YOU CAN SEE HERE THE ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE ALFA Y OMEGA MAGAZINE

The Archbishop of Madrid, Cardinal Carlos Osoro, inaugurated the Route of Holiness on Wednesday, November 3. A tour of the places where the remains of the eight saints buried in the diocese rest. The route has been designed jointly by the Episcopal Delegation for the Causes of Saints and the Episcopal Youth Delegation, since it is a route open to groups, parishes, movements, but especially to young people.

A las 11:30 horas se recibe al arzobispo en el sepulcro de santa Carmen Sallés, en la que participaron un grupo de niños del colegio, dándole la bienvenida. Don Carlos ha hablado con todo cariño y cercanía a los niños. Ha sido un acto conmovedor cargado de emoción en el que también han tenido cabida las melódicas voces de nuestros coros, el de Primaria, que ha interpretado la canción de nuestra fundadora, y el de ESO y Bachiller, que entonó el himno de nuestro colegio. Carlos Osoro ha tomado la palabra para dirigirse a los pequeños con los que cariñosamente ha charlado en la capilla, acto seguido, en el oratorio recordó a M. Begoña, con quien mantuvo una sólida amistad y ha orado ante la madre fundadora en compañía de la comunidad religiosa.

It has been a very significant act, remembering the places where some of the saints of Madrid are. This testimony encourages us on our path of holiness.

January 26, 2022

Madrilenian tombs

The Holiness Route passes through the tombs of Saint Isidro Labrador and Saint María de la Cabeza, Saint Carmen Sallés, Saint Vicenta María López Vicuña, Saint Soledad Torres Acosta, Saint José María Rubio, Saint Alonso de Orozco and Saint Pedro Poveda.

It also includes the church of the Concepción Real de Calatrava, the Calatravas (Alcalá, 25), in which the memory of all the holy martyrs of the 20th century in Madrid is venerated.

Day 3 will be the first time that the Holiness Route will be officially traveled. The planned program is as follows:

• 10:30 hours. Collegiate Church of San Isidro (Toledo, 37). Presentation of the route by Laura Moreno, Episcopal Youth delegate, and station in front of the tomb of San Isidro.

• 11:30 hours. Religious Missionaries of Teaching Concepcionistas (Princesa, 19). Prayer before the tomb of Saint Carmen Sallés, in which a group of children from the school will participate.

• 12:30 hours. Religious of Mary Immaculate (Fuencarral, 97). Sixth hour prayer before the tomb of Saint Vicenta María López Vicuña.

• 13:30 hours. Servants of Mary Ministers of the Sick (Plaza de Chamberí, 7). Visit to the museum of Santa Soledad Torres Acosta and prayer before her tomb.

• 14:15 hours. San Francisco de Borja Parish (Maldonado, 1). Prayer before the tomb of Saint José María Rubio.

• 16:00 hours. Agustinas Community (Farm, 9). Prayer before the tomb of San Alonso de Orozco.
• 17:15 hours. Santa María de Los Negrales Spirituality Center (San Pedro Poveda, 2, Los Negrales). Celebration of the Eucharist before the tomb of San Pedro Poveda. Presided over by Cardinal Osoro, it will be the Mass of Father Poveda and of the saints and blessed martyrs of the 20th century in Spain.

  

A very current treasure

The Route of Holiness is conceived as a pilgrimage: as on the Camino de Santiago, its objective will be to go to meet a saint. It is, as he explains Laura Moreno, the Episcopal Youth delegate, that the pilgrim approaches holiness through those who are already on the altars and who have lived in the same streets, and see "with what eyes they looked at" their reality.

Thus, the meaning of the journey is the apostolic exhortation Rejoice and rejoice which addresses the call to holiness in today's world, in which Pope Francis assures that "holiness is the path of mission." For this reason, on the route they will also be known in their testimonial dimension of living the Gospel.

"The saints are not a thing of the past", points out in this sense the episcopal delegate for the Cause of Saints, Alberto Fernandez. La Iglesia los reconoce «como modelos e intercesores» para el hombre de hoy y, por tanto, visitarlos es actualizar esa dimensión. En la ruta se hará además desde diferentes prismas, porque los santos incluidos aportan una gran riqueza en diversidad de carismas y de vidas a la historia de la Iglesia en Madrid: hay mártires, esposos, educadores… y variadas congregaciones religiosas que los custodian.

La ruta, un proyecto deseado e impulsado por el propio cardenal Osoro, está llamada a crecer, porque la historia de la Iglesia en Madrid es muy fecunda en frutos de santidad. «Tenemos un tesoro muy grande que estamos obligados a guardar y transmitir», anima el delegado, y recalca que junto a los ocho santos que se visitarán en la ruta, hay además 490 beatos y cerca de 500 mártires enterrados en la diócesis, y muchos procesos de canonización abiertos.