Madrid, Blessed Sacrament Community of Sainz de Baranda. On Sunday 6 November 2022 a celebration long desired by me and my fellow brothers and sisters took place. I had even begun to think it was far too long delayed. The occasion being celebrated was about belonging in an official way to the Eymardian Family, as an Aggregate.

It was not a long journey toward this, but it has been intense. Throughout a whole year, together with other brothers and sisters, we followed the course of formation given by Fr Allen Peña and Fr José Antonio Rivera. This was a formation needed on different topics that I thought I already knew, but through this opportunity I was given the chance to deepen and continue in the journey of Faith. Also, I deeply felt that need and opportunity to share my Faith with people around me and with the whole community.

From my personal experience I can say it was difficult to express the feeling of being a member of a family, a family in faith. It is very important to belong to a community, particularly if it is a community of faith. A family welcomes, protects, helps. It provides everything we need, and we greatly need to have this family in the Faith. This is because the Faith not only looks to Jesus, but also seeing from Jesus’ point of view, as Saint Paul tells us in his letter to the Hebrews chapter 12, “fixing our eyes on Jesus”. Likewise, the Gospel of John chapter 1 speaks about the transmission of faith through witnessing.

Our celebration, presided by Fr José Antonio Rivera and concelebrated by Fr Allen Peña, although simple was lived with lots of emotion, at least by me. It took place at 1 pm on Sunday afternoon. After the homily Fr Allen gave us the cross and the certificate of being enrolled as members of the Aggregation of the Blessed Sacrament.

From that time, and filled with enthusiasm, strengthened in knowing we belong to the Eymardian family, we must bear witness to our Faith, to Jesus, with the Eucharist at the centre of our life and our commitment, which must impregnate everything in our life, our activities, our reality. We are guided by the Life Project of the Aggregation.

Doña Mercedes Cabrejas Manchado
Aggregate, Blessed Sacrament Community of Sainz de Baranda