Compostela receives new Provincial

After consultation with all the Brothers of the Province of Compostela, Brother Tomás Briongos Rica will take up the post as the new provincial on March 20 for a three-year term. 

Br António Leal had been appointed as the new provincial in October, but for health reasons he was not able to take up his post and submitted his resignation. 

“Both Br António and myself have reached the conclusion that he needs more time and a relatively calm rhythm of life to facilitate his full recover,” said superior general Brother Emili Turú in his letter to the province dated Feb. 12. 

Br Emili went on to thank the current provincial, Brother Oscar Martín Vicario, for prolonging his term in what he called “a not so easy situation of transition.” 

Br Tomás was born the smallest of five siblings on 23 Dec. 1967 in Peñalba de Castro, in Spain’s province of Burgos.

He entered the juniorate in Miraflores in Sept. 1981 and after three years of studying, he began his novitiate in Sept. 1984.

He made his first religious profession in Salamanca on 13 July 1986 and his final profession in Salamanca on 19 Sept. 1993.

Br Tomás studied magisterium in Salamanca and Segovia and completed his degree in chemistry in Valladolid in 1998. 

He then worked in the Cultural Centre of Valladolid, Colegio Castilla in Palencia, where he animated youth groups like Grupo Scout Pisuerga of Valladolid and Grupos MarCha of Palencia.

He worked on animation within schools and the SED NGO within the provincial teams from 2001 to 2004.

That year, he was assigned to the Marist community of Ponferrada to work for Caritas on a programme for children called Urogallo.

In 2009 he became director of the school 'Colegio Mayor Gelmírez' of Santiago de Compostela and in 2013 was sent to the School of the Immaculate in Valladolid where he has served as director until now.

He was elected as provincial councillor in 2010 and served as vice provincial since 2013.