On the day of the Solemnity of Pentecost, the participants in the Second Council of Major Superiors of the Order travelled from Bratislava to the city of Nitra. There they were welcomed by the local Piarist community, in a fraternal day that enabled all the Major Superiors to draw close to the living reality of the Province of Slovakia.
The visit began at the monumental complex entrusted to the Piarists in the historic heart of Nitra, on the street that bears precisely the name Piaristická. The Church of Saint Ladislaus (Kostol sv. Ladislava) dates back to 1698, when the Piarists arrived in these lands with the mission of educating and teaching poor children.
Next to the church stands the Piaristická spojená škola sv. Jozefa Kalazanského — the Piarist School of Saint Joseph Calasanz —, a reference educational work of the Province, bringing together in one formative project children and young people from the first school years to upper secondary level, faithful to the Calasanctian dream of Piety and Letters.
The central moment of the day was the celebration of the solemn Eucharist of Pentecost, presided over by Fr Stanislav Bujdák, Sch. P., Provincial of Slovakia, in the Church of Saint Ladislaus. The liturgy, very carefully prepared by the formandi of the community, the sacristan, the acolytes and the choir, allowed the mystery of the Holy Spirit to resonate with particular depth.
The homily was given by Fr Carles Gil i Saguer, Sch. P., Father General, with translation into Slovak by Br Martín Bezák, Sch. P. In the light of the Solemnity of Pentecost, he offered a word deeply connected with the moment the Order is living: to discern, to listen, to live in communion, and to open the doors with missionary courage. All this is possible only under the action of the Spirit, where there is life.
After the Eucharistic celebration, junior Martín Bezák, Sch. P., presented with closeness and joy the members of the religious community of Nitra and the group of juniores currently being formed there: Marek Blaško, Sch. P.; Michal Bučko, Sch. P.; and Martín Bezák himself. In a particular way, the novice Peter Kohút was introduced; he is in the final stage of his novitiate and is preparing shortly to make his first profession of religious vows.
The hosts then showed the group the facilities of the school and the religious house, visiting classrooms, pastoral spaces and community areas. One of the most striking moments was the visit to the bibliographic collection that the community carefully preserves: a valuable heritage of books, the fruit of centuries of Piarist presence, conserved and maintained through careful cataloguing, which speaks of the Order’s love for culture, historical memory and the transmission of knowledge.
After lunch, shared in a climate of genuine fraternity, the group went up to the castle hill to visit the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Emmeram (Bazilika sv. Emeráma), the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Nitra.
During the visit, the participants in the Council had the happy coincidence of meeting the Auxiliary bishop, His Excellency Mgr Peter Beňo, Auxiliary Bishop of Nitra, with whom they were able to exchange cordial greetings and a few words.
After an intense day, marked by liturgical celebration, fraternal encounter, contact with the concrete life of the community, and the richness of the Piarist and diocesan heritage, the group began the return journey to Bratislava. We arrived back at the house where the Council is taking place with grateful hearts and ready to resume the work on the strategic thematic sessions on Youth Ministry, the Calasanz Movement and Pastoral Care for Vocations.
Pentecost in Nitra has been, for the Second Council of Major Superiors, a day of grace: a time to allow ourselves to be renewed once again by the Spirit who sustains the journey of the Order.
