THE MAJOR MEETING: HURRIED HISTORY

Certainly it could assure that the birth of the Major Meeting began to dream up on 29th of October of 1944, date in which made its entrance in León that would be, possibly, the fecund prelate of whatever have occupied until now the chair of of Saint Froilán: Luis Almarcha Hernandez.

Hardly three years after his taking of possession, Doctor Almarcha, as popularly he was known , he judges advisable to channel the increasing activities of the existing confraternities of Holy Week of León, creating the Major Meeting. The episcopal Decree that would give testimony of it, given on 1st of March of 1947, says thus:“With the purpose of fomenting, to unify and to try the greater splendor of the processions of Holy Week, we created the Major Meeting Pro-Promotion of processions of Holy Week of León, composed by the Ilmo. Mr. Vicar General like effective President and of the Abbots of the approved Confraternities, or that the Ordinary will approve, like passional or penitential. The Major Meeting will be able to name the members that it considers necessary or advisable for its better operation.
Luis, Bishop of León”.

At that time four groupings only coexisted in the city –"Angustias y Soledad", "Dulce Nombre de Jesús Nazareno", "Minerva" and "Vera Cruz" and, finally, "Santa Marta"- the three first confraternities and the fourth confraternity, that were represented by Mr. Andrés Garrido Posadilla, Mr. Domiciano Hernandez Bercero, Mr. Zenón Rodriguez Gangoso and Mr. Máximo Gómez Barthe, respectively. To the front of them, the Vicar, Mr. Fernando Álvarez Rodríguez, priest very wanted in the Diocese, to that the Pope Pablo IV would distinguish with the title of ‘Domestic Prelate’ in 1964. The Major Meeting, like adherent organization of aspirations, projects and hopes, came to fulfill those aims, quickly, that gave rise to their foundation.

The following year, on 22nd of March of 1948, on Holy Monday, from the parochial church of "Nuestra Señora del Mercado", the first procession of the Speech started up. In her they appeared the four associations mentioned, and the courtship went, by the streets of the old town, to the Cathedral, where DoctorAlmarcha was hoped it to give the welcome. Inside of the first temple the exercise became of triduo, three masses, in honor of "Jesús Nazareno"–unique image that appeared in the parade and, next, the canon Mr. Clodoaldo Velasco preached ‘the Lecture of the Speech ’ that was listened across loudspeakers by a infinity of faithfuls”, as it wrote in his edition of the newspaper "El Diario de Leon" following afternoon, vespertine publication of sling security as much in the city as in the province, it found on February of 1906.

In any case it agrees to indicate that the first procession organized by the Major Meeting was called "Penitencial de las Mujeres"–already disappeared, that it left from the parish of San Martín on 29th of March in 1947. The fundamental image of the courtship was the well-known today like "Virgen de la Amargura", and by those years "La Paloma". A lot of people of León continue invoking it with this name at the present time.

The years pass and start the first original cycle of confraternities in the city of Leon. To four already referred it was added, in 1955, the Confraternity of "Jesús Divino Obrero". Next will appear "Las Siete palabras de Jesús en la Cruz" and this first chapter is closed with "El Santo Cristo del Perdón". They are already the seven seculars congregations that conform the Major Meeting.

The number of brotherhoods and confraternities would not change until the Nineties of the last century, decade in which nine confraternities more found; which were: "Nuestro Señor Jesús de la Redención", "Santo Cristo de la Expiración y del Silencio " (inspired by the capuchina Venerable Orden Tercera [V.O.T.]), "María del Dulce Nombre", of exclusively feminine character,"Santo Cristo de la Bienaventuranza", "Santo Cristo del Desenclavo", "Santo Sepulcro-Esperanza de la Vida"," La Agonía de Nuestra Señor" –feminine too- "Nuestro Padre Jesús Sacramento" and "María Santísima Amparo de los Leoneses", and, up-to-date of today, closing is list of sixteen, "Cristo del Gran Poder". All and each one of them, integrated in the Major Meeting Pro-Promotion.

From this instant have been several vicissitudes for which the organ has crossed agglutinative of the Holy Week of León, though in spite of it – would be unjust not recognize it-, the concord and the collaboration has occupied first place always with Christian spirit, for what well it is possible to assure that, at present, one is employed like at the best and more longed for times by the brilliance of the processional courtships, especially, and for the Major Week, declared of Tourist International Interest, in general.

León, March of 2006
D. Julio Cayón Dieguez
Municipal Coordinator