CARF Foundation

21 March, 20

Life testimonies

Living the feast of St. Joseph in Bidasoa during the coronavirus

It is not easy to live the confinement by coronavirus in an International Seminary with more than one hundred seminarians from different parts of the world. But in the Bidasoa Ecclesiastical College they are managing to comply with the sanitary norms with order and commitment. The seminarian Alberto Josue Cruz Garcia tells CARF how they have lived the feast of St. Joseph in Bidasoa during the coronavirus. 

Saint Joseph, great protector

The celebration of St. Joseph in many parts of the world this year has been different. As we know, we are going through times of crisis worldwide as a result of Covid-19.

And this could, on the one hand, be a reason for despair and discouragementon the other hand, a motive that encourages hope and desires for conversionto a greater concern for others. In short, a closer approach to God. In spite of everything, the feast of St. Joseph in Bidasoa in the time of coronavirus was joyful and fraternal. 

Patron saint of seminarians 

St. Joseph is the protector of Jesus and Mary, patron of the universal Church and, in a special way, of the seminaries. Many seminarists have had to celebrate their patron saint from their homes, spiritually united to their companions, spiritual directors and formators through social networks, online masses, etc.

And Bidasoa, as an international seminary, how did you experience the Solemnity of St. Joseph?

Well, we tried to give a special touch to this celebration and, although we had to change our plans, we kept the enthusiasm, because it is not about stagnating but always going forward, as our great friend Don Juan Antonio Gil Tamayo would say, to go "for it".

San José sleeping, made by the students of Bidasoa.

San José sleeping, made by the students of Bidasoa.

Overcoming my fears 

The day before, on March 18, we celebrated it with a meditation presided over by Daniel Cenalmor, who read the text of Luke 1:18-21 and commented on three points of a meditation guide prepared by two of the senior seminarians:

  • Do I know how to overcome my fears and abandon myself completely to God's plan for me?
  • Do I respond generously to God's call to me, following the example of St. Joseph?
  • St. Joseph is the faithful custodian of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Do I follow his example to be the custodian of those whom the Lord has placed in my life?

After the meditation, we prayed a prayer and sang songs in front of a beautiful picture of St. Joseph, the patron saint of seminarians. In order not to crowd all of us, we were placed in separate groups and some of us followed the ceremony from the auditorium, as it was transmitted by Bidasoa's Facebook Live.

Mass and adoration in turns

On St. Joseph's Day, we celebrated Holy Mass in formation groups, some early in the morning and others at noon. During the morning we organized different sports in small groups (soccer, basketball, volleyball, etc.) and after lunch, we presented the prizes for the photography contest and a musical gathering.

Two weeks earlier we had convened a photo contest, where the participating students could present their photos taken with their cell phones. The category was free; the only condition was that they were made of experiences of Bidasoa, and that they added a title and a description of the photos.

There were mind-blowing photographs and some of the captions and descriptions, were very meaningful. For example, that of the winning photo: "Stat Crux dum volvitur orbis."  (The Cross stands firm while the world turns. "Looking at the world from the Cross is what makes the Christian have a different vision of life and all that surrounds him".

Exposition to the Blessed Sacrament 

At 4:00 p.m. the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament began and was present until 8:00 p.m., so that we could pray in turn and place at the feet of the Lord the needs of the Church and of all humanity, asking for the cessation of this pandemic and remembering in a special way those most vulnerable people.

We pray above all for each of our countries, not always so developed and with enormous inequalities. Jesus is the Physician of bodies and souls; we can turn to no one else, for He alone has the words of eternal life (cf. Jn 6:68).

United with the Pope in praying the Holy Rosary 

In the evening, at 9 p.m., we joined the Pope in praying the holy rosary. This time we did it in a more solemn way than usual since we also pray it in several languages (English, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Portuguese) and was transmitted by the project "A Church on the Way Out", an initiative evangelization on social networks carried out by a group of seminarists of Bidasoa. 

Certainly this is a special time, a time of grace A good companion for this is St. Joseph, who can teach us so much, beginning with his silence, his industriousness and his obedience in the face of questions that are difficult to understand, such as the one we are all going through.

It is a particular Lent that prepares us for Easter, the center of our Christian life.

Let us trust in the Lord 

I am writing this review especially for our benefactors so that they also know that we commend them and thank them for their prayers and all the support given to our formation and that of so many other seminarians and priests.

Let us trust in the Lord that all this will be for the best, that he will bring out the best in us, our solidarity, our empathy and our active concern for others. May St. Joseph help us to have faith and supernatural vision in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And in the face of all the vicissitudes of life, may we also remember that the Church is all of us, and that this mystical body of Christ is not dead, but alive, that we are all united by faith and love, and now it is time to take the necessary precautions and health measures. All difficulties should be overcome with joy and with the same faith and courage of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph, great Protector, pray for us.

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