This took place on Saturday 14th June in the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Consolation in the General Curia of the Augustinian Recollects where the mortal remains of Fr. Jenaro had been brought the day before. This priest and religious who died in a motor cycle accident in 1972, had lived for 14 years in the Order’s General Curia in Rome.
A Way to follow
In his homily the Cardinal reflected on the call and mission of the Apostles to emphasize at the start of the beatification process that the example of Fr. Jenaro is put forward as an example of life. “ We have need of figures capable of indicating to us the way to go, who show us how to live the Christian life. We have no need of theories of abstract questions but examples of life….Benedict in his encyclical on Hope puts forward the life of saints as sources of hope. Saints are like lights that show the way for the boat to cross the sea of life…..Opening the beatification process of Fr. Jenaro shows us the way we are to follow.”
Cardenal Re mentioned that Jenaro had lived in this house 36 years ago and had died in a traffic accident. He reminded us that he had been born in Sapin, into a very devout family, that gave the Church two Augustinian Recollect priests and a diocesan priest. He spent most of his life in Italy’s capital where he exercised an important role in the Second Vatican Council. “Three aspects of his life impress me the Cardenal said: firstly his love of the Church, he deeply loved the Church and had great affection and devotion to the Pope. Also his willingness to do God’s will. He felt safe in God’s hands, accepting his will through what the superiors asked of him and through the circumstances of life. The third aspect that comes across with great force when we look at him is the great love he had for God and his neighbour.”
Way to follow
The Prefect of the Congregation of bishops recalled that Jenaro “was a simple, intelligent and dedicated religious, very generous in offering himself for diverse pastoral and cultural initiatives or in service to the Order. Fr. Fernandez had a great love of God which led him to a great love of neighbour. No one can love God if you do not love neighbour, and this was the reason Fr. Jenaro loved his neighbour so much because he had a great love of God. This beautiful example of religious life will become clearer in a deeper measure as we journey along the road towards beatification. The lesson we can learn from Jenaro as a synthesis of his life is that he had these two loves and if you don’t have these two loves in your heart then you cannot be a good Christian.”
Before the end of the celebration The General thanked Cardenal Giovanni Battista Re for his fondness towards the Order of Augustinian Recollects. A simple celebration
Concelebrating with Cardenal Giovanni Battista Re were Javier Guerra Ayala, Prior General of the Order together with religious from the community of the General Curia, the prior provincial of Saint Thomas of Villanova Province, Fr. Miguel Ángel Hernández, and Fr. Jesús Berdonces and a group of Augustinian Recollects from San Ildefonso and the parish of Our Lady of Consolation. Nephews of Fr. Jenaro who came from Spain and Argentina were also there with members of the third order, some witnesses who know Fr. Jenaro and some of the faithful who come to our chapel for Mass.
Thank you and a gift
After Mass Cardinal Re went to the tomb where the mortal remains of Fr. Jenaro rest and blessed it. Before the end of the celebration The General thanked Cardenal Giovanni Battista Re for his fondness towards the Order of Augustinian Recollects, shown in so many occasions and for his kindness in presiding at this Mass. The General also thanked all those present for their participation and invited them to share the common joy and an aperitif with the community. Those present also received the latest book in the Collection Cuadernos de la Recoleccion “ Fr. Jenaro. Se non sono santo, pero cosa voglio la vita?”, written by Fr. Angel Martinez Cuesta and published in Italian.