Spiritual exercises with the priests of the diocese of Urgell

From July 25 to 29, invited by the Archbishop of Urgell, Joan Enric Vives, I accompanied a group of priests and a deacon of this diocese in the spiritual exercises in the Seminary. They have been days of personal and liturgical reflection and prayer, of shared silence, of Eucharistic adoration and of fraternal meals.

The diocese of Urgell, from the Aran Valley to Cerdanya and from Andorra to Noguera and part of Segarra, It is the largest bishopric in extension of the ten in Catalonia, although the least populated, with 214,158 inhabitants and 363 parishes. Its first bishop was San Justo de Urgell, who participated in the councils of Toledo (531) and in those of Lleida and València (546). One peculiarity of the diocese of La Seu d’Urgell should be noted, which is that, apart from the archpriesthoods of Catalonia that form it, it also includes a state, independent from Spain, which is Andorra. As happens in the diocese of Rome, which also includes the Vatican state in its territory.

In this diocese it is worth taking into account its rich architectural and historical heritage, with the sanctuaries of Nuria, located in a valley of the Pyrenees, that of Santo Cristo, in the city of Balaguer and that of Meritxell, patron saint of Andorra, the three temples, minor basilicas. In addition, the Romanesque church of San Climent de Taüll, with a basilica plan, is well known for its great beauty, simple and profound at the same time, a true jewel of Catalan Romanesque, consecrated in 1123, with its Characteristic pantocrator. And above all we have the beautiful church, mother of all those in the diocese, the splendid cathedral of Santa María, in la Seu, a Romanesque jewel begun by San Odón between 1116 and 1122.




The spiritual exercises took place in the Urgell Seminary, a gigantic building from the 19th century that in the 1940s and 1950s housed up to three hundred seminarians. The first thing that strikes when we enter the monumental Seminary is a large tombstone, at the beginning of the magnificent staircase, with the names of the one hundred and eleven priests of Urgell, martyrs of the 1936-1939 war, one of them, Mossèn Mateu Baraut Obiols, brother of two monks from Montserrat, Frs. Maiol and Cebrià Baraut. One hundred and eleven witnesses to the Gospel who “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb” and who gave their lives for Christ. That is why this diocese is a diocese of martyrdom, watered with the blood of those priests who shed it for the Gospel.

The Seminary, restored with great success and good taste, houses the rector and the seminarians of the diocese, except when they are in Barcelona studying at the Faculty of Theology of Catalonia, and also the elderly priests, carefully and lovingly cared for by the diocese.

It is worth mentioning the extreme request of the archbishop Joan Henry, as well as that of the vicar general, mossèn Ignasi Navarri, for these priests who at this stage of life are weakened by old age or illness, after giving long years of their lives for the Gospel. Archbishop Vives also has a special request for the seminarians, whom he takes care of carefully, together with the rector, Gabriel Casanovas, and still, for all the priests of the diocese, to whom it offers the possibility of doing spiritual exercises in two batches, one, in the spirituality house of Santo Cristo de Balaguer, in winter and another, now in summer, in Seu d’Urgell Seminary. Interestingly, this year, invited by the archbishop, I have accompanied the priests in the two sets of exercises.



Joan Enric Vives


The Diocese of Urgell, since the time of Bishop Joan Martí, has welcomed priests in the presbyteral college from Colombia, Mexico, India and the Philippines. They are young priests, fully integrated in the country, in the culture and language of Catalonia, and who live their priestly ministry incardinated and fully integrated in the parishes entrusted to them. They are priests, the latter, young, who live with the priests born in Catalonia, in great fraternity. Precisely, two of these young priests, born in Mexico, presided each day, one, who is Vicar of Guissona, at Lauds and the other, who is Vicar of Balaguer, at Vespers.

Among the older priests who participated in these exercises, there were Mossens Jaume Soy, Jaume Tarragó and Ramon Sàrries, venerable priests who have given (and continue to do so) their lives, serving with joy, the Christian communities that the Archbishop has entrusted to them. Other priests, still young, were the general vicar of the diocese, Mossèn Ignasi Navarri, always attentive to the needs of the exercitants, the rector of the Seminary, Mossèn Gabriel Casanovas or Mossèn Antoni Elvira, episcopal vicar for social action and who with his beautiful voice, helped us with the songs during the Eucharist, as did Deacon Ton Serra, who presided over the Eucharistic prayer every evening.



pantocrator


The reflections, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, revolved around a biblical character from the Old Testament, accompanied by another character of our days (taken from the interviews of the section, “La Contra”, of the Vanguard), who complemented the experience they made of God, Mary, the sister of Moses and Aharon, Joshua, Samuel, David , Solomon, Judith and Esther, Amos and Susanna. The prayer of the psalms also helped us to live our response and our experience of God.

During meals, in silence, we listened to classical music for a few days and fragments of the book, “Meditations on the ordination of priests”, by Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez, with a prologue by Archbishop Joan Enric Vives, of Urgell.

During these days of exercises, I have tried, as Archbishop Joan Enric asked me to do, “raise, help, support, forgive and console the priests of Urgell”, men passionate about Jesus and about serving the men and women of our time.

The Seminary is located on Calle Obispo Benlloch, born in the city of Valencia and who was pastor of this diocese from 1906 to 1918 (when he was appointed Archbishop of Burgos) and therefore also co-prince of Andorra. That is why I believe that Bishop Benlloch’s hometown, Valencia, would have to be twinned with the city of La Seu d’Urgell and with Andorra la Vella, where the Valencian bishop served the Church and the government of the Principality of Andorra.

