The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (Galicia Province in northwest Spain) is part of the social reintegration programmes promoted by the prison ministry to help and encourage the personal change of prisoners and, at the same time, to awaken the solidarity and acceptance of society towards them.

Similarly, one of the goals of the initiative was also to encourage prisoners to enjoy the beauty of nature and the outdoors: that is, a change from the routine and tedium of cells and concrete walls for open and free spaces that foster an encounter with God and with oneself. And along with this, make an appeal to society to normalize the visibility of 'prison in the street', trying to make it visible to the society and, in this way, banish the rejection, stigma and false myths that exist about prisoners.

Each group started from different points, according to the route that each detention centre had chosen, but with Monte del Gozo, on the outskirts of Santiago, as the meeting point, from which they would then reach the cathedral together as the final destination of the pilgrimage.

The group led by Fr González, who walked the so-called 'Portuguese Way' along the Atlantic coast, starting from Vigo on 2 October and finishing it on 8 October. Like last year, it was an extremely positive experience, in which the inmates were able to experience an atmosphere of healthy coexistence, bringing into play the values of exercise and hard work, the solidarity of human encounters, spiritual life and forgiveness... all elements inherent to the Walk. There were also moments of shared prayer at the beginning of the day and a brief but profound reflection at the end of the day.

"One of the most moving moments," the Salesian recounts, "was, when the different groups were arriving at Mount Gozo. Meeting each other, the greetings exchanged, the smiles on the tired but happy faces, the words of encouragement between them.... it was a combination of all these emotions that made us walk, as one group, towards Santiago de Compostela. With tired feet, and knots in our throats, with the profound sensation of feeling free and being welcomed, and as one of the participants told me in tears: 'For the first time, I have achieved the goal I set myself'".

And Fr Gonzàlez continues: "The Pilgrim Mass offered together was even more moving! To find ourselves celebrating with so many people, of so many different nationalities, deeply marked that moment, and the moment was also impregnated by the incense of the spectacular botafumeiro (the famous big swinging thurible of the cathedral which fills it with its incence). We cannot forget the offering that we made to St. James Apostle (to whom the Cathedral is dedicated), in which we asked for moral and spiritual energy for personal redemption, as well as the openness of the society to the harsh reality of prisons and the greater involvement of society and the public authorities in the paths of social reintegration and the implementation of alternative measures to the deprivation of liberty".

And for the pilgrimage to have an authentic conclusion, the group from Jaén travelled to Finisterre to contemplate the spectacular sunset over the ocean and reflect in it the sunset of a past life destined to give way to a new life.

Fr González concludes: "It really was 'A dream for you'. A dream of mine came true. After experiencing the affection of those inmates who accompanied me, just like Don Bosco, who was also active among the prisoners, I could tell them: 'You are thieves, you have stolen my heart'".

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