Spain. The Institute of Religious Life of Madrid, affiliated to the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical University of Salamanca (UPSA) and ruled by the Claretian Missionaries, inaugurated its academic school year on October 3.
The act was presided by the Franciscan Jesús Sanz, bishop of Jaca-Huesca and President of the Episcopal Commission for Consecrated Life. Sanz, a former student of the centre, presided the Eucharist together with the Claretian Missionary Jorge Iván Castaño, Auxiliary Bishop of Medellín (Colombia). In his words the bishop of Huesca encouraged the congregation to do theological deepening and to a joyful living out their vocation.
Also present in the inaugural act were the management team of the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER), together with representatives of CONFER Madrid and CONFER Centre; the Director of the Institute of Consecrated Life in Asia –with see in Manila-, and various superiors general and provincial superiors.
The inaugural lecture, centred on Jesus Christ as Word of God, was pronounced by Professor Bonifacio Fernández, cmf. Others also took part: the director of the Institute, a Claretian religious, and the vice-dean of the Faculty of Theology of the UPSA, the Trinitarian religious José María de Miguel, whose intervention on the joy of the University of the Spanish Bishops for “having in the heart of the Church, pilgrim in Spain, an institute dedicated to the consecrated life, which is in the heart of the Church” was especially applauded and commented.
