2025 Camino de Peñafrancia (Day 5)
ST Bartholomew Parish, Polangui, C.S. to St Bernard Abbot, Ocampo, C.S.
Distance: 17 km
One by one, the weary pilgrims slowly and quietly got up to prepare for today’s walk. As our numbers increased, we overlooked the fact that those who had begun their journey on earlier days needed their rest to regain the energy they had lost. Lights were on at 3:30 a.m., and by 4:30 a.m., all the pilgrims were ready to go.
We gathered inside the church to read today’s prayer and messages. Afterward, we took our usual group pictures before setting off toward the hills of Baao, crossing into Ocampo. The pilgrimage starts at precisely 5:00 am. Since I am still nursing my swollen foot, I couldn’t join the hike but supported my fellow pilgrims and sent them off toward the hills. We then rushed back to Ocampo by taking the highway to meet them on the other side of the Pawili River.
At 8:15 AM, the first two pilgrims crossed the bridge, and my wife, Elizabeth, who was holding the statue of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, greeted them. While we expected the pilgrims to show their respect by kissing the statue in gratitude, others in the crowd also joined in. Out of the 32 pilgrims, half reached the Pawili River after more than an hour.
I bought four native live chickens from one of the onlookers and instructed our favorite chef (also known as our house helper) to prepare ‘tinola with papaya’ for an early lunch for the tired and hungry pilgrims. As we continued our trek to St. Bernard Abbot Parish Church, children and mothers stopped our convoy to kiss the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus statue. Witnessing this brought tears to my eyes; I was overwhelmed by what I was seeing.
There was ample time to prepare for tonight’s pilgrims’ mass. We set up the tent and completed all the necessary paperwork for the pilgrims’ registration. At 4:00 PM, as instructed, they began to arrive one by one. As registration drew to a close, we had more than 70 participants registered.
The pilgrims’ mass was celebrated by Fr. Francis Tordilla, the Rector of the Holy Minor Seminary in Naga City. His homily was truly inspirational for all the pilgrims, as it directly addressed the challenges and social issues we face due to unscrupulous politicians. Father Bernie Ramirez, the parish priest of St. Bernard Abbot, gave the final announcements for the parishioners. Once again, all the pilgrims were called to the front of the altar to receive a blessing and a proper send-off. Thus, the official 100-kilometer journey began for those pilgrims who chose to walk the minimum requirement. However, the rest of the pilgrims had already walked an extra 100 kilometers, starting from Daraga Church, also known as the Lady of Gates (Our Lady of La Porteria).
Our pilgrims’ dinner was sponsored by Ms. Rowelinda Fuentebella Clariño (Baye) with the cooperation and great help of the PPC members.
After the pilgrims’ dinner, final instructions were given to all participants. Lights out was set for 9:00 pm.
BUEN CAMINO!
VIVA LA VIRGEN!
VIVA DIVINO ROSTRO!
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.