Taking up the words of Mossèn Benigne Marquès, in his conference on Bishop Benlloch (Església d’Urgell, January 2017), it is important to remember that this pastor was “an innovative bishop for the beginning of the 20th century”, since “he promoted the construction of the road from la Seu to Andorra, restored the cathedral and favored culture and historical research”. Bishop Benlloch, who was born in Valencia on December 29, 1864, was ordained a priest in 1888. Doctor in Theology and Canon Law and Bachelor of Arts, Joan Benlloch was professor at the Valencia Seminary in Humanities and Metaphysics, parish priest de los Santos Juanes and attorney general of the archdiocese. Joan Benlloch, as Mossèn Marquès said in his conference, “later went to Segovia, where he was vicar general and provisor in 1899 and the following year he obtained the canon of cantor.”

On November 16, 1901, he was appointed apostolic administrator of Solsona “and on the following December 16, the Holy See appointed him titular bishop of Hermopolis, receiving episcopal ordination on February 2, 1902, in the church of San Francisco el Grande in Madrid”.

Later, as Mossèn Marquès said in his conference, “in the consistory of December 6, 1906, he was proclaimed bishop of Urgell, taking possession of the diocese on July 11, 1907. He governed this diocese until November 21, 1918 when He was appointed Archbishop of Burgos. Benlloch founded the National Seminar for Foreign Missions in Burgos.

Bishop Benlloch, as Mossèn Benigne Marquès said in his conference, “left a strong mark of his time in the diocese and in the Principality of Andorra”.

As far as the pastoral field is concerned, one of Benlloch’s qualities “was his eloquence and his skills as a good preacher.” And it is that Bishop Joan Benlloch i Vivó, was required to preach the sermons, even outside the diocese. Also, “in Liturgical, Singing and Catechesis Congresses of Catalonia, or in centenaries of religious ephemeris, Bishop Benlloch was invited to preach”. The Bishop of La Seu d’Urgell, as Mossèn Benigne Marquès reports, “published four Pastoral Letters, in an extensive format. The first, on the occasion of the XVI centenary of the edict of Milan (313), signed on March 21, Good Friday, 1913. The second, addressed to the People of Andorra, on the canonical declaration of Our Lady of Meritxell as patron saint of the Principality, signed on July 16, 1914. The third is the Peace of the world and the peace of Christ, on the occasion of the prayers that the pope asked to be made during World War I, signed in Seu d’Urgell on April 9 of 1916. Finally, the fourth pastoral” was written by Dr. Benlloch on the occasion of the “third centenary of the foundation of the Pious Schools, dedicated to glossing the figure of San José de Calasanz, signed at Christmas 1917”.

As Mossèn Marquès says, “the language used in his writings” Bishop Benlloch, “was Spanish, but when he went to Andorra or when he wrote to the Permanent Delegate of Perpignan, he used Catalan. We can also include in this section”, as Mossèn Marquès said in his lecture, “the complete and detailed regulations of the Seminary, which includes a training plan for seminarians, published on August 28, 1910”.

It is also worth noting, with regard to Bishop Benlloch, “his drive in devotion to Our Lady of Meritxell and the Virgin of Núria”. And it is that Bishop Joan Benlloch had realized on his first visit to Andorra, that “the General Council had declared Our Lady of Meritxell, patron saint of Andorra, on October 24, 1873, but strangely enough, the confirmation or canonical declaration of the pope”. Thus, “the bishop made the appropriate arrangements and obtained the rescript of this canonical declaration, given by Pius X on May 13, 1914.” In relation to the Virgin of Núria, patron saint of the diocese, he “instituted a pilgrimage” and also “influenced the creation of the magazine, “L’Estel de Núria”.

With regard to the social sphere, two important events should be remembered, as Mossèn Marquès stated in his conference: “on June 17, 1918, the General Assembly of the Spanish Red Cross awarded it the Great Badge of Honor created by the King ”. Another important fact at the beginning of the 20th century is that Bishop Benlloch “promoted, with his efforts, the completion of the works on our highways. Thus, on April 23, 1914, he blessed Bassella, the stretch of road from Manresa to Bassella”. Also noteworthy is “the steps he took to complete the work on the road from Seu d’Urgell to Puigcerdà, opened in 1915”. Although “the road to which he devoted the most efforts and efforts was the road from Seu d’Urgell to Andorra, up to Les Escaldes”. That is why the “General Council agreed to dedicate a monument” to Bishop Benlloch and co-prince of Andorra and that today we can find in front of the church of Andorra la Vella.

With regard to the cultural sphere, Bishop Benlloch promoted “historical research, art and music”. In addition, Bishop Joan Benlloch entrusted “the prestigious architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch with the restoration of the Cathedral of Santa María” in La Seu d’Urgell. The bishop, a lover of culture, entrusted Mossèn Enric Marfany with “the musical training of the seminarians and the solemnization of music in the cathedral”. In addition, Bishop Benlloch “wrote the lyrics of the Andorran national anthem, to which Mossèn Marfany put the music”.

As Mossèn Benigne Marquès, diocesan archivist and capitulant of the Diocese of Urgell, ended his conference, “these are the main traits and actions of the Bishop of Urgell, Mons. Joan Benlloch i Vivó, who today we have the honor of proclaiming as an illustrious character of our diocese. That is why València, the birthplace of Bishop Benlloch, would have to be twinned with La Seu d’Urgell and Andorra la Vella, since this illustrious Valencian was pastor of the diocese of La Seu d’Urgell and co-prince of Andorra.

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Spiritual exercises with the priests of the diocese of Urgell