faced the challenge head on and was accompanied by tutor Elaine Fenech through the adventure.

Although he faced some difficult times like the rest of the group, he turned out to be a great inspiration and many a time a source of strength.

“I really, really, really want to do it again,” he said.

“I had the time of my life and even when my feet started to hurt, I just had a lot of mental energy.

“Elaine and [fellow pilgrim] Ivan helped me a lot, and also the others, but I think it’s the praying that helped me the most. I like to pray. So I prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and the courage came from within; so when my bunion started to flare up I found the strength to push through.”

Adolf Vella was one of the 13 pilgrims on the trip, whose advice when he came back was “never walk alone”.

“I am not a Liverpool fan but this fits perfectly with my experience at El Camino de Santiago. Joining the Inspire group was a last-minute decision,” he said with a smile.

“I didn’t know anyone, I had not trained for this feat and, believe me, I’m not an adventurous kind of guy, so it was triple the challenge for me.

“With determination I made it to Santiago and the whole experience turned out to be one of the greatest satisfying experiences of my life.

“For whatever reason you are doing the Camino, never walk alone. Use this time to share, because you never know from whom you can learn something new and valuable.

“Buon Camino!”

Graziella Gatt found the experience enlightening, saying the walk took her “back to my roots”.

“It was a very spiritual experience and a generally great time too. I met lots of amazing people who had lots to offer,” she went on.

“Jean Pierre was determined from the start and he stayed true to his word till he accomplished the whole route. Very often he made us happy with his innocence... we sang along the way, we prayed and we had lengthy conversations.

“All of these things bonded us further. Apart from strong perseverance, Jean Pierre showed love towards everyone irrespective of anything.

I had the time of my life and even when my feet started to hurt, I just had a lot of mental energy… I think it’s the praying that helped the most

“He simply made us happy because of his positive vibe. Unknowingly Jean Pierre was a prime motivator and the main factor that turned my Camino into a very positive experience.”

Jean Pierre and the others had to adjust to the strenuous routine.

“On a typical day we woke up at 7am, showered and had a quick breakfast,” he explained.

“We hit the trek by 7.15am and started walking until lunch time. We walked, we talked, we prayed, we sang and then we stopped to eat or buy a souvenir.”

“We’d walk about 20 to 25km a day, every time reaching a new destination, getting our Camino passport stamped and getting closer to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

“In the evening we would check into one of the hostels along the route and rest in big dormitories with lots of other people.

“At first it was hard to sleep but after some time I got used to it. In the morning it used to be hard to wake up but once we went outside and started walking, the fun started all over again.”

Ivan Farrugia was a particular friend and support to Jean Pierre.

“My experience was superb,” he said, “I found a new family, great people whom I could laugh and argue with in a peaceful way.

“Our guide from Inspire was a great point of referral, very dedicated and always on top ­– even when we were all very tired, both psychologically and physically.

“This was truly one of the most beautiful episodes of my life.”

Feeling inspired? Join the next walk...

Between September 11 and 23, Inspire will be leading another guided pilgrimage covering the same route between Saria and Monet de Gozo – Santiago de Compostela, a total of approximately 120 kilometres.

While a high degree of fitness is not a must, participants will be required to walk roughly 21 kilometres a day, carrying a backpack.

An experienced tour leader will lead the group, advising members on how to prepare as soon as they sign up for the challenge.

€700pp includes flights, accommodation, transfers, all taxes, guides and a donation to Inspire.

Limited spaces available. If interested contact Inspire’s fundraising team on 2189 0000 or events@inspire.org.mt.