Núm_35-ANG

(1803 - 1842)

Joan Sala Plana drawing

News Bulletin regarding the Canonization Cause of Venerable LLIBERADA FERRARONS i VIVÉS, Carmelite Tertiary, model of young workers.

OLOT – APRIL 2017 – Núm. 35

1st CENTENARY OF LLIBERADA’S DEATH In the post-war period, without great fanfare, but with extraordinary popular support, in 1942 the 1st Centenary of the death of Lliberada Ferrarons was celebrated in Olot. The idea came from six women devoted to Lliberada. They went to the priest to discuss the possibility of doing something to celebrate the Centenary of the death of the Servant of God. This simple act on a Sunday afternoon in April turned into an event that, as a newspaper in Girona said at the time, only happens every fifty years at most and results only from truly extraordinary motivations.

The narration of this celebration was set out in a pamphlet entitled “The Servant of God Lliberada

Ferrarons y Vivés, maiden worker of Olot. Her life and her virtues exalted on the 1st Centenary of her death”, which was published as a supplement to or extra issue of the Official Ecclesiastical Gazette of Girona.

A special issue of the Official Ecclesiastical Bulletin of the Diocese of Girona which depicts the first Centenary of Lliberada Ferrarons’s death. 1942

This commemoration, as we shall see, was crucial in convincing Bishop Josep Cartañà to decide to open the Ordinary Process for Beatification and Canonisation.

In Olot various different people, Church groups and textile workers were involved. Soon the rector-archpriest Fr. Antoni Butiñà, after receiving permission from the Bishop, set up a commission which immediately coordinated well with the mayor Pere Bretcha.

The Commission, noting that there was little time before 21 June, date of the Centenary, worked 1942. Lliberada Street adorned Photo by M. Vilardell hard to make up the festivity programme and distribute it to all the families and to every worker in Olot. Materials were also sent to other parishes in the Bishopric, to bishops, the religious community, etc. A portrait was commissioned, a photographic reproduction of a drawing of Lliberada, measuring 50 x 40 cm., which people hung from

1942. Balconies adorned with the image of Lliberada Ferrarons.

Photo by Serradell

balconies, windows and storefronts for the duration of the festivities. Other larger pictures by Vicenç Solé Jorba adorned the façade of the parish temple and the conference room of Mas Collellmir; this painting was later hung at the Olot Town Hall.

Five thousand prayer cards and five hundred photograph cards were handed out; religious magazines and the local press, as well as that of Girona and Barcelona, were contacted to publish articles, documents and information. Even most of the civil society adapted its commercial, leisure and other schedules to accommodate the Centenary programme.

1942. The façade of St Esteve’s church with the painting by V. Solé Jorba (1904-1946).

Photo by M. Vilardell

Olot pulled out all stops for the event.

Bishop Josep Cartañà was received by crowds on Saturday afternoon, the eve of the Centenary. The entire town was ready for the celebration, humming with people admiring the decorated streets and participating in the warm reception of the Bishop.

On the next day, 21 June, at 8:00 am, the Bishop presided over a mass with general communion and a full church. Later many people came from outside Olot, from other counties, one of the largest to be mentioned was an expedition organised by Catholic Action of Girona, consisting of more than four hundred people.

Painting by B. Mas Collellmir (1900-1980). Currently exhibited in the plenary room of Olot’s Town Hall together with the city’s other distinguished citizens.

Photo by X. Espelt

At 10:30 am a pontifical mass was celebrated, with religious entities, city representatives and the authorities in attendance.

The Prelate occupied the throne next to the Gospel. The officiant was Dr. Esteve Canadell, Vicar General of the diocese, and the rector Fr. Antoni Butiñà i Pagès preached the homily.

1942. The representatives of various ecclesiastical ranks, civil and social, presiding at the ceremony on the platform designed by the artist Lluís Carbonell and situated on the presbytery of St Esteve’s church.

