[Gocamino] Pilogrims to date

[blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
(...You know, I'm beginning to feel like Michael Corleone in the last Godfather:? I try to stay away from this list, but it keeps pulling me back.)
Oh well...
The Galician newspapers?reported a few days ago that the number of Santiago pilgrims this year has surpassed the total number of pilgrims during the last Holy Year, 2004.
Well, not exactly.
It is true that as of yesterday, November 30, 230,000 people had presented themselves to the Pilgrims Office, but only 113,202 received a Compostela (the total Compostela recipients in 2004 numbered 179,944). The office estimates that this month another?1,000 or 1,500?pilgrims will have earned a Compostela, most of them German, Italian or French who seem to plan their pilgrimage in order to arrive in Santiago for Christmas.? Another fact of note is that from the first of September,?until March or so,?the number of foreign pilgrims surpasses that of those from Spain.

In other matters: the young man that climbed the Holy Door in the? buff had been hanging around Quintana square for a week or so, and had visited the Archconfraternity's office several times asking advise about becoming "part of the Church". The?secretary there remarks that she was impressed by the young man's youth (he is twenty years old), and impressive good looks.? In fact,?in the pictures he looks remarkably handsome.? There is another picture today in the newspapers 
www.elcorreogallego.es
at the bottom of the front page. Clicking on the picture one goes to the whole article and a larger version of the picture.? This photo shows a fireman on the cherry picker at the level of the cornice where the young man was?and the statue of Santiago, as a pilgrim, which is atop the door and?which the young man had climbed to embrace.

As mentioned before, the manager of the Pilgrims' office and the Archconfraternity's secretary will be?in New York City for a week??arriving on December 16. These lovely young women have honored and delighted me with their friendship, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing them in the city where I live.? But also, and perhaps most importantly, their visit will represent a unique opportunity for us to offer suggestions as to things of importance to us, and to find out information about things that concern us and which is not readily available.? Some subscribers to these lists have already posed questions and suggestions (for instance...... how can you go about volunteering for the tremendous chores that will arise in 2010........ four Pilgrims' Masses daily, for instance and so on).? As most of us know, if you really want to know about something, or want to get something done, you do it through the people who run the office.?? Some of us have ideas as to how to improve the albergues.... small suggestions.... like providing hooks in the shower stalls, etc.........well, this is a golden opportunity to present them and be fairly sure that they will be acted upon. (As I get the suggestions and questions I list them carefully or them).

Lastly, when in Santiago, do go to the ArchConfraternity's open office on Quintana square. It is located between the entrance to the church and the Holy Door, and it is open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.? Not only will you be provided with maps, information, etc., but you will also see an impressive array of works of art (painting, sculptures, art books) created by talented pilgrims from all over the world.? The pieces stay there for a while and then are sent to a Museum or Church, etc. The office is not under the pressures of the Pilgrims' Office and you can sit down there and sense, almost unconsciously,? the mystery that has made millions of pilgrims feel as brothers and sisters for centuries and centuries.

Hugs!

Rosina?

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