Around 40 people from Andorra, Lleida, Barcelona, Badalona, London, Malaga, Sweden and Singapore attended

On Saturday 8 July we celebrated the traditional “Aplec de sant Josemaria” in Sant Julià de Lòria (Andorra).

At 10 in the morning, Jordi Pérez and Octavi Quintana met in the town of Argolell and in just over an hour they made the climb to Borda del Gastó passing through the Mas d’Alins.

Around 10:30 the married couple Alfons Clavera and Carme Torcuato arrived at Borda del Gastó with all the provisions to make a good appetizer, bringing fruit and drinks: peaches, apricots, plums, Coca-Cola, beer, lemonade, tomatoes, oil, olives and chips; ice cubes, plastic plates and cups, napkins, etc. At the same time, Jordi Piferrer also arrived with the key to La Borda that his friend Carles Álvarez Marfany had given us, and with an excellent selection of sausages that, like every year, another good Andorran friend, Marc Pintat, give us. They accompanied Jordi Piferrer, Floro Ysern (an eminent photographer ready to make a good photographic report) and Philip Groves, who came down from London. Lleida natives Paco Penella and Josep Maria Vila also arrived, ready to collaborate – as always – in whatever is needed. Shortly after, Octavio Rico arrived with the bread, a gift from the Ubach bakery in Organyà.

Around 11:45 a group of about 20 boys arrived who for 5 days have been walking from Pallerols de Rialb, following the Camí d’Andorra that Saint Josemaria did in 1937. The news of this walk you can follow when we publish it within a week.

Little by little other friends were arriving to join this year’s Gathering: the couple resident in Andorra, John (from Sweden) and Catherine (from Singapore).

At 12 o’clock the Andorran couple Joan Lluís Ayala and Anna Campoy also arrived, walking the path that goes up from Sant Julià de Lòria through Fontaneda.

José Juan Crespo and Adolfo Ortega came from Badalona.

From Lleida, Mn. Xavier Pont, who later celebrated mass in the church of Sant Julià de Lòria, Lluís Cots, and Josep Maria Panedès.

At 12 o’clock we prayed the Angelus and immediately began to eat the bread with tomato and the sausages, with the refreshing liquids we had brought up and the fruit; all of which are so necessary to replenish the strength of all walkers.

Around 12:45 we had a small talk with questions and clarifications about the expedition of Saint Josemaria in 1937, and after collecting and leaving the Borda that Carles had so kindly left us, we went down by car to in the church of Sant Julià de Lòria.

At 13:40 Fr Xavier began the celebration of the Eucharist with the proper mass of Saint Josemaria, ending with the veneration of the saint’s relics.

Finally, after thanksgiving and group photos next to the statue of St. Josemaría in the church, we went to lunch in different places: the young people to a McDonald’s in Sant Julià, others went in his house in Andorra and others in the garden of the Hotel Sol-Park where we had just eaten all that was left of the aperitive in the morning.

For the success of the Aplec, we must especially thank the generous contributions of the people of Andorra: Marc Pintat, Carles Àlvarez Marfany, Fr Pepe Chisvert rector of the church of Sant Julià de Lòria, Cristina Ribot who prepared everything necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist, Isidre in charge of the Hotel Sol-Park and the members of the Association of Amics del Camí d’Andorra with its secretary Carme Torcuato who organized everything and treasurer Míriam Monferrer who put the flowers in the church.

Another year, a festive day full of joy commemorating the feast of Saint Josemaria – which was last June 26 – and remembering his passage through the Andorran lands will now be 86 years old.