Oakland, CA: Northern California Chapter, Welcome Home Celebration

Help us welcome home our returning pilgrims at our annual Welcome Home Potluck! We’ll gather once again at St. Augustine church in Oakland, near the Berkeley border.

As always, we’ll start things off with an open mic hour, where returnees can share a few reflections on their Camino experience and what it has meant to them. Afterward, we’ll take our Camino “Class of 2025” photos, enjoy a sure-to-be another delicious pilgrims’ potluck, and then hear from Matt Berry about his spring journey on the Vía de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés, walking from Seville to Santiago.

The Vía de la Plata is steeped in Roman history, with more ancient ruins and settlements than the other Camino routes in Northern Spain. In fact, it began as a Roman military road. Don’t miss this chance to learn about this fascinating, less-traveled Camino.

Schedule: Doors open at 9:30 AM. We’ll start around 10:00 AM and have lunch around noon, followed by group photos and the returnee share time. We plan to finish up by 3:00 PM. We’ll need help with cleaning up afterwards. All are welcome to attend.

Advance online registration is required. Click the Register Now button below to sign up by Friday, November 14. Please register when you are certain you can attend so we have an accurate count for planning purposes. Thank you!

Cancellation: If you are unable to attend, please email us at norcal@americanpilgrims.org so we can update our list.

Getting There

By Car: Use Google Maps or your favorite map app for directions. St. Augustine is located at 400 Alcatraz Avenue off of College Avenue in Oakland. The church is on the right side between Dana and Colby Streets when heading west towards the bay and the parking lot entrance is on the left side of the building. Meet us on the bottom floor of the gym/multi-use building across the courtyard on the right side of the church (follow our yellow arrows).

By BART/Bus/Foot: From Rockridge BART Station, take AC Transit bus 51B towards the Berkeley campus and offboard at College/Alcatraz (15 min). Walk west on Alcatraz to St. Augustine (0.3 mi). To walk from the station, head north along College towards campus and turn left on Alcatraz (0.7 mi).

Carpooling: On the registration form is a link to an online “Carpool Bulletin Board” to post a message if you need a ride or can give one.

What to Bring

Your favorite dish or drink to share. Extra points for something from the Camino. Wine counts, too! Here’s a request to cover our bases: If your last name begins with A-P, bring a food dish (main, side, salad with serving utensils). If it begins with Q-Z, bring a dessert or beverage (coffee will be provided).

Be Green!

We encourage you to bring your own plates, cups and utensils to help us to minimize trash and reduce costs on disposable items. There is a kitchen to wash items after use.

El Gordo

El Gordo (Grand Prize) is the nickname for the popular Spanish Christmas Lottery. Our version is a fun and exciting raffle. Consider contributing to El Gordo with new Camino-related items. Examples: a book, souvenir, artwork or other specialty item that we Camino fans would love. Check with Laurie Ferris upon arrival or add your loot to the display table at the event. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the sign-in table and during the event ($5 each or $20 for 5). Your generosity helps us cover our event expenses (room, supplies) and devote more of our resources to our goals that include supporting the Camino infrastructure through our Grants Program.

El Rastro

El Rastro is a gigantic flea market in Madrid. Bring your excess gear, memorabilia, guidebooks and other good “junk” you thought you needed, but don’t anymore. There will be an area to display your items. This will be a “cash-free” zone. Bring it and forget it! See something you want? Take it.

Camino Mercado
We invite Camino authors, artists, creatives, and other vendors to display and sell your wares. There will be a table set aside for your use. Note: American Pilgrims does not endorse any of products. We are solely providing a space to connect sellers and buyers.

The Ruff Stuff: For insurance purposes, we are unable to welcome dogs, except service animals, at our events.