This ecclesial jubilee, which coincides with the congregational one for the 150th anniversary of the passing of our Father Coll, urges us to sharpen our faith-filled gaze on reality, as faithful daughters of the Church and of our Founder.
Today, Christ, as a pilgrim of love, truth, and hope, makes Himself present through events, just as He did with the disciples of Emmaus, and He calls us to respond. Let us keep our ears attentive and our eyes wide open.
Let us see Father Coll scanning the horizon, in a historical period marked by the ideas of the Enlightenment and Liberalism, by the French Revolution—which infused Catalonia with the motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”—as well as by the painful consequences of the civil conflict between Carlists and Isabelinos. In response, from his Dominican identity, he acted “as one freely guided by grace.”
The Dominican principle specialiter ad docendum made his catechistic heart resonate, prompting him to promote the education of women, enabling them to contribute to this mission while also addressing institutional neglect. Thus, his Daughters, “like brilliant stars,” once prepared and having passed rigorous examinations and competitions in accordance with Public Instruction laws (cf. Rule or Way of Living), would become the first Dominican religious women of apostolic life in Spain. They would establish themselves in both large and small towns at the request of municipalities, as well as in public schools in those communities. Would he be considered today a champion of gender equality?
An expert in communion, fraternity, and community dialogue, Father Coll promoted the fraternal love of the Rule he professed and the one he wrote for his Daughters: “For this you have gathered in the same house, to live united in love.” He warned: “The day this Love is missing—may God forbid—this Holy Institute will be destroyed.”
Despite his forced condition as an exclaustrated priest, the essence of his Dominican being stood out: apostolic mission is not the work of solitary navigators. This explains his constant commitment to teamwork. His vision aligns with today’s call: “A life of communion that does not open itself to mission is ambiguous, and a mission that is not enlivened by communion is misleading.”
With all this in mind, I dare to say that Father Coll not only responded to the revolutionary challenges of his time but was also a century ahead of Vatican II: “He scrutinizes the signs of the times and interprets them in the light of the Gospel” (GS, 2). For him, “the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the people of his time, especially of those who suffer, were also the joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties of Christ’s disciples” (cf. GS, 1). Pope John Paul II affirmed: “Mosén Coll, for many, is a transmitter of faith, a sower of hope, a preacher of love, peace, and reconciliation” (AAS, 1979).
The same document states that, “to restore the Christian faith, which had been disturbed and almost overturned by the storm—first of war and civil discord and later by the rise of industry and commerce in Catalonia—he founded the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation, which he himself led as teacher, father, and defender,” using “words full of hope.” Like “a tree full of light and sun, the new congregation spread…”
That love and hope are reflected in his advice: “Exercise your charity through teaching… and remember what Jesus Christ said in (Mk 10:14): ‘And He embraced them, blessed them, and laid His hands on them.’” Likewise, in the face of challenges, he knew how to wait and encourage hope against all odds: “Will you doubt whether this Holy Institute will expand? This Institute will not cease until it has been spread throughout the entire earth” (Project of Constitutions).
Today, in a world lacking hope, gripped by fear of crime and insecurity, increasingly individualistic and manipulated by social media, this preaching of active love and hope—against all despair—is more countercultural than ever. Nevertheless, Father Coll urges us to heed the Synod’s call to “expand the tent,” to recognize the digital continent as a real space, with its challenges and dangers that must be addressed wisely. The Bishop of Vic, at the time of his canonization, said: “The fire of love in Mosén Coll’s heart burns with passion… and the fire of love cannot be contained.” Father Coll today would undoubtedly be a “digital apostolic missionary.” With his burning love and thunderous voice, he would be uniting faith and technology to reach remote places, bringing the message of love and hope to all—especially children, young people, and families.
Therefore, the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation will continue to educate with love in various educational settings, discerning, with the light of the Spirit, new needs and opportunities. At times, it will be with a love that bears the cross (due to the lack of religious vocations, the closure of communities, etc.), but always with the conviction that it is a sign and hope of Resurrection.
The younger Sisters, alongside the wise love and closeness of the elder ones, are already envisioning the needs and opportunities of today’s educational landscape. The fruits of hopeful sowing, watered with love, are already beginning to blossom.
Sr. Alicia Ovejero, O.P.