Photo by M. Vilardell

After the service, the cortege went to the Town Hall, where

the Consistori, in an extraordinary session, named Lliberada Ferrarons the Favourite Daughter of Olot, adding her portrait to the gallery of illustrious citizens.

Crowds in front of St Esteve’s church Photo by M. Vilardell

Procession in front of St Esteve’s church Photo by M. Vilardell, 1942

People participating in the celebrations of the centenary.

Photo by M. Vilardell, 1942

Immediately thereafter, the same cortege passed through the cheering crowds to the street where Lliberada had died, decorated especially for the occasion.

A stone was uncovered commemorating the Centenary and a visit was made to the room where she had spent her final years.

In the afternoon an homage was held at Sant Esteve church in memory of Lliberada, attended by all ecclesiastical and civil representatives and by the people who followed the proceedings inside the church and out, via speakers. The artist Carbonell had directed the hanging of a great catafalque in the presbytery, with a main tribune and four more for each of the different ecclesiastic, civil and social branches. Mayor Bretcha spoke and, at an emotional point in his speech, he said: “All

of you will remember, as I do, the respect with which our grandmothers pronounced the name of Lliberada when, as children on winter evenings before the fire, they would tell us of her selfless life and her virtuous death. They felt the emotion of having lived the exemplary life of that maiden”.

After that, speeches and poetry recitations were alternated with the polyphonic chants of the Popular Orpheum. Special mention should be made of the conference given by Dr. Esteve Canadell I Quintana, a native of Olot who was a professor at the Seminary in Girona, canon and Vicar General. He discussed the virtues and reputation for sainthood of Lliberada and analysed the value of the sources and documents in view of the rules for the Causes of Saints.

The closing act was carried out by Bishop Dr. Cartañà, who distinguished between true saintliness and the declaration of sainthood by the Church; he also exhorted everyone

to help through prayer and by imitating the virtues of the Servant of God. Dr. Calzada, secretary for the evening, finally read a telegram addressed to the Papal Nunzio to Spain under Pope Pius XII, Monsignor Cicognani, informing him of the huge celebration. The final ovation was clamorous.

1942. The authorities on their way to the parish church.

Photo by Vilardell

On the next day, Arriving at the house, where Lliberada died.

Photo by Vilardell, 1942 Monday, the Bishop was accompanied on his visit to Lliberada’s crypt at the cemetery. After being seen off by the authorities, he returned to Girona impressed and appreciative of all that up a memorial plate on the he had seen and done 1942. Putting house, where Lliberada died.

Photo by Vilardell in Olot. Both because of the warm welcome he had received during his trips around the town, sometimes so effusive that it seemed he would come away bruised, as well as the feelings of the devout for their “saint”.

On Friday of that same week, on 26 June, the Commission that organised the Centenary sent the Bishop a report regarding the celebration and a copy of the homage documentation, so that he would have everything necessary to promote Lliberada’s Cause in accordance with the norms of the Sacred Congregation of Rites. Thus, commencement of the Diocesan Process for Beatification and Canonisation was officially requested. A response was not long in coming. In a personal letter to the Archpriest of Olot, Dr. Cartañà, dated 16 July 1942, he wrote: “I have passed on the report and

documents relating to Lliberada Ferrarons to the examiner for his information. The Process or pre-process has been started”.

1942. From left to right: Reverend Antoni Butiñà, Olot’s rector; the mayor of Olot, Pere Bretcha and Monsignor Josep Cartañà, the bishop of Girona Photo by Vilardell

Excerpt from chapter 6 of the book: “Lliberada Ferrarons, una fe sempre jove” (Trans: “Lliberada Ferrarons, a faith forever young”) from Fr. Miquel Àngel Ferrés i Fluvià Barcelona, 2006, Ed. CPL

Father Felip M. Amenós i Bonet, the Carmelite Order (Tàrrega, 1924-2016) Biographical Note Carmelite, Father Felip M. Amenós died on 31 March, 2016 in his home town, Tàrrega.

He was born into a very religious family on 15 July, 1924 in Tàrrega (Province of Lleida, Spain) on the eve of the celebration of God’s Mother of Carme.

