Golden Jubilee of Brothers Gaudencio González and Juan Arconada
The communities of the General House celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the profession of Brothers Gaudencio González and Juan Arconada, remembering their professions that were made at Avellanas and Pontós. The celebration gathered all the brothers around the altar, sharing their joy and their gratitude for the fidelity of God towards these two confrères.
At the Gloria of the Mass, Brother Gaudencio spoke of his gratitude: ?Fifty years for us to rejoice, fifty years to celebrate your goodness, fifty years to celebrate your love and fidelity? Thank you Lord! Thank you for my parents and my brothers, for their faith and their hope, thank you for their generosity! Thank you for my companions who preceded me in Marist life and who always encouraged me! Thank you for Mary and Marcellin, who accompanied my first steps in my formation! Thank you for so many persons who have crossed my path and who have helped me to grow and mature! Thank you for the communities who have assured me of a loving home! Thank you to those who are accompanying me in this celebration!?
Brother Juan?s gratitude was expressed in unity with his brothers: ?I praise you Lord and I give you thanks for the great love with which you have loved me and that you continue to show me. I give thanks Lord for your fidelity throughout these fifty years. You have been patient, merciful, understanding and you have had confidence in me, despite my limits and my faults. I thank you for your goodness, shown in my brothers, my parents, my friends and so many people who have been by my side throughout my life and who have kept me close to You. Bless them, Lord! Thank you, Lord!?
At the end of the Mass, Brother Onorino Rota, Superior of the community, gave them a precious icon of the Holy Family to symbolise the affection and the gratitude of all the brothers for the gift of their lives.
Brother Seán Sammon, Superior General, also shared a few words on behalf of the General Council: ?Nowadays, to remain faithful for fifty years is a rare event in many cultures. We are thus doubly blessed today as Gaudencio and Juan celebrate this anniversary.
However, what we celebrate this afternoon, is not the time or the perseverance of these two confrères, or the fact that they have arrived at this moment of their life in full possession of their faculties, full of hope and full of energy. What we are truly celebrating today is the proof of the fidelity of God in the life of each of them. A God to whom they consecrated themselves in poverty, chastity and obedience a half century ago, a God who has accompanied them through the highs and lows of life.
Each one of them, according to his personal style, is a special gift for our community; Gaudencio with his attention to details, his creativity, his tact for celebrations or his quite simple fraternity; Juan with his talent as an organiser, his economic sense and gift for planning, his smile, optimism and spontaneous jokes. Both of them work a great deal, taking part in the life of our community and giving us an example through their lives and their talents. We are thus abundantly pampered!?