"After 55 years in Grace, we only ask the Bishopric for a dignified exit"

AlgaidaThere are places that have soul, spirit, and strength, but too often we forget that a good part of that soul is given by people. In the Randa massif - already within the municipality of Llucmajor - under the beauty of the majestic rock, is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace. A space that for more than half a century has had two faces that define it: the Algaidinians Sebastián Amengual and Francisca Miralles, the lay brothers of Gracia.

On June 26, they must leave and depart from Gracia. "It's a whole life." "We have tried to dialogue, to talk with them - the Parish of Llucmajor - and to see how we can leave with dignity, with respect, with elegance," says Sebastián Amengual. "I admit it, I am of a certain age, and I know this is not my home. Have I dedicated my life? Yes. More than I should have? Yes. But I arrived here in January 1970 when all this was abandoned and with effort and a lot of help and involvement from many people, we have built it up and turned it into what Gracia is now, a place of welcome where religiosity and respect are its banner."

On March 26, a letter sent from the Parish of Llucmajor invited them to leave. "After 55 years, it hurts that it is done this way. Even so, we went to talk with them to reach an agreement, but we saw that the intention is none other than for us to leave the sanctuary," explains Amengual.

In 1970, when Sebastián first arrived as a lay brother, Gracia was not the haven of peace and order that we know today. It was a place wounded by abandonment. From then on, with hands that have known no rest, meters and meters of dry stone wall have been built, water ponds, benches, cobblestones, electrical work have been done… With an iron will, Sebastián Amengual, the Lay Brother of Gracia, built a space loved by the people of Llucmajor, by the people of Randa, Algaida, and all of Mallorca. There, the lay brothers have built a home, a family. It is for all this and more that, now, after 55 years of unconditional service, there are those who want to move the hands of the clock of history earlier than dignity allows.

Dialogue

The end of a stage is inevitable, but the way it concludes defines everyone's humanity. We are not talking about a simple contract that ends; we are talking about a lifetime dedicated to a common good. Therefore, Sebastià's voice does not ask for the impossible, it only asks for respect and elegance.

We know that there are things that cannot be cured, but they can certainly be handled with grace. Institutions are made up of people, and it is among people that the solution must be found. A solution that does not go through the coldness of an administrative procedure, but as Amengual says, "through dialogue". We must sit at the table, look each other in the eye, and understand that 55 years of dedication deserve an epilogue written with gratitude.

History

The sanctuary of Gràcia, located on Mount Randa, is one of Mallorca's most emblematic spiritual sites. Its origins date back to the early 15th century, when the Llucmajor friar Antoni Caldés and a group of followers settled in a small cave known as the Cova de l'Aresta, seeking a life of austerity and contemplation inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi. Over time, that hermitage became an important center of popular devotion, and by the end of the same century, a chapel was built dedicated to the Virgin of Gràcia, advocate against the plague and highly revered by the people of Llucmajor.

Throughout the centuries, Gràcia has been a place of pilgrimage and religious gathering for faithful from all over Mallorca. Its history is marked by both the constant reforms and expansions of the complex and the strong involvement of the people of Llucmajor, who contributed financially to the sanctuary's maintenance. The current church began to be built in the 18th century, and to this day, the site has continued to be a symbol of spirituality and collective identity.