The Order of Preachers in Spain celebrated December 22, the closing of the Jubilee of the VIII centenary of the death of its founder, Saint Dominic of Guzman.
He did it with a Eucharist presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to Spain, Msgr. Bernardito Auza, in the Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Philippines, in Madrid. Br. César Valero, vicar in Spain of the Holy Rosary Province, and Br. Jesús Díaz Sariego, prior of the Hispania Province, accompanied the representative of His Holiness.
The celebration, which has been broadcast live on the Dominicans' YouTube channel, was attended by members of all branches of the Dominican Family: nuns, friars, sisters, laity, young people and members of priestly fraternities.
In his homily, Bishop Bernardito Auza acknowledged attending with "deep joy" to close the Dominican year for the dies natalis, for the day of the birth to heaven, of Saint Dominic of Guzman. He explained the relevance of the Saint in the history of Catholicism: "His whole life was a luminous star in the midst of the Church, he was truly the light of the world. He was, not only because of his wisdom and his goodness or because of the works he did, but because of the gift he received from the Mother of God."
Auza pointed out that the Pope, in his letter to Br. Gerard Timoner, Master General of the Order, on May 24, joined the thanksgiving and prayer of the entire Order in the Jubilee for the VIII Centenary "asking the Lord and thanking him for the work practiced by the Dominicans stimulating the encounter between faith and reason, nourishing the vitality of the Christian faith and promoting the Church's mission to draw minds and hearts to Christ, our Lord."
The Nuncio answered the question What memory would we like of this jubilee year?: "A memory that stimulates and encourages us and leaves us in the reality of our life, like Advent. An Advent full of hope shared in the love of God."
The Schola Antiqua choir, directed by Juan Carlos Asensio, has been in charge of the liturgical songs. They have interpreted the one of the Mass of St. Dominic, which they have extracted from a book with all the Dominican liturgy that was made in the thirteenth century, and of which there is a copy in the Convent of St. Stephen in Salamanca. Asensio explained that this is an exceptional occasion for them: "We are a special choir, formed by former choirs of the Escolania de El Valle de los Caidos who, in addition to concerts, participate many times in the liturgy, and being involved in the liturgy that supposes the closing of this eighth centenary of the death of Saint Dominic, for us it is very special."