On 27 June, 1953, he founded a charitable theatre group BAT (from Catalan Benèfica Agrupació Teatral) together with other theatre enthusiasts and inhabitants of Tàrrega. The years 1953 and 1954 saw him a president of this group, which to this day is an important contributor to the cultural panorama.

Having entertained the idea of getting married for some time, he realised that his true vocation was a Father Felip M. Amenós, the religious one. To start with, he was in favour of choosing Carmelite Order Photo: Comas, 2007 the Jesuit Order; soon, however, influenced and inspired by the life of Saint Thérèse of Jesus the Child, he decided to join the Convent of the Order of Carme in Tàrrega, where he became a novice. On 28 June, 1955 he put on his Carmelite habit in Tàrrega and took his temporary vows on 30 June, 1956. He took his perpetual vows on 1 July, 1959. He read philosophy and theology in Onda (Castelló de la Plana) and Barcelona. Ordained a priest in the church of the Salesian collegium, in the Barcelona’s zone of Horta, on 29 June, 1961, he officiated his first mass in a Santa Maria de l’Alba parish of Tàrrega in the morning of 15 October. The reforms in the Carmelite Order started in the afternoon on the very same day, with the presence of the Head of the Order: Father Kilian Healy.

In the 1960s Father Felip devoted his time to organising campaigns and visiting villages and schools with a view to encouraging young people to discover their religious vocation and introducing them to the Carmelite Order.

He engaged in this significant activity in Terrassa (Province of Barcelona) and Olot (Province of Girona). He was sent to Father Felip during the inauguration of II Centenary of the Birth of Lliberada on 19 April, 2003. Next to him, the latter for a period of 6 years in 1963. Father Jaume Llagostera (vice-postulator) and in front, Reverend Joan Baburés (vice-postulator).

Later, he was appointed a Photo: X. Espelt

Commissary for the Province of Venezuela. He arrived in Caracas on 1 November, 1969. There, in 1971 he became a rector of the parish ‘Our Lady of Monte Carmelo of Rosales’ (Nuestra Señora del Monte Carmelo de Los Rosales), which at the time was in the possession of the church of Carmelite Sisters of 2003. Father Felip in the office of Postulator General for the ‘Madre Candelaria’. In November, Canonisation of the Carmelites in Rome.

Photo: C.S.B. 1974 the parish acquired a building site, the current location of the parish church, which was inaugurated in July 1985.

In March 1986 he moved to Rome in order to complete his education and continue studying Liturgy. He received his degree with honours in the Pontifical Institute of Saint Anselm on 8 July, 1989.

His work was published under the title ‘Prayer in a commentary of Magno Aurelio Casidoro’s psalms’ (‘La oración en el comentario de los salmos de Magno Aurelio Casidoro’) in 1989. It was edited by the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome.

Between 1990 and 1993 he served as a prior for the Carmelite community in Olot, with 1992 being the year during which the first centenary of the restoration of the convent in Olot was celebrated. The very same year, he was appointed a Vice-Postulator in the process of Beatification of Father Bartolomeu M. Xiberta and had an interview with an Archbishop in Barcelona as the first step of the diocesan process.

This was also the time during which a small group of youth, myself included, approached the convent asking for catechesis for adults. It was Father Felip who accompanied and helped us during his residence in Olot.

He talked to us about his stay in Venezuela on numerous occasions. The talks touched upon subjects, such as his arrival there, his struggles to obtain the resources necessary for the construction of a church, the work dynamic of Venezuelan workers, the catechesis, pre-matrimonial classes, etc. They also included the stories of Father Xiberta’s stay in Olot: his missing his mother when he was a young man in the convent and the way Rome, 2003. Studying the documentation the Cause. From left to right: Carme he established himself as a son of the Heavenly ofSerrat, Father Felip M. Amenós, the Carmelite Order and Montse Isamat.

Mother, the Virgin of Carme.

