T H E   T E A M

Group Leaders

Annie Carvalho

2012 Group Leader

On her first trip to Spain, Annie rode the train from Madrid to Cordoba. In all her travels, this was the most spectacular countryside she'd ever seen!  She thought, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk in this country and really SEE it?!"

Once home, while researching her doctor's orders for long distance walking, Annie began looking for a walking route through Spain and stumbled upon the Camino Santiago de Compostela. It was the beginning of a love affair that continues.

On her first Camino, Annie walked the Camino Frances, carrying her backpack and the prayers of friends and strangers to Santiago's Cathedral. She soon began helping and accompanying other pilgrims on their journey.

Since 2006, Annie has returned nearly every year to walk various Camino routes, including the Camino Frances (12 times), the Piedmont route from Lourdes, France, the Aragones route (2 times), sections of the Camino Norte, the Camino Portuguese, the Via de la Plata, and the Madrid route.

Annie will be the first to tell you there is magic along The Way. 

​Join her in the Holy Year, 2021 ,as we embrace a simpler way of life, put one foot in front of the other, and strive to remember who we are.

Joe Walsh

2021 Group Leader

I first learned of the Camino Santiago from the Sisters of the Holy Names who provided my elementary school training.  Secondary school and University, provided by the Society of Jesus, supplied training in English Literature, Philosophy and Comparative Religions, not to mention the keys to how to learn just about anything.  So why is it that I have worked as a building contractor for over thirty years? To pay for time dreaming -- and to be useful at the same time. 

Over the past 10 years I have walked the Camino Frances eight times, the Piedmont and Aragones from Lourdes to Pamplona, sections of the Via de la Plata from Sevilla, the Norte from Bilbao, and the Pilgrimspad from Amsterdam. Each walk has been memorable for many reasons and the spiritual, cultural, architectural, and artistic treasure of Spain are always the main attraction.

If you come prepared by following Annie's easy instructions and suggestions, all that Spain has to offer will be there for you to enjoy!