El Camino Via de la Plata & Fatima
w/ Fr Dwight Longenecker & S.C. Cursillo
The Cathedral of Santiago
October 19 - 29, 2026
Price $TBD*
The South Carolina Cursillo and Fr Dwight Longenecker invite you on a transformative pilgrimage along the Via de la Plata (Silver Route) of El Camino (The Way of St James), and to one of the most revered and beloved Marian Shrines in the world: Fatima. The Cursillo Movement was born out preparation for a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela via El Camino in 1948. What a blessing it will be to follow in the footsteps of the very first Cursillistas!
Via de la Plata starts in Seville, Spain and runs north through Salamanca before turning west in Astorga, Spain. Our pilgrimage begins in Madrid with stops in Segovia and the tomb of the great mystic and Doctor of the Church, St John of the Cross, and Avila, home to St Teresa. We connect with the great Via de la Plata in Salamanca and follow it through Zamora and Astorga before reaching Santiago and its great cathedral. All travel by motor coach, of course.
We then continue our pilgrimage to the great The Shrine in Fatima, Portugal which commemorates the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three shepherd children: Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, in 1917. According to the children, the Virgin Mary appeared to them on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting from May until October. The messages conveyed during these apparitions included calls for prayer, penance, and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Sanctuary includes the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Chapel of the Apparitions, and the vast open square where pilgrims join in a nightly, candlelit Rosary procession.
Pilgrims from around the world travel El Camino and visit Fatima seeking spiritual renewal and physical healing. Jesus promises a wealth of blessings and profound spiritual experiences, and your brothers and sisters of S.C. Cursillo hope you will join us!
DAYS 1 & 2, October 19 & 20 : Columbia > Madrid
We depart the USA en route to Madrid with complimentary meals and beverages served aloft. Upon arrival at Madrid International Airport, we will be greeted by our tour escort and begin our pilgrimage. After Holy Mass, we will check in at the hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free before we reconvene for our fabulous Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight at the hotel in Madrid. D
DAY 3, October 21: Madrid>Segovia>Avila>Salamanca
Today we depart for Salamanca with stops in Segovia and Avila on the way. During our tour of Segovia, we will visit the magnificent Alcázar Castle, the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites and the tomb of St John of the Cross (a mystic and Doctor of the Church), and the incredible Roman Aqueduct dating from the 1st century AD.
After lunch on our own, we travel the short distance to Avila, an incredibly well-preserved medieval town famous for its complete and intact walls and home to St Teresa of Avila, the great mystic and reformer of the Carmelite Order. After Holy Mass and a tour of Avila, we continue to Salamanca for dinner and overnight at the hotel. (B|D)
DAY 4, October 22: Salamanca>Zamora>Astorga
This morning we start the day with Holy Mass before enjoying a walking tour of Salamanca, “La Ciudad Dorada” (The Golden City). The tour starts in Plaza Juan XXIII where we will see the Old and New Cathedrals before we visit Salamanca University, one of the oldest in the world. We then depart for Zamora, and its incredible Romanesque churches. After lunch on our own, we continue on to Astorga, a meeting point of the French Way and Silver Routes of El Camino. Dinner and overnight in Astorga. (B|L|D)
DAY 5, October 23: Astorga>Santiago de Compostela
Today we make our way to Santiago de Compostela, the termination point of our journey on El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James). After Holy Mass we will have lunch in a local restaurant, and then check-in at our hotel. The rest of the afternoon is ours to enjoy Santiago de Compostela on our own. (B|L)
DAY 6, October 24: Santiago de Compostela
This morning, we have free time to enjoy Santiago de Compostela before meeting at the magnificent Santiago de Compostela Arch Cathedral Basilica and the Tomb of St James for 10:30AM Pilgrim's Mass. For those who wish, there will be an optional walk along the traditional pilgrimage trail, El Camino, that will end at the Cathedral. This is a three-mile, moderately difficult walk that will take about an hour. After celebrating The Pilgrims Mass, we will have time for prayer before lunch at a local restaurant. We then begin our half day tour of Santiago de Compostela. The remainder of the afternoon is free before dinner at a local restaurant. (B|L|D)
DAY 7, October 25: Santiago de Compostela > Coimbra > Fatima
After breakfast, we depart Santiago de Compostela for Fatima. Along the way we will stop in the wonderful town of Coimbra for a half-day tour. Coimbra offers a rich history, a beautifully preserved medieval old town, and other hidden architectural gems for us to discover. Included is a guided tour of Coimbra University, one of the oldest universities in the world. We will celebrate the Holy Mass at Carmelo of St. Teresa, where sister Lucia, one of the three shepherd children from Fatima, lived before she died in 2005. We then venerate the First Five Franciscan Martyrs at the Monastery of the Holy Cross. It was here the Franciscan friars met a young Fernando de Bulhões, the future Saint Anthony of Padua, and here where the friars were brought after their deaths in Morocco. We continue to Fatima and dinner at the hotel. (B|D)
DAY 8, October 26: Fatima
At the center of our Catholic faith and a place of world pilgrimage, Fatima is visited by thousands of people each year. We will visit the Basilica or Our Lady of the Rosary where the tombs of Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, the three children who were visited by Our Lady of Fatima, are located, Basilica of the Holy Trinity, as well as the Chapel of Apparitions. We will celebrate Holy Mass and visit the Fatima Sanctuary, where Our Lady of Fatima appeared in 1917. Since then, millions of pilgrims come here to pray or just to feel its mystical strength. The Sanctuary Square is so big that it can only be described by numbers: it can receive 300,000 visitors and it's twice the size of St. Peter's Square in Rome. We will visit the town of Aljustrel where the children lived, and Valinhos where Our Lady appeared after the children’s return from prison. Back to our hotel for dinner before the Candlelight Procession. Overnight in Fatima. (B|D)
DAY 9, October 27: Fatima > Lisbon
Today we depart Fatima for Lisbon. On the way we will visit Monastery of Batalha which was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It was to be the Portuguese monarchy's main building project for the next two centuries. Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art, as demonstrated by its masterpiece, the Royal Cloister.
We carry on to the captivating town of Óbidos for Holy Mass, lunch and a half day tour. Óbidos became home to Portugal’s queens after Afonso II gifted it to his wife Urraca of León in the 1200s. Many of the buildings and monuments in Óbidos were founded or funded by a queen. On a narrow ridge, the town’s weaving, carless streets are contained by the dominant walls of a medieval castle. After lunch at a local restaurant, we depart for Lisbon where we will check-in to the hotel and have the rest of the afternoon free. (B|L)
DAY 10, October 28: Lisbon
After breakfast, we visit the Church of St. Anthony, where it is said he was born and the Cathedral La Sé where he was baptized. After Holy Mass at the church, we visit the Jerónimos Monastery and the Church of Santa Maria. Construction was started in 1501 and completed 100 years later. The monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style in Portugal. We will also visit the Tower of Belem (outside view only), built in 1520 to defend the Tagus riverbank. Both the monastery and the Tower were classified as “Cultural Heritage of All Humanity” by UNESCO in 1983. We will also see the monument dedicated to Henry the Navigator, the Castelo dos Mouros, and the Praca do Comercio, or "Black Horse Square." The rest of the afternoon is free to explore this beautiful city before our Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant. (B|D)
DAY 11, October 29: Lisbon > Columbia
Today we transfer to the Lisbon airport for our flight home after a spiritual journey along El Camino & Portugal. We take with us wonderful memories of our travel with dear friends, and edifying, indeed, sanctifying encounters with Our Lady. Thank you Fr Dwight and Cursillo! B