He left Olot in March 1993 to be a parish rector in Santa Joaquima Vedruna in Barcelona for a period of a year and was subsequently sent to Rome so as to establish the process of the beatification of Martyrs in the Carmelite Province in Catalonia during the period of religious persecutions in Spain (years 1936-1939).

In Rome he continued with his studies and in 1996 was appointed a Postulator-General of the Order and as such, in March 1998, he played a part in the opening of the official canonisation process of Father Xiberta, which took place in Palau Episcopal in Barcelona.

As a Postulator-General for Beatification and Canonisation of Saint Carmelites, he paid special attention to the blessed martyrs of 1936 and the venerable Lliberada Ferrarons.

It was also him who urged the appointment of a new Vice-Postulator for the cause of God’s Servant Lliberada Ferrarons: Mn. Joan Baburés, which took place in 2002.

From that moment on a new Vice-Postulator worked closely together with Father Jaume Llagostera, a Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Lliberada himself.

In 2003 he participated in the celebrations of the second centenary of Lliberada’s birth, which was celebrated on 19 and 21 June in Olot.

When a small delegation of the committee went to the Carmelite Generalate in Rome to study all the documentation concerning the venerable Lliberada, he welcomed them like a good father.

Before the publication of Lliberada’s biography: ‘Lliberada Ferrarons, a faith forever young’ written by Mn. Miquel Àngel Ferrés, Father Felip reviewed the book and clarified some of its aspects. The presentation of the book took place in Olot’s Town Hall on 20 April, 2007, and he did not fail to attend.

Father Felip loved Olot and would often come here during the summer months.

We always felt we had a really close relationship with him; he would give us advice and encourage us to further pursue the Cause of Lliberada. He used to tell us about the deeds and miracles of other saints, such as Beata Candelaria de San José de Venezuela.

As a PostulatorGeneral, the post which he held until the end of 2007, he was very efficient and did a lot for the benefit of the Carmelite Order.

The result of his work Presentation of the book “Lliberada Ferrarons, a faith forever young” in Olot’s Town Hall. 20/04/2007 can be easily seen in the From left to right: Reverend Miquel Àngel Ferrés (the author), Monsignor Carles Soler, the bishop of Girona, Lluís Sacrest, the mayor of Olot, Father Felip beatifications of many, M. Amenós (Postulator for the Cause) and Josep Murlà (presenting the book). such as: Maria Crocifissa Photo published in the weekly “La Comarca” nº. 1393, Olot, 26 April, 2007

Curcio (13 November, 2005), Maria Teresa Scrilli (8 October, 2006), Carmelite martyrs in Catalonia ( 28 October, 2007), Candelaria de San José (27 April, 2008), Àngelo Paoli ( 25 April, 2010) and when he no longer held the post: Carmelite martyrs of Bètica and Castella ( 13 October, 2013) and the canonisation of Beat Nuno de Santa Maria Alvarez Pereira ( 26 April, 2009).

In 2009 he returned to the Carmelite province in Catalonia with frail health and was sent to the community of Terrassa. His last months were spent in his home town- Tàrrega, in the residence home El Carme, which was the former convent.

Father Felip died at the age of 91. He had spent 2013 Father Felip in the Carmelite 59 years of his life leading a religious life, 54 of community in Terrassa. which working as a priest. The funeral ceremonies Photo: A. Soler were celebrated on 1 April in the church of Carme in Tàrrega, with many Carmelites and diocesan priests present. The ceremony was presided by Father Manuel Bonilla, the prior of the province. Father Felip was buried in the cemetery in Tàrrega.

Lord, Good Shepherd, has received him in the promised Eternal Life!

And we are all grateful for his hard work for the benefit of Lliberada Ferrarons, his spiritual teachings and friendship.

LLIBERADA FERRARONS, A FAITH FOREVER YOUNG

Miquel Àngel Ferrés i Fluvià This recent biography captures the life and virtues of this young Catalan worker with a present-day language, which gracefully unifies her history with people’s present-day life. The reader is placed in front of the simplicity of the faith of a young woman who lived in poverty and illness. It’s a catechetical book that pretends to capture the essence of Christian spirituality. At the same time, it’s another opportunity to get to know and love someone who many consider a saint.

