Don’t let history be forgotten!
José P. Burgués
General Historian
A few years ago there was a kind of slogan among us: ‘Memory and Prophecy’. Anticipate – and shape – the future, but do not forget the past. Our identity is made up of what we are, what we want to be and what we have been. Everything united and articulated. I do not want to repeat the old clichés about history that everyone knows, but I would like to share some reflections that I make as a historian.
Firstly, I am not a historian by vocation. I am a Piarist by vocation, and for almost fifty years I have gone where I have been sent and done what I have been asked to do and what I have been able to do. It is only since my arrival in Rome, just over ten years ago, that I have devoted myself almost exclusively to the history of the Pious Schools. Of course, I had already dealt with it before, but I saw it as part of my main task. However, first in Rome and for just over two years now in Zaragoza, my task (there is no retirement) has been to bring to life the people, events and situations that have characterised the Order and now my Province.
Moreover, I can assure you that I enjoy what I do. I make friends with many of the hundreds of Piarists I discover and who introduce me to the documents. I see some sections of the path that leads from Calasanz to us more and more clearly. A path of marked continuity, in the Order’s attempt to adapt to the new needs of the times, always with the desire to serve children and young people, especially those who need it most. I cannot change the facts, nor can I physically relive them, but I like to imagine that I am participating in many of the events that took place in other times, to the great joy of those who experienced them. Moreover, sometimes I dream that I am having imaginary dialogues with some Piarists who are becoming more and more familiar to me and who have been gone for some time (Father Basilio Sancho, Father Benito Feliu, Father Vicente Tomek, Father Valentín Aísa…). I do not have much to say to them, but I learn a lot from what they tell me. Above all, I enjoy their company.
I understand very well that the majority of Piarists (religious and lay people) are involved in pedagogy, spirituality, different pastoral ministries… . However, I believe that we also need some who are concerned with history. That means, in part, telling the story of the development of pedagogy, spirituality, pastoral ministries… Writing history, as I understand it, is another way of serving the Pious Schools. Of course, we are not all called to write and tell it, but we should all be interested in getting to know the history of our fathers, our homes and our boundaries better and better. In addition, the better we know our history, the stronger our identity becomes. The ‘spirit’, ‘mentality’ or ‘culture’ of the Order needs, among other things, a good historical foundation.
It may not be the youngest, most action-orientated members who are most interested in history, but when we reach an age where we aspire to something more sedate, it may be time to consider turning to history, first to learn about it and then, when we have the opportunity, to explore and build it. Moreover, to tell it. I repeat that I am not called to be a historian, but circumstances have given me the opportunity to become one, and I very much enjoy the service I am rendering to the Order. Courage! And continue walking on.
