It was 4 July. The Calasanz Residence at Gaztambide 65 came alive with the arrival of young Piarists from three continents and nine demarcations. The corridors echoed with voices saying “welcome” and “thank you” in a deeply Calasanzian Spanish. A generational encounter unfolded, embodied in that exchange between the voceniza[1] of the elders and the piarllama[2] of the new Calasanzians in trainers. And building number 65 stood as its witness.
The journey through Madrid had an essential stop in a “historic Piarist village” in the city of Getafe. There, a holy encounter took place with a son of Calasanz, our brother, who knew how to embody the Piarist charism: Saint Faustino Míguez de la Encarnación, Founder of the Daughters of the Divine Shepherdess. From him, we learned that the flame of love can take on a thousand faces—hidden in the laughter of God’s little ones, in cupboards filled with medicinal plant extracts, and in a new religious family devoted to the same integral education, now for girls.
As an opening act, these two places in the Madrid region prepared us for a journey that was almost a passage through time. Peralta de la Sal is not only the place that saw our Holy Founder grow up. It is our paternal home, the cradle that sifts the Piarist vocation. The Route led us to verify our calling in this Sanctuary. Walking through the Calasanzian corners of Peralta and dwelling in the heart of that House were two constant dynamics for us. In this back-and-forth between the 16th-century Calasanz and the 21st-century Piarist, accompanied by Fr. Emanuel, we cradled and sifted our Following of this Crucified Christ. What joy was ours when they said to us, “let us go to Peralta”! Our feet now tread its corners, and our knees rest upon its heart. Let us ascend, let us climb the hills, those Catalan Pyrenees, cims on ressona encara l’eco calasanci, along those streets where our Calasanz once forged his pastoral zeal.
Gregorius of Christ Crucified
Calasanz Route began on 4 July 2025 in Madrid, Spain. The participants of the Calasanz Route 2025 were:
BETANIA
- Gregorio LUAN
- Roberto MEAK
- Juliao de OLIVEIRA
- Emmanuel KENO
POLAND
5. Bartosz CIELECKI
6. Jakub URBANIAK
WEST AFRICA
7. Jacques ADITI
8. AHUA Assemian Serge Abib
9. BATCHO Ikoutchika Remi Mathieu
10. DIATTA François Emmanuel
11. SAMBOU Luc Anamba
12. Jean Paul SAMBA SENGHOR
13. YAO Pierre-Moïse KOUASSI
14. Michel KHAMAD KAMA
VICARIATE OF CONGO
15. MWANANGULU Kawata Henri
ASIA PACIFIC
16. Pham Van LUONG
17. Hoàng BÁ LỢI
18. Vu Duc HUNG
19. Truong Quoc CUONG
20. Nguyen Tien DUNG
21. Tran Van LUC
22. Hermito ESPERA
INDIA
23. Sebastian JOHN
24. Naveen VINCENT
25. Sayun SADIA
26. Vinal ANTONY
27. Ashik ABEL PAREKATTIL
MEXICO
28. Isaías CARREÑO
29. Guillermo RODARTE
ARGENTINA
30. Diego CORREA
NAZARETH
31. Mauricio CÁRDENAS
USA–PR
32. Iván GUERRA
COORDINATORS
33. Grzegorz MISIURA
34. Julio Alberto ÁLVAREZ
[1] Voceniza (f): A voice that carries the wisdom of years and the vital flame of youth — typical of elder Piarists whose pedagogical and spiritual experience constantly renews the gift of their vocation.
[2] Piarllama (f): The young voice of a Piarist in whom the flame of total dedication burns, blending the freshness of his age with the echo of the Piarist tradition — like a song that kindles hope on the margins.
[1] Voceniza (f): Voz que porta la sabiduría de los años y el fuego vital de la juventud, típica de los escolapios mayores cuya experiencia pedagógica y espiritual renueva constantemente su entrega.
[2] Piarllama (f): Voz joven de un escolapio donde arde la llama de su entrega total, combinando la frescura de su edad con el eco de la tradición escolapia, como un canto que prende esperanza en los márgenes.
