Bocairent is wearing the best clothes today to give a warm and generous welcome to the nine barefoot Carmelites who will live in the local monastery after 20 years of being empty. and orphan of the contemplative life. The new “residents” of the convent of Bocairentí come from the monastery of Piedrahita (Ávila).
From there they left at seven in the morning to arrive at half past six in the afternoon to the town of Vall d’Albaida through the bridge of Sant Blai. in two vans, between the bursts of joy and the applause of the assembled people, accompanied by the constant ringing of bells.
They are First stop is the Sacred Heart nursing home, whose steps hundreds of neighbors are waiting and, in the front line, a large group of priests from the archpriest, with mayors and councilors from Bocairent, Agres, Banyeres, Alfafara, Beneixama, Camp de Mirra or Yecla and representatives of confraternities, ” morocristian files” and other local associations. The band played “February”, as if it were a patron saint’s holiday.
In fact, everyone gathered immediately sang an emotional song of Sant Blai, patron of the town. The nuns visited the elderly in the residence with the local priest, Vicent Femenía, before marching in a procession, to the rhythm of dolçaina and tablets with the Bocairent groups and their respective flags, to the church, where the Te Deum was sung.
Many neighbors approached the nuns (six from the Valencian Community and three from Murcia) to greet them and they responded with a show of affection, obviously touched and grateful for the great welcome.
The mayor of Bocairent, Xavier Molina, pointed out that today is a “special day of collective happiness” and addressed the nuns to convey the gratitude of the people. “When you arrive, a new chapter is being built on the stage of a monastery that has been with Bocairent since the 16th century.he explained, remembering the complicated moments the town experienced when the convent, which was later acquired by the parish with great effort, was closed in 2004.
Tireless work
The mayor thanked the tireless work of those who in recent weeks have dedicated themselves to preparing the monastery and making sure that everything is ready. “From now on we want you to feel that you are from Bocairentina, in the name of the municipality we welcome you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” he asked the Carmelites.
During the ceremony in the church, the parish priest Vicent Femenia also made a speech plague that led to the dissolution of the Augustinian community twenty years ago to emphasize the constant attempts made by the parish community since then so that contemplative life returns to the town and the archpriest after achieving – with great effort – the survival of the monastery.
“After many efforts our prayers were heard. It was God’s providence that, at the most unexpected moment, placed the Carmelites on our way to surprise. A gift from God that gives a long-awaited answer to our prayers,” added the priest.
Weight of Piedrahita
The town of Avila in Piedrahíta, on the other hand, regretted saying goodbye in the morning to the nuns who make up the community of the Misericordioso Amor y la Madre de Dios monastery, from the 10th century, which is now for sale. The president of the cultural association “Alma Máter Arte y Cultura”, Ester Bueno, who in August asked the Junta de Castilla y León to declare this property as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), regretted the abandonment of the nuns, that at 7 o’clock in the morning they began the journey to Valencia to begin a new phase of their monastic life.
