The Sacramental Brotherhood of Marbella is celebrating 500 years of existence since its foundation in 1525. Its elder brother, Javier Montero, expresses gratitude for the experiences lived and hopeful for the future.

-500 years of a Brotherhood that celebrates love for the Eucharist and for the most needy, with worship and acts of charity, are those your goals?

-Absolutely, at the Sacramental we are clear that these are goals that any brotherhood or religious association should promote and aim to provide testimony of the Gospel. Our charisma especially drives us to this, without any doubt. All the events that the Board of Directors has scheduled for this year, their structure and organization, are designed with this duality; and as always, in all the events we organize, we ensure that prayer and charity are the main elements and protagonists of the same, along with the praise to Jesus Eucharist. Being such a special year, we want to make the charitable component especially significant in all the scheduled events. In fact, on June 29th we will celebrate the solemn Thanksgiving Mass as the closure of the commemorative acts and we will make a donation to Caritas with the funds raised during the Fifth Centenary.

-You also aim to bring together all the faithful, regardless of the group they belong to.

-Of course, if there is one thing that characterizes our brotherhood, it is its parochial and community nature. We do not have a brotherhood house but rather our headquarters is the parish itself, where we carry out our activity. Therefore, all acts and worship are always open to the parish community and to the faithful in general without limiting their participation, even if they do not belong to the brotherhood. In fact, on the brotherhood’s big day, which can be none other than the procession through the streets of Marbella on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, every year we extend an invitation to the faithful, priests, and parishes of the municipality to accompany Jesus Sacramented on his route.

-This year, the celebration is special, for that Fifth Centenary. What would you highlight about the organized events?

-I would highlight the beauty that the procession will have this year, exceptionally it will be on Saturday, June 21st in the afternoon. Thanks to the involvement and enthusiasm of all the brotherhoods and fraternities of Marbella it will be very splendid. Everyone is going to set up ephemeral altars to honor the Blessed Sacrament as the float passes, most with their titular saints. We have planned 14 altars, which is a record compared to other years. However, I also want to highlight the photographic exhibition that will be held in the temple of the Incarnation from June 13th to 29th, which has been a real challenge for the curator director, Escolástico Martín Jiménez, rescuing old and historical documents of the brotherhood from public and private archives that will be displayed scanned and that provide a curious view of the vicissitudes and situations that the brotherhood has gone through. Moreover, the involvement of the entire community and faithful of the municipality who have searched in the back of their home drawers, contributing old photographs that will now remain forever in the historical archive of the brotherhood, is notable.

-After these 500 years, how does this Sacramental Brotherhood envision its future?

-Truly, I am honored to preside over a Board of Directors that is clear that the Fifth Centenary is a circumstantial event that we have had to live and for which we have no merit, the responsibility we assume is delegated, thanks to all the believers and adorers of the Blessed Sacrament who knew how to keep the candle lit in the Tabernacle despite the difficulties faced over such a long time, and there have been many, including disasters, Napoleonic invasions or the Civil War itself. Therefore, the immediate future we envision is simple: to try, as far as possible, to help spread the love for the Eucharist, providing the means for anyone who wishes to be an adorer and worship Jesus Sacramented to have it easy. The rest will be by the grace of God that we can carry out the work we have proposed and, when our time in the front line ends, the brotherhood will have the tools and resources necessary to continue. Just as so many generations of previous brothers did, who with their effort and devotion made it possible for us to celebrate these 500 years of love and worship to the Eucharist established in our Parish of Ntra. Sra. de la Encarnación de Marbella.

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