I’m pleased to update you on membership news and activities.
Universal Peace Walk 1543AD
I’m pleased to inform you that work on the walk continues unabated. The waymarks have been delivered and shortly we will be adding signs and emblems to the waymarks.
If anyone can spare a few hours this summer to help us with fixing emblems and other tasks around assembling the Unversal Peace Walk waymarks please reach out on information@XirCammini.org.
The certificates for the first group Camino (12th March 2022) have been received from the Archbishop’s Curia, signed by H.E. Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna. Discussions continue with the Archbishop’s Curia to work closely together on the Universal Peace Walk 1543 AD.
We will also pursue discussions with the local councils to consolidate their involvement in this endeavour.
Overseas Treks
Amalfi (June 2022) and Camino Primitivo (Jul / Aug 2022) are fully booked. There are still some spaces available on the Celtic Camino – Tochar Padraig (Aug 2022) and Isole Eiolie (Sept 2022). We will shortly (before the end of May ) be writing to those who have expressed interest (and or have booked the flights/paid deposits) for the Tochar Padraig (Ireland) as we are finalising the program this week with Ballintuber Abbey. Thank you for your patience.
By early June we will also be finalizing and reverting on the Isole Eiolie treks of September.
Local Treks Itinerary
This is the itinerary of local treks until the end of June 2022. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, 7th May 2022.
This week we have the following two walks. Please note that the Gozo walk has been changed from the 7 hills to a slightly more moderate walk from Mgarr Quay to Dahlet Qorrot in view of the fact that the weather is expected to be relatively warm. We will then either loop back to Mgarr or to Rabat and take public transport to the Quay.
| ed 11th May | P144 | 19:00 | Xemxija/out to Majjistral Park and straight out to Cliffs (structure on 4 columns)/ Znuber Tower/rd down and path on Left/ straight back / cross valley/ on to rd tp oldest carob tree and bee hives/ Xemxija | Mod | Xemxija (near kiosk) |
| Saturday 14th May | P145 | 8:30 | Mgarr – Dahlet Qorrot Coastal Loop | Mod | Mgarr quay, Gozo |
Tucc and I will be waiting for you in Mgarr, Gozo, terminal for a 08:30 a.m. start. We suggest that you take either the 07:30 a.m. or 08:00 a.m. ferry crossing. Regrettably we would not be able to wait for anyone who misses either ferry and comes up with a later one. We endeavour to be back in the Mgarr port 16:00ish.
Membership Dues
As you are aware membership is split between a June and a December tranche. The June tranche is coming up for renewal.
Regrettably Din L-Art Helwa are increasing their fees in 2022 and, as a result, we will not be contributing our membership towards din the l-Art Helwa Foundation since XirCammini will not be increasing its fees. We will maintain the Euros 20 per person per annum.
The following are the changes with respect to membership:
- All memberships due in June will be automatically extended to December 2022 at no extra fee. All memberships will expire/ be due in December.
- The annual fee will remain Euros 20 per person.
- It will no longer be tied to Din L-Art Helwa membership. The cards you have are valid until expiry, New cards will be issued for all members in December 2022.
Another very important change is that we will no longer be accepting cash or cheques whether for membership or for any activities that we have. All payments must be submitted via internet banking.
Many are familiar with mobile and Revolut payments. These are still possible modes of payment to our bank account. For example, with Revolut one just has to follow these simple instructions: For Revolut users: tap ‘Payments’ → ‘Transfers’ → ‘Send’ → ‘+ New’ → ‘Add a bank recipient’. You’ll be asked to add the bank transfer details. In this case these are name: XirCammini Bank: APS Bank, Address: you can input just Malta if requested. The important thing to input is the IBAN number: MT43APSB77013000000042921110018
Similar instructions apply for other mobile banking devices such as APS Bank.
The reason why we are adopting this approach is because it reduces the risk of human error and delays in processing payment. Above all, payments processed through a single electronic source also greatly improve governance. As an NGO we are audited and this improves our diligence processes without imposing a strain on our volunteer resources.
Photo Competition
As advised earlier we are running a photo competition to collect photos from pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago during the Jubilee Years 2021 or 2022 for a XirCammini Calendar 2023. In addition to the pleasure of having a photo featured in a 2023 Calendar a Euros 50 voucher will be gifted to each winning entry selected for the Calendar.
The closing date of submissions is November 20th, 2022.
Interested persons are requested to complete the following form and submit their photos by or before the 20th November 2022: