Two ex-students from the Cristo Rey de A Coruña Marist College, together in Rome

On the 16th June, Mr Francisco Vázquez y Vázquez, Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See, made a private visit to the General House. The visit was a sign of friendship and gratitude towards Brother Luis García Sobrado, Vicar General, who had invited him. Both are Galician in origin and were at school together in the Cristo Rey de A Coruña Marist College.

The visit was held in a climate of cordiality and fraternity. ?I come as a student,? he said on the other end of the phone when the details for the visit were being finalised. In the quick tour of the house given to him on his arrival, we must highlight the visit to the chapel dedicated to Saint Marcellin which the brothers of the General Council usually use, where he was particularly interested in the explanations offered by Brother Luis García Sobrado about the altar, the reliquary, the statute of the Good Mother and the stained glass windows.

At the end of the visit to various parts of the house, the Ambassador greeted the brothers of the General House in the ?sala blu? where, through a powerpoint display, several flashes of Mr Vázquez?s activities as a student in the Marist school were shown, as well as some of his achievements during his time as Mayor of the city of A Coruña. After the presentation everyone enjoyed a drink in honour of the Ambassador during which time Brother Luis García Sobrado said some brief words of greeting and gratitude, concluding with the statement ?This is your house!? The Ambassador responded to this by saying, ?For a former student, to be with the brothers is to be at home.?

The visit concluded with a meal during which the Ambassador was able to talk with the brothers of the General Council who passed on their best wishes to him in his work as Ambassador to the Holy See.