The Convent Monastery of San Antonio and San Julián has once again been the beautiful setting for the the 58th anniversary of the Foundation of the “Institute Id of Christ the Redeemer – Identes missionaries”. Friends of the Idente Family, of the Idente Youth and idente missionaries of Madrid, attended the event, in the atmosphere of joy and cheerfulness created by the children, young people and adults, as a true family.
It began with the celebration of the Eucharist, during which a moving letter from the President of the Institute Id, Fr. Jesús Fernández Hernández, was read. This letter was also read in each of the Eucharists celebrated worldwide on the occasion of this 58th anniversary. It started with references to Fernando Rielo Pardal, founder of the Institute Id:
“The first precept of generosity,” says our father Founder, Fernando Rielo, “is the absolute detachment of what is not He. He has called us precisely so that what we have of generosity in ourselves, in whatever degree, can reach the highest perfection, making Him the object of our life in the form that He wants it to be; and in religious terms, this means a most eminent degree.”
In the atmosphere of warmth and gratefulness that followed the Eucharistic celebration, the attendants prepared to share the food that each had brought, in the surroundings of the monastery. In addition, the missionaries who run the monastery offered a guided tour, as the monastery is a tourist attraction in the area (the building dates back to the 12th century and was inhabited for many years by Franciscan brothers).
As is characteristic of the Idente missionaries, an artistic athenaeum was held, in which the artistic skills of those who wished to entertain the audience were made manifest in the manner of an offering. There was poetry, music, dance and some humor. And as a closing, it is tradition to read a poem by Fernando Rielo.