Current news from the Camino.

Projects now being funded are:

1300 Euros for new beds for Albergue Benduenos in Asturias on the Camino San Salvador.

”Muchísimas gracias! Dios mío.. me parece algo increíble y maravilloso.. yo sola no podría hacerlo.. por favor.. te pido que les des inmensas gracias de mi parte a todas lo que habéis echo esto.. sois maravillosas!

No me lo puedo creer! Es una bendición inmensa y mi agradecimiento lo es muchísimo más! Es muy especial para mí ya que aunque a veces se intente recibir a las peregrinos con todo lo que se merecen he de ser sincera.. mi pequeñez no puede abarcarlo todo .. sois ángeles! Estoy tan emocionada! Quizás no pueda expresar mi gratitud con palabras porque hay emociones que hace falta el rostro y verse ..y mi vocabulario tampoco es tan extenso y poético como lo vive mi alma.. llevaba dos años intentando que kas peregrinos pudieran dormir más agusto! No te escribo más porque estaría toda la noche dándo las gracias y ya sería pesadez la mía! ... Pero si reparte si puedes mi gratitud y esparcela con todo mi amor a todas las personas que han puesto su grano de arena en este albergue.. con todo mi cariño y felicidad que sea devuelta a vuestros corazones... Yo.. - Sandra, Hospitalera”

"Many thanks! My God... I think it's something incredible and wonderful... I couldn't do it on my own... please... I ask you to give immense thanks on my part to all of you who have done this... you are wonderful!

I can not believe it! It is an immense blessing and my gratitude is much more! It is very special to me because although sometimes we try to receive the pilgrims with everything they deserve, I have to be honest... my smallness cannot encompass everything... you are angels! I'm so excited! Perhaps I can't express my gratitude with words because there are emotions that are missing from the face and from seeing oneself... and my vocabulary is not as extensive and poetic as my soul lives it... I had been trying for two years so that the pilgrims could sleep more comfortably! I won't write to you anymore because I'd be all night giving thanks and it would already be a heaviness for me! ... But if you share my gratitude if you can and spread it with all my love to all the people who have put their grain of sand in this hostel... with all my love and happiness that it be returned to your hearts. … - Sandra, Hospitalera

Past projects:

Beds, mattresses and bedcovers for Casa Mambre Parochial Retreat House in Hontanas; and exploring new or repairs for picnic tables for the Albergue San Francisco Asis in Tosantos.

The "Camino Angels," or Angeles del Camino, is now a Spanish non-profit Asociacion based in Santiago de Compostela. It is not officially part of the PPI empire, (due to international banking rules), but we will work closely with them in the future. Their status is pending. They will focus their fundraising in Spain and Europe, help us identify needful projects on the caminos, and work together with us to solve problems with ready resources.

The Yo-Yos, a group of crafty ladies in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, shipped a big box of crocheted items over to similarly inclined ladies of the Asociacion Cultural de Moratinos. With these colourful squares, the local ladies can refresh the “Yarn Bombing” project that´s lighted up the rather severe Plaza Mayor for the past two summers… all the trees have sweaters! The passing pilgrims love to photograph the project, and the crochetiers of Moratinos get a big kick out their handiwork. Yarn bombers, knitters, or crochet aficionados are welcome to contribute their work!

A third memorial stone has arrived for the Pilgrim Memorial Grove, it will be set at the foot of a plane tree soon as the winter weather breaks. Garden designer Jan Waeveart will come from Belgium this summer to examine the site and draw up a plan for future development there.

Good news from Tosantos: Jose Luis, the charismatic founding hospitalero at the classic pilgrim refuge there, is back in the saddle this season after a long illness. His standby Santi will also continue to serve, with help from a corps of carefully trained volunteers. Tosantos hews to the donativo principal, and offers pilgrims a simple meal, a meditative worship service, and mats on the floorboards for their beds… old-school hospitality.

Albergues de Acogida: Firing UP!

The Association of Albergues de Acogida, a newly formed group of non-profit albergues on the Camino de Santiago, meets this weekend in Sahagun to ratify its constitution and welcome new member albergues.

The group, headed by the ubiquitous Juan Carlos Perez of Albergue Siervas de Maria in Astorga, aims to unite the many non-profit groups that run pilgrim shelters throughout the Camino de Santiago network. They are motivated to join ranks by proposed regional legislation, backed by the for-profit hotel industry, that could make non-profit and donativo shelters non-viable in the open market.

Representatives of non-profit albergues are welcome to attend the meeting, or apply for membership via the group´s website.

This just in, for those interested in becoming hospitaleros! The Spanish Federation of Amigos del Camino de Santiago released its listing of approved hospitalero training sessions for 2018. Find your place here!

COURSES FOR NEW HOSPITALEROS IN 2018

More information, in Spanish, at http://www.caminosantiago.org/cpperegrino/hospitaleros/cursos.asp

SPAIN: Grañón 23-25/2 (La Rioja)

Oviedo 19-18/3 (Asturias)

Málaga 6-8/4

Logroño 27/29/4 (La Rioja)

Villaconejos de Trabueque 11-13/5 (Cuenca)

Navacerrada 25-27/5 (Madrid)

contact: hosvol@caminosantiago.org anahosvol@caminosantiago.org

GERMANY: Limburg 9-11/3 contact: kuni.bahnen@gmx.de

FRANCE: Montreal du Gers 21-23/3 (por extensión de la FEAACS en Francia, para hacer hospitalidad en España)

contact: herve.haller@gmail.com