Liturgical Pastoral Centre. cpl@cpl.es | www.cpl.es 220 pàgines You can find it at: Diocesan Bookstore Casa Carles of Girona, in Plaça del Vi, n. 2 - 17004 Girona Tel. 972 41 28 78 - llibreria@bisbatgirona.cat and in other specialized bookstores

175th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF LLIBERADA FERRARONS I VIVÉS 21 JUNE 1842 - 21 JUNE 2017

This year we are celebrating 175th anniversary of the death of the venerable Lliberada Ferrarons.

In order to keep her memory alive, a letter written by Joan Calvó i Morató on 3 July, 1842, 12 days after her death, is being prepared for publication. Mr Calvó was present during her passing. In the letter to her sister Carme de Molins i Calvó-Morató he provides “The account of her pain and great suffering, precious death and the burial of this great God’s Servant, Lliberada Ferrarons i Vivés, maiden of the village of Olot, who died on 21 June, 1842”, as he states it in the title.

NEWS/ RECEIVED LETTERS (fragments) · Giovanna Brizi, born in Rome in 1967, is a current Postulator-General for the Carmelite Order. She took over from Postulator Giovanni Grosso, who had held this post from 2007 to 2015. She has been collaborating in writing ‘Positiones’ and investigating numerous documents and files at both national and international levels since 1999. She has been a Postulator for various causes of beatifications and canonisations since 2013 and has held her position of Postulator-General since 2015. · With great respect and humbleness I would like to ask you for a donation of a relic belonging to Our Sister, who is making her way to the altars. I am a devout Catholic and I plead for her presence in prayers for her intercession and spreading of her devotion onto all the members of my parish. Oscar Delgado, Costa Rica (July 2015) · I would like to know if it was possible for you to help me obtain Lliberada’s relic. It is for my wife, Núria, who is 50. She has been suffering from various illnesses for the last 34 years and her condition keeps getting worse. Both my daughters and I would be very grateful. At the moment she can’t even walk down the street - she is bearing a heavy burden. I also want to ask you to pray for my mother, Dioni, who is very weak and whom Núria cannot help. Francisco Reverter, Madrid (August 2015). · I would love to receive from your kindness some ‘ex-indumentis’ relics for myself and for all those who are sick and needy. Pray for my vocation! I am a seminarian on the point of finishing my religious studies and entering the priesthood. Pray for me! José Ricardo Barbosa, Brasil (November 2015). · My name is Daniel Garcia. I was born in Granada, Spain. I have been working in the Philippines for over four years now, always trying, as much as I can, to give a testimony of God. From the moment I learnt from her devout follower about Venerable Lliberada Ferrarons, I have entrusted myself to her intercession. Her magnificent religious life and the way she shows the light of God to so many souls never cease to fascinate me. She is a wonderful example of the saviour of souls and love for God; she gave her testimony to the very end and submitted herself entirely to God’s love. The Philippines (December 2015). · I am a candidate for the Order of Augustinian Recollects and I am writing to you from the recollection house Ntra. Sra. del Bon Consell, in Palmira, Tàchira (Venezuela). I am familiar with the life of Venerable Lliberada Ferrarons thanks to my uncle who is her devout follower. I must admit that her life commanded my attention as she decided to bring Jesus to all those she felt needed him. I entrust my vocation and all my pastoral work to her. I can also assure you that the example of her life has helped me to respond to what God was asking of me: today I want to be a religions priest and in this way

strengthen my bond with Christ. The reason I am writing to you is to ask you to send me one or two holy cards with Lliberada’s relic (one for my uncle and one for me), and some material to make her devotion known to people. José Alejandro Molano, Venezuela ( January 2016).

