Catholic Camino Charities

[jhines]

I completed France, Portugal and this year the Del Norte routes. I would like to know if there is a Catholic Camino Charity who helps with improving Camino routes; ex. improving access, maintenance, guidance and visitation to catholic churches and historical sites along the routes? Along the del Norte route many churches were closed and had a hard time gaining access to churches and monasteries along the Way. Also, had difficulty in finding where masses were being offered because of rotating priests, etc. (Eventually found Catholic Mass App but site not updated.) Thanks

 

[Tincatinker]

Is there a Catholic Camino Charity that fulfills all the functions you list? No, nor any that touches on any other than peripherally. That isn’t how the Camino works. There are many church and parish supported Albergues that function on a charitable basis but that is the charity of the community offered to the pilgrim.

What are you seeking @jhines? If you want a charity to donate to pick a donativo Albergue. They all need all the help they can get.
If you want identify someone who is “responsible” for the Caminos, in charge of the Caminos, organizes the Caminos. Other than Tourismo Galicia, who seem to have usurped the ancient anarchy, there is no-one. The roads are owned by those that walk them.

 

[dbier]

Or, to summarize. There is no "Catholic Charities" organization that focuses on the Caminos. Since I regularly donate to several different Catholic charities, including Catholic Charities, I am confident in this statement.

If you would like to benefit an individual Monastery, church, convent, or albergue along the way, donate to them directly. Go local.

 

[rojasa]

Not religion-specific, but you may want to look into these groups that support albergues in need: American Pilgrims on the Camino, Camino for Good, FICS (Federación Internacional del Camino de Santiago, and the local associations related to the caminos you’ve walked. Buen Camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

You can contribute to American Pilgrims on the Camino. They have a grant program for albergues and projects.

 

[oursonpolaire]

The Spanish are not inclined to over-arching organizations. While the RCC in Spain has a bishops' conference, each diocese runs its own show. The Camino Francese is remarkable in that the Spanish bishops actually collaborated!! they decided to staff churches (as far as possible) with polyglot clergy, and as far as possible to have parishes along the way provide regular evening masses. Other Caminos do not have this focus put on them and as the OP notes, it can be a challenge to find open churches, etc.

Add to this the Spanish proclivity to assume that those who go to mass in a pueblo know what time it will be held, so there is no need for noticeboards. I have found that the barkeep at cafés near a church will know, and so will many older people in a pueblo-- if they don't, there is no surprise as a good chunk of the Spanish population view religious practice as a marker of civil war partisanship. If you pass by a church when a funeral is held, there will be a small group of people (usually men) standing outside the main door, to show respect to the deceased, but they will not enter. Ask around and villagers will be happy to assist pilgrims-- I've had the experience of tattooed teenagers on their mobiles to their grannies to find the mass time for me. If you enjoy sitting in front of a screen before you travel, diocesan websites sometimes provide the information.....

I note from your profile that you are from Arizona; APOC has an excellent grants programme to aid albergues along the way and IIRC donations are tax-deductible for US taxpayers (https://americanpilgrims.org/grants/). Others have suggested support for donativos-- they always have expenses which the donations do not cover. One repeat pilgrim I met told me that he marked particular good things which had happened to him or to his family with a significant donation to an albergue-- while he could afford significant, even small amounts have a cheering effect on albergues. And if you don't want the paperwork, APOC or the Confraternity (Rabanal & Miraz-- also supported by the CCoP) will bundle your donation with others.

 

[jhines]

The Spanish are not inclined to over-arching organizations. While the RCC in Spain has a bishops' conference, each diocese runs its own show. The Camino Francese is remarkable in that the Spanish bishops actually collaborated!! they decided to staff churches (as far as possible) with polyglot clergy, and as far as possible to have parishes along the way provide regular evening masses. Other Caminos do not have this focus put on them and as the OP notes, it can be a challenge to find open churches, etc.

Add to this the Spanish proclivity to assume that those who go to mass in a pueblo know what time it will be held, so there is no need for noticeboards. I have found that the barkeep at cafés near a church will know, and so will many older people in a pueblo-- if they don't, there is no surprise as a good chunk of the Spanish population view religious practice as a marker of civil war partisanship. If you pass by a church when a funeral is held, there will be a small group of people (usually men) standing outside the main door, to show respect to the deceased, but they will not enter. Ask around and villagers will be happy to assist pilgrims-- I've had the experience of tattooed teenagers on their mobiles to their grannies to find the mass time for me. If you enjoy sitting in front of a screen before you travel, diocesan websites sometimes provide the information.....

I note from your profile that you are from Arizona; APOC has an excellent grants programme to aid albergues along the way and IIRC donations are tax-deductible for US taxpayers (https://americanpilgrims.org/grants/). Others have suggested support for donativos-- they always have expenses which the donations do not cover. One repeat pilgrim I met told me that he marked particular good things which had happened to him or to his family with a significant donation to an albergue-- while he could afford significant, even small amounts have a cheering effect on albergues. And if you don't want the paperwork, APOC or the Confraternity (Rabanal & Miraz-- also supported by the CCoP) will bundle your donation with others.

Thanks for information and research!