[Gocamino] More on 2006 pilgrims

[blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
To become a member of the Archicofradia  you need to apply and provide evidence of good catholicship. A letter from your parish priest will suffice.
I think that's it. Some years ago, because of knowledge of several languages and true blue New Yorker "pushiness" (which I prefer to think of as  enthusiastic determination, but people call us pushy), I was able to help the Archdiocese in borrowing some documents from  Saint Catherine's Monastery in Mount Sinai, Egypt, which I had visited. I got some exaggerated  recognition for it -really undeserved since I enjoyed doing it, and did it mostly out of being a busybody-  and membership in the Archconfraternity. I do remember that I had to send in, belatedly, some pictures of myself and a letter from the priest in my parish.
The membership dues are negligible, 10 or 12 Euros a year which, in my case is much less than the cost of sending the Compostela heavy publication,  and attachments, to New York.
Members also get a lot of electronic information amd get invited to the frequent meetings and "congresses" (?) wherein representatives of cofraternities from all over the world get together. There you  get to meet a lot of fascinating pilgrims. Last year, for instance, I met a couple from Germany who have built an albergue, from the foundation up, with their own hands... emulating, they said, "Pilger Franz von Assisi" (Pilgrim Francesco di Assisi); they even made the mud bricks themselves!
Anyone interested in the universality of the Camino would very much enjoy being a member of the Archconfraternity, I'm sure.
Now.... to answer your questions, here is further information on 2006 pilgrims, with the (2005) figures in patenthesis.
Spain 52,248  (52,928)
Andorra  66  (30)
Chile  84  (77)
South Korea  69  (24)
North Korea  18  (4)
Cuba 25  (17)
Lithuania  18  (7)
Morocco  20  (12)
India  12  (6)
Puerto Rico  37 (49)
Rumania  45  (41)
 
The figures for male and female pilgrims, their ages (at ten-year intervals), and the total per continent were posted in the first message  on this subject (whuch showed no subject on t5he line therefor).
If someone did not get that message perhaps I can forward it directly since, I think, one cannot forward messages to the list-servs.
I'll try to give the points of departure tomorrow since I've got to run now.
 
Hugs!
 
Rosina