· It was with great joy that I have received the news about the beatification of our Venerable Lliberada. To think how much time has passed made a great impact on me: it is difficult to believe - it’s been 200 years! Jano Dante Jover, Bolivia (January 2016). · I would like to ask you, if it is not too much, for more holy cards and other relics as I have shared the ones that were previously sent with the seriously ill, priests and consecrated sisters. I would like to be able to spread the word about Lliberada’s extraordinary faith here, in Argentina. Maria Paula Cacia (April 2016). · May grace, compassion and peace of Our Father and Jesus Christ, Our Lord be with you! Please, remember my family and myself in your prayers during the Divine Liturgy; pray for my wife (Nashwa Fam), my six-year-old son (Thomas Khalil) and me (Maher Khalil). I would also like to ask you for a relic of the blessed Lliberada Ferrarons or some holy cards with prayers, which have come in contact with her tomb. I am hoping to receive blessing with their help. May Our Lord Jesus Christ and Our Holy Mother Mary bless you and reward you for your kindness. Maher Khalil, Jersey City ( April 2016). · Hello! My name is Óscar Cerdá and I live in Mexico. It is with joy that I have received a holy card and a bulletin about Lliberada today. I will spread the word of her testimony, her total submission to God and her simplicity in my parish… Thank you!!! If this is not a problem, could you send me some more information in next bulletins? I will pray until the day comes when she is proclaimed a Saint, our beloved Venerable Lliberada. Thank you once again and God bless you! Mexico (May 2016). · I am Father Sebastián Genoni, a Catholic priest from Argentina. I am writing to you to ask for a holy card with a third-class relic of Venerable Lliberada Ferrarons. There is a big group of youth in our small parish whom I would like to tell about Our Sister.

Something tangible would help me in this task. Thank you for promoting sainthood in our church! Jesus bless you! Argentina (August 2016). · Dear brothers, thank you ever so much for giving me support with your prayers this year and for the quality of the holy cards and relics that you have sent me. All of those have been shared with priests and the sick, and they have brought many blessings and spiritual help. God bless! I would like to ask you to send me more holy cards and relics, which I would like to take to the sick, especially those in hospitals. María Paula Cacia.

Argentina (December 2016).

· By mail we have received letters requesting information, pictures and relics of the Venerable Lliberada. They came from: From July to December 2015: COSTA RICA (2), ARGENTINA (1), PORTUGAL (1), POLAND (1), BRASIL (3), THE PHILIPPINES (1), INDONESIA (1), BOLIVIA (1), MADRID (1), CORDOBA (1) HOSPITALET DE LLOBREGAT (1) From January to December 2016: COSTA RICA (1), ARGENTINA (3), BRASIL (32), THE PHILIPPINES (4), VENEZUELA (1), COLOMBIA (2), SLOVAKIA(1), CORDOBA (1), THE USA: MIAMI, TEXAS, JERSEY CITY (3), MEXICO (4), MALAYSIA (2), GRANADA (1), HOSPITALET DE LLOBREGAT (1)

Painting by R. Boix Most probably from 19th century

FAVORS RECEIVED BY INTERCESSION OF THE VENERABLE LLIBERADA FERRARONS It’s convenient that those people whom may have entrusted grace in the intercession of Lliberada and have seen fulfilled their wish, report it to the Vice-postulator. For this reason and to give faith that the fame of Holiness of the Servant of God still remains, we would appreciate your contributions which we will post right here. . Dear Brothers, promoters of the Cause of Lliberada’s Beatification, You cannot imagine how happy I am to have finally obtained your email and contacted you with my request.

My name is Maria Ángeles and I live in Granada, the city in the south of Spain. I have three sons: Ramon, Daniel and Fermín, 19, 22 and 27 years old respectively.

More than 8 years ago, Daniel expressed his desire to enter a seminary with a view to being ordained a priest one day. His decision was a bit difficult for me as I expected him to get married and have children, which I think is typical of all mothers. In the end I decided to respect his decision and submit to God’s will.

Now, after all these years my son will be ordained a priest next July and he will be subsequently sent as a missionary to Asia, the continent so different and at times so difficult. It saddens my heart as he will be far away from me; on the other hand, however, it makes me happy to know that, despite being so young, he can be a missionary spreading God’s Living Word there.

