- 14 August, 2026
Netherlands, Aug 13, 2026: Christel Grimbergen, a 52-year-old psychiatrist from Amsterdam, has completed an extraordinary solo pilgrimage on foot from Maastricht in the Netherlands to Rome, covering around 2,800 kilometres over three months and three weeks.
Her journey was motivated by both faith and the memory of a close friend, Marieke, who died three years ago. Grimbergen, who was baptised Catholic but grew up in a non-practising family, gradually returned to the faith and later received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Having already walked parts of the Camino de Santiago, she decided to undertake the much longer journey to Rome in search of silence, solitude and a deeper relationship with God.
Maastricht held a special significance for Grimbergen. She had studied there and remembered entering a church for the first time at the Basilica of Saint Servatius.
The fourth-century bishop and patron saint of Maastricht traditionally made three journeys to Rome. Inspired by his example, Grimbergen chose Maastricht as the starting point of her own pilgrimage.
(Click Here to follow Catholic Connect for regular News & Content)
The connection became even more meaningful when she reached Rome. Dutch priest Eric van Teijlingen, a canon of St Peter’s Basilica, accompanied her during the final kilometre to the tomb of the Apostle.
Along the way, she was shown a fresco depicting St. Peter giving the Keys of Heaven to St.Servatius — a striking link between the beginning and destination of her pilgrimage.
Grimbergen originally planned to walk no more than 25 kilometres a day, reducing the distance in mountainous areas. Yet the realities of pilgrimage frequently forced her to change those plans.
Her longest day covered an astonishing 38 kilometres.
The journey brought physical exhaustion as well as practical difficulties. Accommodation was not always available, particularly in isolated parts of eastern France, where villages sometimes had neither shops nor cafés.
She also faced heat, snow, insects, aggressive dogs and severe weather.
One of the most frightening moments came while crossing mountains between France and Switzerland. A sudden thunderstorm brought hail and fierce winds while she was alone on a forest road.
Fear eventually gave way to prayer.
As the storm intensified, a van appeared. Its driver, an electrician named Florian, stopped and rescued her, taking her to a small bar called Le Refuge — French for “The Refuge”.
For Grimbergen, the encounter became another reminder that pilgrimage is not simply about reaching a destination. It is also about learning to trust when circumstances are beyond one's control.
Perhaps the most important lesson of the journey came through the people she encountered.
In France, strangers asked her to pray for them when she reached Rome. She carefully recorded their intentions so that she could remember them at St. Peter’s tomb.
In Italy, people shared holy cards of saints important to them and prayed with her.
For Grimbergen, these encounters challenged the isolation of travelling alone. They demonstrated that strangers could place their trust in one another and offer help without expecting anything in return.
Her pilgrimage therefore became not only a journey towards God, but also a journey towards a renewed faith in humanity.
Grimbergen is now considering a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, although the present situation means that the plan remains on hold.
She knows that such a journey would require extensive preparation, particularly because of the heat and physical demands involved.
If circumstances allow, she hopes eventually to complete the three great pilgrimages from her home in Amsterdam: Santiago de Compostela, Rome and Jerusalem.
For now, however, her journey to Rome stands as a remarkable testimony to what can happen when faith, perseverance and trust carry a person one step at a time.
Courtesy Vatican News
Picture Courtesy : Christel Grimbergen
© 2026 CATHOLIC CONNECT POWERED BY ATCONLINE LLP
