On 6 October 2024, the San Antonio de Benifaió farmhouse (Valencia) hosted a charity luncheon in favour of the Seminary of San Carlos and San Ambrosio in Havana, Cuba. This was organized by the Valencia Delegation of the Constantinian Order of Saint George in order to raise the necessary scholarship funds for young seminarians called to the priesthood who can carry out their studies and training to serve the Gospel and people in need.
The event received an enthusiastic response from local residents who went out of their way to support this effort and which is possible every year thanks to the generosity of the Hon. Antonio Sánchez de León y Cotoner, Knight Grand Cross of Jure Sanguinis of the Constantinian Order. From its beginnings he was the key promoter of this initiative and made available the venue where the different activities of the day take place.
The attendees were received in the gardens of the farmhouse by the Delegate of the Constantinian Order in Valencia, Francisco Javier Fernández Auñón; the Prior of the Delegation, the Rev. José Luis Sánchez García; the host the Hon. Antonio Sánchez de León y Cotoner; and the Secretary of the Delegation, Ignacio Ballester Borrel.
After the reception of guests and the greetings, Mass was said. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the Prior of the Delegation, Father José Luis Sánchez García, accompanied by Father Jorge Olcina Ferrándiz, Lieutenant Colonel in the Chaplain Corps of the Army and Chaplain of the Constantinian Order, and Father Antonio Olbier Hernández, Director of the Migration Office in the Archdiocese of Valencia.
Also present were: the Grand Master of the Constantinian Order, HRH Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria; the Hon. Carlos Abella y de Arístegui, Ambassador of Spain and Counselor of the Royal Deputation of the Governing Council of the Constantinian Order; the Delegate; the Order’s Delegate of Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia, the Hon. Rafael Marcos Pardo, and its Secretary, the Hon.Manuel Augusto Mateos y Rodero; the Hon. Luis Alonso y Stuyck, Baron of Almiserat, Lieutenant Senior Brother of the Royal Cavalry Maestranza of Valencia; the Hon. Salvador María de Lacy y Pérez de Los Cobos, Marquis de Lacy and Delegate of the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta in Valencia; Jorge Sardá Gascón, President of the Valencia Section of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; and the Hon. Juan M. Ferrando Andrés, Secretary of the Royal Brotherhood of the Holy Chalice, of the Valencian Nobility Corps. There were nearly two hundred people who attended this very enjoyable event for a very good cause.
Father Olbier Hernández Carbonell, in his homily, highlighted the importance of love as a couple, caring for the family and all of this always together with God. In that sense, he indicated, “That is why it is so important to educate our children and grandchildren with generosity and altruism, so that there are vocations to priestly and religious life. This brings us together this morning, to care, to accompany, to provide support to vocations in Cuba. We priests need people’s affection, their closeness. Cuba needs priests to accompany these people in the face of so much suffering and desolation. Training in Cuba is tremendously difficult, not only due to economic needs, but also due to political persecution, social degradation and the constant exodus of families. That the Constantinian Order of Saint George has among its priorities, support for the training of future priests is something tremendously praiseworthy.” At the end of the Mass, the Prior of the Delegation thanked the excellent chamber music quartet that performed various musical pieces corresponding to the liturgy of the occasion and concluded his words by calling for prayer for peace and hope for families and for society.
Immediately after the Mass, a connection was made with the Rector of the Seminary of San Carlos and San Ambrosio of Havana, in which he conveyed to the Grand Master and the Delegate of the Order in the Valencian Community his gratitude for this gesture to assist with the need to train seminarians in a complicated time when the Church is persecuted in Cuba and hands are needed to serve the Gospel. The Valencia Delegation thus responds to one of the principal aims of the Constantinian Order: the support of Christian communities in the world, particularly in those places where they are most threatened. All this is in the context of the defense of religious freedom at the international level. The promotion of priestly vocations is, specifically, one of the lines of action most deeply rooted in the Constantinian tradition.
The cocktail hour took place in the gardens of the Masía de San Antonio, where attendees could enjoy the radiant sun that the morning offered to this gathering among friends and acquaintances. All of this was enlivened by the Cuban musical group “Pequeña Habana”. Once the day’s activities were over, the table was blessed and attendees were able to taste a wide variety of Valencian cuisine. His Royal Highness the Grand Master concluded by encouraging everyone to continue working on “this path of collaborations that show the Order’s commitment to the most just and needy causes.” Likewise, he expressed gratitude to everyone for their generosity in their daily efforts, so that the Order is visible and its member grow closer.
At the end of his remarks, His Royal Highness also expressed his gratitude to the Delegate, Francisco Javier Fernández Auñón, for his constant work together with his confrères. He encouraged them to continue working for those who need it most. Likewise, he highlighted the generosity and help of the host and confrère, Antonio Sánchez de León, without whose altruism and generosity it would not have been possible to carry out successfully this initiative and others that are to come. As is customary in these meetings, he raised his glass and made a toast to His Majesty the King of Spain.
At the end of the charity lunch, the Delegate of Valencia, Francisco-Javier Fernández Auñón, expressed thanks to His Royal Highness the Grand Master for his presence at this event, for which from the beginning he has shown a special enthusiasm and involvement. Likewise, he reiterated his gratitude both to those present and those who from a distance have collaborated in a charitable project that needs the support of all. He reiterated, like the Grand Master, his appreciation of the generosity and help of Antonio Sánchez de León.
For numerous photographs of this event, see:
