The group from Slovenia at the Saint Raphael Cabin
Fr. Feliu Torra, a priest of Opus Dei, from Sabadell, but who has been in Slovenia for years, went to Pallerols accompanying some young people from that country. He summarizes his stay for us with this writing.
During our visit to Catalonia, three students and two priests wanted to follow in a special way the footsteps of Saint Josemaría. A key moment in his life and in the growth of the Work was precisely that of great inner anguish, when, fleeing the scourge of the civil war, he found refuge in a small church in Pallerols.
Ramon, who received us, helped us to experience that place deeply. Their explanations and the excellently restored and preserved interior of the refuge allowed us to enter into the anguish suffered by the Spanish man of that time and into the interior drama experienced by Saint Josemaría, from which a golden flower of confirmation in grace sprouted for him, which continues to transform the world today.
The turbulence of those times was even more palpable to us during the lively and intense journey to a small charcoal burners’ hut in the forest, where the group spent a few days in very precarious conditions.
The group from Slovenia at the Saint Raphael Cabin
We were particularly moved by the story of how, even in that humble dwelling, they placed an image of the Virgin Mary in a prominent place, and with what seriousness they cared for their interior life in those circumstances. We tried to imitate them and, there – surrounded by the singing of birds and the buzzing of insects – we had the grace to participate in the celebration of Holy Mass.
During the celebration of the Eucharist in the Saint Raphael Cabin
During the celebration of the Eucharist in the Saint Raphael Cabin
We are grateful to Saint Josemaría and the group of his friends for their example of courage and faith, grateful to the guide and the organization that ensures that the experience is unforgettable, and grateful also to the Virgin, who also allows us to find roses that strengthen us in the decision to give our lives to God and others.
Med našim obiskom Katalonije smo trije študentje in dva duhovnika želeli na poseben način stopiti po poti sv. Jožefmarija. Ključen trenutek je bil za njegovo življenjsko pot in za rast Dela prav trenutek velike notranje stiske, ko je v begu pred bratomorno vihro državljanske vojne svoje zatočišče našel ob mali cerkvi v Pallerols.
Ramon, ki nas je sprejel, nam je pomagal, da smo lahko za prostor močno doživeli. Njegove razlage in odlično obnovljena in ohranjena notranjost zatočišča, so nam pomagale, da smo vstopili v stisko, ki jo je takrat trpel španski človek in notranjo dramo, ki jo je doživljal sv. Jožefmarija in iz katere je zanj zrasel zlati cvet milostne potrditve, ki se danes spreminja svet.
Turbulentnost takratnih časov nam je približala živahna vožnja do skromne votline, kjer je skupina takrat v zelo ubogih razmerah preživela nekaj dni. V srce nam je segla zgodba o tem, kako so tudi v tem ubogem bivališču na pomembno mesto postavili podobico Presvete Device in s kakšno resnostjo so tudi v teh razmerah skrbeli za svoje notranje življenje. Poskušali smo jih posnemati in bili tam – med petjem ptic in brnenjem mrčesa – deležni daritve svete mase.
Hvaležni smo sv. Jožefmariju in skupini njegovih prijateljev za zgled poguma in vere, hvaležni vodiču in organizaciji, ki skrbi, da je doživetje nepozabno, hvaležni pa tudi Devici, ki tudi nam daje najti vrtnice, s katerimi nas utrjuje v odločitvi, da svoje življenje porabimo za Boga in za drugega.