A 66,500-mile pilgrimage for Mary

He is known simply as "the pilgrim" and for a good reason! At the age of 67, José Antonio García, a native of Cadiz (Spain), has walked 66,500 miles to fulfill a promise he made to the Virgin Mary after surviving the sinking of a fishing boat. This tragedy occurred in 1999 off the coast of Norway. He was the only survivor of the whole crew.

According to the reports published by Alfa y Omega, after the shipwreck, García was hospitalized for nearly a year, followed by five years of rehabilitation, alternating the use of crutches with a wheelchair.

As soon as he was fully recovered in 2006, he began a series of pilgrimages (including one to the Holy Land and another to Lourdes), in order to honor his promise to the Virgin of Carmen, Patroness of fishermen.

Aleteia