This Easter, between 13 and 15 April, a group of sisters of the younger generations (GMJ), together with Sister Maria Antònia Gilibets, made the Route of Exile. We were a group of 17 sisters from the three zones of the Vedruna Province of Europe, two of them juniors, and a sister juniora from the province of Japan, who is finishing a stage of formation in Madrid.
This exile was the last of the three that Joaquina lived , together with 14 sisters, between July 3, 1840 and September 16, 1843, in the context of the first Carlist war. Years of pain, of war, of flight and persecution, of uncertainty and loneliness, of needs and hardships, but also of faith and trust, of calls and challenges, of community and mutual support, of mission, dedication and solidarity.
The experience of following in the footsteps of Joaquina and those sisters, from Berga to Perpignan, and back to Vic passing through Béziers, has been for us very emotional and profound.
In addition to what it means to make this journey trying to connect with the experience that these women made in those years and that so many of our brothers and sisters make every day, today, in so many places in the world, for us it had an added meaning of pain and mourning.
The Route began after the loss of our sister Imma Bonada, who left us, prematurely and unexpectedly, on Tuesday, April 8, and whom we bid farewell, some from the memory and affection in the distance, and many of us in person, on Friday, April 11, in Granollers, together with her family and community.
She had also been the one who, together with sister Maria Antònia, had prepared this Route, with great enthusiasm and affection. As a way of accompanying us in the pain for her loss and as a tribute to her and thanksgiving for her life, it was decided to continue with the program, as she, surely, would have wanted.
That group of sisters who were forced to flee from the old Hospital of Berga, who had to walk for days crossing hard and uncertain roads, asking for help and lodging, with not always good reception, going hungry, thirsty and all kinds of hardships, also suffered, in the time of exile, the loss of three sisters of the group, at least two of them very young.
So past and present, congregational and personal history, led us hand in hand during these days through the sacred places and the most significant milestones of this stage in the history of our family, somber and luminous in equal parts.
We started our way, like them, in Berga, stepping on the same staircase that saw them leave and that still retains something of that time, although today the building that was then the hospital houses the premises of a police station.
On the way ahead, in La Pobla de Lillet, we go to the street and house where it seems that the group was able to rest for a few days, a fact that is attested by a small niche with the image of Joaquina.
There we set out on foot on a stretch of the road that took us to El Clot del Moro, crossing a wonderful natural landscape. For us it was a walk: beauty, fresh air and calm for the senses and the soul; but we did not stop trying to imagine what could have been that other road, 185 years ago… and the one that today so many brothers and sisters continue to travel, on foot, in a boat, or in a plane with a one-way ticket…
Those words of encouragement to the sisters that our foundress is believed to have spoken at the worst of the hard road resounded strongly in our memory:
Lift up the stones and have faith!
After crossing the Pyrenees, one more stop: Prada de Conflent, a place where Spanish religious, also exiled, took them in for a few days to rest, regain strength and be able to continue.
The final destination, for them and for us, was the French city of Perpignan, where Joaquina and the sisters were finally able to move into an apartment. There they could live as religious, work for a living and carry out their apostolate, at the service of the Church and the most needy people.
More places of memory: the cathedral, the church of Santa Maria la Real (where the funerals of the sisters who died during the time of exile took place), the street where the sisters lived and where today the migrant and vulnerable population is still concentrated.
Before returning to Vic, as Mother did, we passed through Béziers, a town 90 km further north. There lived Agnes, daughter of Joaquina, who was very sad to say goodbye to her own daughter on her way to a convent in Paris, and asked her mother to visit her before returning to Barcelona, once her exile was over.
In Béziers we set foot on the street where Inés and her family lived from their work as milliners and… surprise to close our Route! We found a new clue to continue investigating because we discovered in that street a hat shop open since 1908, the only one known in this location, as we were told by its current owners. What if its origin was that hat shop of Joaquina’s descendants?
End of our itinerary: Vic, where everything begins and ends for us.
These have been days of family, of encounter, of memory and remembrance, of prayer, of shared emotions, tears and laughter, of experiences that strengthen us as a group and encourage our sense of belonging.
These have been days of returning to the roots that support and nourish the body of this congregational tree, whose branches continue to grow, entangling sisters, lay men and women, and bearing fruits of life in many places of our world map, making Joaquina’s wish come true:
I feel my arms lengthen…
The anecdotes and jokes are left for the group. Some expressions, words, objects or elements of the landscape have acquired new meanings for us and wherever we are they will remind us of this experience and bring a smile to our faces.
The list of acknowledgements is long…
Thank you!
First of all, to the Vedruna Province of Europe, which welcomed, facilitated and collaborated so that the proposal of this GMJ group could be carried out.
To the communities of Vic, both Manso and “Casa Mare”, for their love, welcome and care.
To the community of Berga, the first milestone on our journey, which at the foot of the Sanctuary of Queralt, could not have offered us a better welcome: the table laid out and provisions for the journey, which we began after celebrating with them, in their parish, the Eucharist that opened Holy Week.
To the Carmelite Missionary Sisters and staff of the Chateau Du Parc Ducup, who facilitated our stay in Perpignan.
To Enric, our patient and helpful driver.
And finally…
To our dear Imma, who accompanies us from the other side of Life and left us this gift as a legacy.
To Maria Antònia Gilibets, our exceptional guide on this Route, and to all the sisters who throughout our congregational history (now almost two hundred years old) have dedicated time and effort, making it a mission, to the task of investigating, collecting and transmitting, with enthusiasm and wisdom, the history of our family, which is a gift, a legacy received, a responsibility and a commitment for all of us who feel we are members of it.
We know, from sad experience, that without memory we cease to be ourselves…
Elena Blanco, CCV
Younger Generations Group
