| CURIA GENERALIZIA MARIANISTI Death Notice No. 4 (To all Unit Administrations): The Province of Madrid, recommends to our fraternal prayers our dear brother, FLORENCIO MURUA SALTERAIN, priest, who died in the service of the Blessed Virgin Mary on February 6, 2006 in Madrid, Spain, in the 94th year of his age and the 77th year of his religious profession. Florencio Murua, was born on January 13, 1913 in Arrázola (Vizcaya). At the age of ten he entered the postulate at Escoriaza (Guipúzcoa). In 1928 he began the novitiate. Florencio professed his first religious vows on September 5, 1929. On August 15, 1935 he made his final commitment in the Society of Mary with the profession of perpetual vows. He was ordained to the priesthood in Fribourg in 1943. He has lived a long and fruitful religious life. He is one of those persons who, as St. Paul said, “fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the Faith.” (2Tm 4:7) For most of his years he labored as a teacher and chaplain in various works throughout Spain: El Pilar (Madrid), Ciudad Real, Valladolid, Segovia, La Parra (Novitiate), Jerez, and Carabanchel. His willingness to be of service to the missions allowed him to spend 25 years proclaiming the Gospel outside of his country. He spent: three years in Tangiers, 9 years in Japan and a total of 13 years in Chile over two different assignments. He went to Japan with the task a helping to establish a foundation of Marianist religious sisters. The local bishop had demanded that the sisters come with someone who could look after their spiritual needs as chaplain. The General Administration of the SM assigned Fr. Florencio, who was at that time in Tangiers, to carry out that assignment. Upon arriving in Japan, he found that the sisters were attended to by another priest, so he joined the work of the brothers in the newly established Province of Japan. He always had a sense of being a universal missionary. In 1969 he wrote from Chile to Fr. Miguel Sánchez Vega, Provincial of Madrid at the time. He asked for his opinion about a possible foundation in Brazil. His motivation was quite interesting: in Brazil there were more Japanese Catholics than in Japan, as a result of the emigration of the 1920’s. He felt that the Marianist presence could be a source of Japanese vocations that could return to their native country and help the local Church. He was proposing a new Brazilian mission, but was also thinking about his beloved Japan. A full life is a life of hard work and perseverance. Jesus told us that “unless a grain of wheat fall to the ground and die, it remains only a single grain; but if it die, it yields much fruit.” Among his anecdotes, Fr. Florencio used to tell about one day when he had been listening to a Buddhist say: “we Buddhists search for our own personal perfection; you Catholics follow Jesus in order to be at the service of others.” Florencio never understood his life of Faith, without it having as a consequence, a deep and concrete attitude toward service of whoever might need him. During the last period of his life, he felt the weight of his many years. We heard him say many times “It will happen to you too”, not alluding to his death, but to the limitations of his advanced age. But, in spite of these, he was active and involved. He wanted to be so until his last moment; and he did so. He died while preparing for the daily community prayer. Throughout all his days, he continued doing whatever was necessary, helping the sick, praying with them, comforting them with his presence. He leaves behind, at his community at Siquem, a void that will be very hard to fill. Through his vitality, he gave life itself to all around him. He exhibited a joy for life, clearly rejoicing in his religious vocation and the joy of living exclusively in Faith while also transmitting the Faith. We are very thankful for this full life. Lives like that of Fr. Florencio inspire us. He possessed many good traits that we can, and ought to, imitate. We ask the Father to forgive his shortcomings and unite him fully with Himself. We also can call upon Fr. Florencio to pray for us, in order that we may be faithful to our vocation, as he tried so hard to be. |