Choosing a starting point to walk the Camino is a hard decision. You need to start at or further than 100km from Santiago but also want to experience as many cities as possible in the time you have allotted yourself. Through my Camino  to Santiago there has not been a city more recognized and revered as Fatima to locals and fellow pilgrims.

Pilgrim praying

The holy city of Fatima experiences one of its busiest times on and around May 13th for the anniversary of the Apparition of Mary from 1917. Due to its place in history and recognition as a pilgrimage site, I believed that being in a special place like Fatima meant getting there early and making sure to participate and witness everything that was offered to Pilgrims on the daily itinerary, similarly as you would a supermarket checklist, marking sure not to return home without a basket full of holy experiences.

It is easily feasible to keep busy for several days. I attended several masses in multiple languages and in multiple areas including the original chapel from 1920 built upon the ground where the Virgin Mary appeared. Walking only a few kilometers away, I visited the houses and small town where the famous three Shepard children lived, even sitting in the kitchen where they ate meals together. You can also pray at the children’s burial site which is housed inside the original Basilica built in 1953 where the children can be prayed to and revered at their burial places inside. The new basilica found directly across from the old Basilica is built in a contemporary design and won a engineering and structure award in 2009 [and is a must see]. Underneath it was an amazing museum that guides you through the history of Fatima as well as many small chapels and confessionals. At night I experienced a large mass and procession for the Virgin Mary, as well as acts of devotion including walking on knees. In town there were many restaurants, gift shops, museums, and inscription/objects to read.

Pilgrims attend mass in the plaza

When on the Camino you come across people who spend a day in Fatima but also those who spend only a few hours. I spoke to a women on the bus ride to Fatima who told me she would only spend half the day in Fatima to attend mass then go home. Her pilgrims itinerary was short, her Holy supermarket basket was not full of history and historical sites and was not taking advantage of arguably the most important day of the year. She felt as though one did not need to complete an itinerary in the holy site to be especially close to God or receive miracles, “if you take the Eucharist every week you will be healed, you won’t get sick, He will take care of you”. Another women who was visiting for the day from Oklahoma spend a majority of her time at the original chapel. She too believed that the holy site did not need a full itinerary, saying “If you put your full belief in God, you will be blessed”. As expected the afternoon mass was filled with thousands of people, one women who worked as a guide estimated that there was 200,000 people “but there was no real way to tell”. Mass was held outdoors under a hot sun. For the priest at the alter, the crowd reached so far back that the pilgrims looked like ants; the echoes of his words from the speakers taking several seconds to reach the back of the crowd. At times the crowd seemed more concerned with the sun, the futbol score, and internal conversation rather than mass itself.

After witnessing these behaviors at Fatima and hearing first hand opinion on being close to God, I now understand the power of a holy city. It is not that one is required to spend their day in the city making sure to take home with them the most spiritual activities but that there is no need to. If you are looking for healing, curing, devotion, forgiveness, or giving thanks; you can find this not by completing an itinerary and filling your supermarket basket but by traveling to the holy city of Fatima. Simply being present with Mary, God, the Holy Spirit and taking the Eucharist will serve as the conduit to your spiritual objectives.