Mass at Santa María de Los Negrales on 28 July 2026, the feast day of Saint Pedro Poveda on the anniversary of his martyrdom.
Santa María de Los Negrales, where the remains of the priest and founder of the Teresian Association rest, is situated in the mountains of Madrid, very close to towns in Avila, Toledo and Madrid, where, a few days earlier, several fires of unprecedented magnitude had broken out. These were towns where the fire displaced thousands of people and swept through, charring hectares of land and destroying countless possessions. Other fires were also affecting more distant areas of Spain and France at that time.
This situation was very much on the minds and in the hearts of several hundred people who gathered together on the afternoon of Tuesday 28th to celebrate the feast day. At various points during the Mass, explicit solidarity was expressed with those suffering as a result of the situation and with those involved in helping to resolve it, even at the risk of their own lives.
Reasons for the celebration
Presided over by the auxiliary bishop of Getafe, José María Avendaño Perea, who was accompanied by several concelebrants, the Mass began on a distinctly festive note, as expressed by Manuela Aguilera in the introductory address: ‘Today is a feast day not only for the Teresian Association, but also for the whole Church, because Poveda, as a mediator of the Holy Spirit, gave the Church one of the most beautiful and daring charisms of the early 20th century,’ she said, before going on to outline the reasons for the celebration.
You are salt, you are light
In the liturgy proper to the feast of Saint Pedro Poveda, the reading from the Gospel of Matthew 5:13–16 is proclaimed: ‘You are the salt of the earth.’ ‘Thank you, Lord, for speaking to us so clearly this afternoon,’ said Monsignor Avendaño in his homily, ‘because you tell us what we are, not what we ought to be. You tell us that we are the salt of the earth and that we are the light of the world, and that our light should shine through our good works to give glory to God. Not to ourselves, but to God.’
He went on to add: ‘We have not come only to remember a saint from the past, but to allow ourselves to be enlightened by this disciple of Christ whose life remains deeply relevant today,’ and he reflected on the Lord’s personal call and on the ‘truth of the cross’ that Poveda lived out; for this reason, he did not falter in the face of martyrdom: ‘He had lived as a priest of Jesus Christ and wished to die in the same way.’
The Prayers of the Faithful featured recent reflections by Pope Leo XIV, to which the petitions were added; these were read by TA members in Spanish, English and French, as a further sign of the diverse gathering that comes together at the Santa María de Los Negrales Centre during these summer months; indeed, there were people from four continents amongst those present.
Salt and light were offered alongside the bread and wine during the procession of offerings which was led by two members of the house team and two members from Italy.
Thanksgiving
Before the final blessing, María Rita Martín, vice-president of the TA, expressed her thanks. ‘The celebration cannot end,’ she said, ‘without saying thank you once more!’ She then highlighted some of the current developments that help us recognise that the TA charism is still very much alive. She mentioned the work currently being carried out by the Council for Culture on the future of education, the Youth Meeting in Assisi from 22 to 29 July and other youth gatherings, the conferences organised by the ACIT Federation in Spain, and so on.
At the invitation of the House team, the greetings, celebrations and conversation continued over a drink in the garden.
TA Info.
Published in News