The year 2026 marks milestones in Carmelite history: 300 years since the canonisation of St John of the Cross (1726), and the centenary of his being declared a Doctor of the Church (1926). To honour this great mystic and poet, we invite you on a seven-day retreat pilgrimage through Spain, walking where John walked, praying where he prayed, and discovering how his life-transforming teachings can ignite your own spiritual adventure.
Pilgrimage is about transformation – making us more like Jesus Christ. This is what both St Teresa of Ávila and St John of the Cross set out to accomplish in their writings such as Teresa’s Way of Perfection and John’s Living Flame of Love. There’s no more powerful way to understand their life-transforming teaching than by experiencing their world firsthand. Just as pilgrimages to the Holy Land bring the Bible alive in unique ways, walking with John through Spain awakens his mystical wisdom in ways no book alone can achieve.
Our pilgrimage theme, “I return to Love,” captures the heart of John’s spirituality. For this great mystic, urgent longing lies at the centre of every spiritual adventure in faith. In the Ascent of Mount Carmel, he teaches us that each time we turn our gaze to God in faith, we discover His loving gaze already resting upon us “with the whole affection and power of his person as Father.” As John writes in the Living Flame of Love: “When a person is longing for God, His Beloved is seeking that person much more.” Visiting these holy sites will awaken you to the realization that the lives of John, Teresa, and other heroes of faith live on well beyond their earthly adventure. Their exhortation to wonder still reverberates in our hearts each time we visit these places graced with their living spiritual valour.
Why a Carmelite Retreat Pilgrimage? Because they are unique in the following ways:
- Expert Guidance: Carmelite friars Fr Matt Blake, OCD, and Fr Kelvin Ekhoegbe, OCD, will be your pilgrimage guides, offering firsthand insights into Carmelite spirituality and bringing these sacred sites alive with their expertise.
- Learning, Prayer and Rest: We balance spiritual depth with practical comfort. Days begin at 8am with morning and afternoon sessions featuring prayer times, teaching, and organised lunch stops, generally returning by 7pm for dinner.
- Stay Connected: There will be nightly “Pilgrimage Video” uploads so family and friends can follow your spiritual journey.
- Lasting Impact: Our retreat pilgrimages will not leave you the same. You’ll return home longing for more, transformed by walking in the footsteps of the saints.
You will travel by air-conditioned private coach to many of the places where John lived out his extraordinary life, exploring themes from Scripture and the saints’ writings while placing them in the unique settings where John experienced his dark nights and divine illuminations. As John himself wrote: “The sure light of faith leadeth me to a place I know not.” Adventure, after all, is inconvenience rightly considered. Step onto this adventure through Spain in the company of John of the Cross and discover that the God you seek is seeking you much more.
For more information and to secure your place, email pilgrimage@carmelite.org.uk or click here.