This Wednesday the funeral mass was held for the ninth anniversary of the death of Monsignor Antonio José Ramírez Salaverría, first Bishop of the Diocese of maturin.
The mass was concelebrated between the Bishop of Maturín, Monsignor Enrique Pérez Lavado, Father Josué Pérez and Father José Echezuría in the Cathedral.
Father Josué Pérez paid tribute to our first Bishop of the Diocese of Maturín, Antonio José Ramírez Salaverría, a Sucre native who made Monagas his land, loving it and planting his roots of love, tenacity and service to those most in need.
Among his works are the APEP center, which for years trained so many students in the areas of cooking, sewing, metals, electricity, electronics.
The invaluable Maturín Pedagogical Institute, where so many teaching professionals in different disciplines have graduated.
Churches and parishes for the spiritual good of Monaguenses, being the most emblematic, its long-awaited Cathedral, and most importantly:
A missionary town with priests devoted to their people, with the charism of their first Pastor who was our emeritus Bishop of Maturín.
«In this Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the remains of the person who ideally and materially built it, Monsignor Antonio José Ramírez Salaverría, have rested for nine years.
Without this temple pretending to be a mausoleum, —said by himself— he sensed that he would rest here for eternity. His mortal remains, with the smell of holiness, were buried on Friday, July 4, almost a week after his historic, well-attended, and heartfelt funeral, which brought together the episcopate, all of Monaguense society, and many distinguished people from other parts of the country.
The day of his death was loaded with a lot of meaning; many divine coincidences came together as a language of the Most High to communicate to us the purity of the soul of that holy man. The Monsignor passed away on June 28, on a Saturday already on the eve of Sunday, the day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, one day after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the eve of the Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
At that time, Monsignor Ramírez wrote: “Father Jaime Suriá had to go to celebrate the festivities of San Pedro in the neighboring town of Saucedo and the two tireless altar boys, Antonio José and Juan Bautista, went to accompany him. During the tour, already convinced of Antonio José’s religious vocation, Father Jaime made a sudden gesture and told him with great confidence: Antonio, get ready, because tomorrow you are leaving for Margarita’s seminar!, to the house of the Virgin from the valley”.
Another special coincidence is that today, June 28, the Church celebrates the memory of another holy Bishop, Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, who had to confront the heresies of his time in the fourth century; Pope Francis recently declared him a Doctor of the Church with the title of “Doctor unitatis” (Doctor of Unity).
Precisely that was Bishop Ramírez, a doctor of unity, a pastor of unity, that is, a man of communion, who came to participate and assume the conclusions of the Second Vatican Council with fidelity and express enthusiasm and hope, applying its spirit and letter from the first moment to whose church he had been entrusted, leaving none of his needs aside; then there were vocations for the seminary, apostolate movements for youth and the family, an increase in religious communities,
creation of parishes and others.
All that kind of infinite goodness emerged, developed and grew around the Bishop. Around him were priests, rulers, friends, the poor, men and women of all classes and conditions, with whom he was close and kind, cordial and familiar; The idea that people had of the prelate who could only be kissed by the ring and bowed down was left behind with the human warmth that this simple man was able to show to everyone, without diminishing his episcopal dignity in any way.
Monsignor Ramírez had the ability to unite society: he spoke of Jesus and Bolívar, of the Most Holy Mary and of Juana La Avanzadora, of San Maturín, of the Indian Maturín and of the aborigines of this land who have resisted with courage and whom he exalted applying a stanza by Salmerón Acosta: “More hundred
times with you I have embraced, next to a tomb among a thousand other lost, and with great reverence I have taken you. In my name, in my blood and in my life.”
Thanks to the work of his successors, Monsignor Ramírez, now an elder and emeritus of this particular church “was able to see” how his work multiplied like the stars in the sky. He and Abraham are very much alike; God took him out of Ur de Cumaná and showed him a land where his offspring would multiply: how many priests! How many movements! How many parishes! God gave him in possession a new land which he loved until his last days, where he offered so many sacrifices; It was not about calves, kids, turtledoves or pigeons, but about himself, as a living host next to the true and eternal sacrifice of the Eucharist, where he updated the Covenant until the sun went down.
Monsignor Ramírez from his preconception knew how to sow the Gospel of our Lord with wisdom; It was what he learned from his great teachers, Monsignor Sixto Sosa and Father Jaime Suriá himself. In him is fulfilled that of the Gospel: “Every good tree bears good fruit” (Mt 7, 17). This testimony is collected by a good part of the people of God who, spontaneously and permanently, not only remember, but seek God along the path shown by this holy bishop. You will know them by their fruits, says the Scripture (Cf. Mt 7, 15-20).
Monsignor Ramírez Salaverría continues to be a model of a true prophet and a great pastor. In his time as bishop, he lived through the transition from the Perejimenista dictatorship to the Democracy conquered by a broad sector of Venezuelan society, which began precisely in the year of his election as Bishop of Maturín, which were troubled times, with certain threats of rebellion and , at the same time, with strong indications of cultural, social and political development.
On the other hand, the progressively accentuated economic crisis at the beginning of the eighties and the serious allegations of corruption affected, above all, the poorest, with whom he was always present. Monsignor promoted the creation of the APEP centers and the “Virgen del Valle” Practical School of Agriculture (which today bears his name) to bring the necessary tools for education and work to popular areas. His vision of “doing and teaching” materialized with the desire to accompany the preaching of the gospel with social works that would ensure the right of the people to live better.
Cause of his beatification begins
Before and now after the canonical time required to promote the cause of beatification and canonization of Catholic faithful, a good part testifies that Monsignor Antonio José Ramírez Salaverría lived and died in a reputation for holiness.
In this sense, the diocesan Bishop of Maturín, Monsignor Enrique Pérez Lavado, some time ago requested that the necessary testimonies be collected in order to initiate and comply with the prerequisites for the opening of a possible diocesan cause that could lead to the beatification of this Christian in the future. , priest and holy bishop.
On this unique date, let us ask God that we never lack pastors like Monsignor Ramírez and that the Church continues to live in communion as the first bishop of the Diocese of Maturín dreamed of and sought.
The mass exalted the Holiness of Monsignor Antonio José Ramírez Salaverría, first Bishop of Maturín. The concelebrated mass was held in the Maturín Cathedral. Now begins the cause of the beatification of the First Bishop of Maturín. The nieces of Monsignor Ramírez Salaverría attended the mass.
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