Every year since 1998, American Pilgrims on the Camino or its predecessor organizations has hosted an annual Gathering of Pilgrims. These events are opportunities to enjoy the company of old friends, to meet new ones and to relive the experience of the Camino.

The 2010 Gathering of Pilgrims is beginning to take shape! The 2010 Gathering, preceded by hospitalero training and followed by a spiritual retreat, will be held at the San Pedro Center, Winter Park, Florida, March 18-21, 2010.

The 2010 Gathering of Pilgrims

The Camino Today

Tuesday, March 16 through Tuesday, March, 23, 2010
The San Pedro Center, Winter Park, Florida!

Hospitalero Training
March 16 - 18, 2010
The San Pedro Center
Available only to members of American Pilgrims

2010 Gathering of Pilgrims
March 19 - 21, 2010
The San Pedro Center

Spiritual Retreat
March 21 - 23, 2010
The San Pedro Center

Join past and future pilgrims in exploring the Camino in the Holy Year, emerging environmental issues, alternative routes and much, much more! All three events will take place at the San Pedro Center in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, about 12 miles from the Orlando International Airport. The Center resides on 480 acres of protected wetlands and lush Florida forests and their facilities provide a perfect atmosphere where one can escape from the constant demands of everyday life.

This is the only scheduled hospitalero training in the United States during 2010!

Check back here in the Fall of 2009 for further details and registration materials!

The 2009 Gathering of Pilgrims is now but a pleasant memory but all who attended have are continuing to "Walk in Spirit"!

For its 12th Annual Gathering of Pilgrims, American Pilgrims on the Camino convened in historic Old Town in Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 11 through 17, 2009. Taking the spirituality of New Mexico's Native American cultures as inspiration, the theme was "Walk in Spirit". As always there were sessions devoted to the practical side of pilgrimage - pilgrimage viewed as a long walk - sessions on Camino first aid and general Q&A. Samples of sessions more devoted to the spiritual aspects of the Camino were "El Camino de las Estrellas: Sacred Sites along the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain", "Practices for Meditative Walking", Miracles Stories and Perceptions of the Pilgrim" and "Spiritual Meaning in Church Architecture." Two of the highlights of the Gathering were presentations by Phil Cousineau, "Transforming Travel into Pilgrimage" and Sue Kenney, "My Camino".

You can read a reminiscence of the Albuquerque Gathering.

You can also get some sense of what you missed by browsing through the beautiful program.

The American Pilgrims on the Camino offers a hearty ¡Muchas gracias! to our friends from the Xacobeo organization in Galicia, Spain who provided generous funding for the Old Mission Santa Barbara Gathering. You might consider visiting their web site (by clicking on their logo). It truly is an outstanding resource for pilgrims, particularly for the portions of the various routes in Galicia.

Hospitalero training by American Pilgrims is conducted in conjunction with the annual Gatherings. The next session has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 16 through Thursday, March 18, 2010 at the San Pedro Center, Winter Park, Florida! Consider giving back to the Camino!. Those who have gone on from walking the Camino to serving as hospitaleros say that this experience if anything is even more rewarding than the Camino itself. For some insight into the sense of fulfillment, there is an interesting YouTube video about service that has snippets of interviews with the late Don José María of San Juan de Ortega, Don Jesús Jato of the refugio Ave Fenix and the Confraternity's Marion Marples.

For more information, see our Hospitaleros page.

In addition to the training being offered by American Pilgrims, there are weekend courses being offered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada November 6 to 8, 2009 and in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, November 20 to 22, 2009. Our Canadian brethren or anyone who cannot make it to Florida might consider this alternative. See our International Events page for more information.

If you are interested in seeing a bit about the nuts and bolts of hosting a refugio, the Confraternity of Saint James has made its training workshop presentation available to us. This is of course specific to Refugio Gaucelmo in Rabanal but it should serve give you idea of the toil and pleasure of the experience. 3.1MB