Years ago, a bishop in the diocese of Granada introduced my son to the well-known figure of Venerable Lliberada Ferrarons. From then on he has always wanted to emulate her devoutly, especially now that he is leaving for Asia.

I would like to ask you for 3 second-class or third-class holy cards with relic of Lliberada Ferrarons. One of them I would like to give to Daniel as his gift on the day he is ordained a priest, with which I am sure He will be delighted. The other two I would like to give to my other sons so that they are protected too. María Ángeles Prieto Álvarez, Granada (May 2016). . To a kind person who will read this letter, I do not know who will be so kind as to read it, but I am asking for understanding and attention.

As you can tell from my signature, I am Ferrarons and so are my ancestors and the whole family. My great-grandparents, my grandfather Miquel Ferrarons, my grandmother,

his wife Josefa Funosas Ferrarons, their children Joan, Quico and Lluïsa (my uncle and aunt) all lived and died in Olot. I think my grandfather was born in 1807. All of them are buried there too.

My father had to move to Barcelona, where I was born, and because of job, he never came back to Olot. We only visited Olot on holiday when I was little.

Now, all my family is gone. I am 83 years old and I am on my own in this world, accompanied by my ailments and sadness.

To my great surprise, a friend of mine, who had passed through Olot, told me that he had seen a street and a shop with the Ferrarons’ name. There was also a brochure about Venerable Ferrarons. I was enthralled to think that she can be related to my ancestors.

I don’t feel so lonely any more. It is as if I have found a sister or my father’s family. It makes me so very happy to know that there are Ferrarons in Olot.

It seems to me that my ailments and dejection are easing with this news. I feel very happy, as if I wasn’t on my own any more. I have a strange sensation in my heart. Could it be that my grandfather met her once? It makes me so happy to think that it might have been so. Judging by the dates, she can be one of my kindred.

The reason I am writing to you is to ask you for a photograph or a holy card with her image. It is just that I feel I need to have her in my hands.

I would be grateful if you could deal with my request favourably and send me this holy card before I die. It means the world to me right now. She is my beloved maiden.

I am a believer and I feel something I can’t explain.

Many thanks for your attention. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Mercè Ferrarons, Hospitalet de Llobregat (July 2015).

The brooch created and available for sale in 1925

DONATIONS FOR LLIBERADA FERRARONS’ CANONIZATION CAUSE Donations from July 2015 to December 2016: Anonymous donations - 100+50+50+100+50=350€ The sum of donations collected in different churches - 1,445.11€ The Way of the Cross in Sant Francesc - 218.70€ Rosa Surroca- 50€; Esteban Soy Guix - 250€; Irene Serra Falgarona - 300€ PRAYER TO RECEIVE FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT THE CANONIZATION OF THE VENERABLE LLIBERADA FERRARONS Oh, Holy Spirit, comfort and saintness for souls, having brought joy and comfort to Lliberada Ferrarons’s angelical soul, Carmelite Tertiary, with the treasure of your gifts, and she, as a faithful administrator, distributed them to the poor and afflicted, while doing goodness on Earth, please grant her effective intercession for us, sinners, and by means of the wonders performed by your Servant, we shall experience how warm and comforting your love is!

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. (With ecclesiastical approval).

To send your received thankfulness, as well as for sending donations in order to defray the costs of the Canonisation Cause, you may address yourselves to: Vice-postulator: Fr. Joan Baburés i Noguer Cúria Diocesana, Plaça del Vi, 2 - 17004 GIRONA Tel. +34 972 41 27 20 / +34 639 26 92 81 lliberada@lliberada.org Lliberada Ferrarons Cause, Carmelite Fathers Verge del Portal, 10 – 17800 OLOT (GIRONA) - Tel. +34 972 26 05 93 Banc Sabadell: ES25.0081.7025.5500.0108.2412

You can find information on the website: http://www.lliberada.org and on the blog: http://lliberadaferrarons.blogspot.com