Saint Pedro Poveda Castroverde, humanist and educator, recognized as such by UNESCO on the centenary of his birth, lived the concerns created by the deep crisis of values and lifestyles of the beginning of the XX century. He was one of a small Christian minority concerned with formulating the basic principles of an anthropology that would liberate people from the rejection of transcendence. 

By Card. PAUL POUPARD.- Always alert to the celebration of the anniversaries of eminent personalities in the field of education, science and culture, Monsieur René Maheu, active and tireless Director General of UNESCO, invites us this evening to celebrate, at the request of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, and Peru, the centenary of Fr. Pedro Poveda Castroverde, Spanish educator and humanist. Let us thank publicly such happy initiative.

Is this concentration of men and women, coming from far away, from nations and continents so diverse a test of the communion that, above all barriers, unites minds and hearts when given a place of communication? And, is it not the high calling of UNESCO, since its foundation, the offer to all people of good will a forum for meeting and dialogue, and present itself to our modern world, crossed by tragic bouts of division, as the privileged place where the pluralism of spiritual families that make up humanity can be manifested in an authentic atmosphere of brotherhood and peace?

With the competence and talent that is theirs, eminent Professor García Hoz, Madrid, and Ms. Aranibar, former President of the "Inter-American Union of Women" will speak on educational thought and the place of women in the world of Pedro Poveda, respectively. They will discuss the old and the new world in a cantata in two voices. And we will rejoice as we listen carefully.

 My responsibility, more modest, in these preliminary words and by way of introduction, is to let them enter the porch of this vast cathedral: the humanism of Poveda in his historical context.

 Is there anything more fascinating than this context from 1874-1936 that contains the hectic life and death of our educator? We would need the consummate art of an experienced filmmaker whose camera would explore the files of a substantiated history since the coup of General Pavia, the dictatorship of Serrano, the pronouncement of Martinez Campos and the third Carlist war until the October Revolution in Asturias and Catalonia. And while, the long march of the Chinese Communists of Mao Zedong begins, the Popular Front on both sides of the Pyrenees succeeds, and Hitler and Mussolini proclaim the axis Berlin-Rome, symptoms of the tragic symphony that will threaten to plunge Europe into a fratricidal war, increasingly large, into a world dripping blood and tears. Is this not, perhaps, the time when Charlie Chaplin produced his incomparable masterpiece "Modern times" where the brotherly humor of the camera fails to mask the tragic and inhuman of an industrial era that becomes technocrat?

The young Pedro is nine years old when Karl Marx dies in 1883 and José Ortega y Gasset is born. The telephone, the phonograph, cinema, the electric lamp, the bicycle and car rush to conquer the world. At the same time, emphasis is placed on the break between a group of privileged people who benefit and a mass of workers whose "unmerited misery" will be condemned by Pope Leo XIII in the first great social encyclical "Rerum Novarum" of 1891. Then Pedro is 17 years old and is studying theology at the seminary of Guadix.

While Becquerel discovers radioactivity (1896), the Curies discover radium (1898) and Branley discovers the principle of wireless telegraphy in a small laboratory on Assas Street at the Catholic Institute of Paris (1899), Fr. Pedro is ordained in Guadix, where he begins teaching (1897-1905) History of Philosophy, Logic and The Fahers of the Church.

"This century was two years ..." We are in 1902. King Alfonso XIII is reigning. The young priest, who has discovered the social problem, goes intrepidly to present his projects and a royal decree gives him, generously, 500 pesetas.

While Picasso and Braque exhibit their first Cubist works (1909) Spanish law abolishes compulsory religious education in schools and sets a maximum of 60 hours of work per week (1913). For Fr. Pedro this is the decisive moment: the fruitful collaborations, large foundations, and pedagogical studies are on par with his concrete achievements. At the time of the First World War and the Russian Revolution Pedro Poveda multiplies his efforts both toward teacher training and the advancement of women; these will always be two his major concerns.

The march in Rome, the pontificate of Pius XI (1922), the abdication of the Young League of Nations before the rise of fascism in Europe, the publication of "The Agony of Christianity" by Unamuno (1925) and the economic crash in the United States (1929) match the prelude to the civil war in Spain, of which Fr. Pedro will be a victim (1936).

Here, outlined broadly, are the threads of the substantiated historical plot, within which stands the humanism of Fr. Pedro Poveda, in a Spain where the return of tragedy is rampant, and in a prisoner Europe, according to the unforgettable words of Chesterton, of the "crazed Christian ideas."

Nothing would serve us better to define the humanism of Fr. Pedro than the famous words of Pope Paul VI at the last public session of Vatican II, Dec. 7, 1965, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome: “We call upon those who term themselves modern humanists, to give the council credit at least for one quality and to recognize our own new type of humanism: we, too, in fact, we more than any others, honor mankind… Our humanism becomes Christianity, our Christianity becomes centered on God; in such sort that we may say, to put it differently: a knowledge of man is a prerequisite for a knowledge of God. (Paul VI).

Such is the humanism of Pedro Poveda in our century in which man, focused on the inordinate conquests that his intelligence has done to nature, hesitates about the meaning he is to give to his existence.

Like the educational achievements of Fr. Pedro, his whole reflection starts from the same intuition and is proof of the same conviction: man must be educated so that he may become what he is.

Since 1897, the young professor of philosophy at the seminar Guadix will be found, almost inadvertently, plunged into social action, in the heart of his province, called by Azorín in those difficult years "the tragic Andalucía," immersed into powerful forces of anarchist inspiration.

It is, as we know, in 1901 when Francisco Ferrer founds the "New School" in accordance with the principles of the libertarian educational movement.

Poveda, since 1902, performs, with his presence and action, considerable work between the agricultural proletariat and the gypsies in the caves of Guadix. This apostle has found the secret of all apostolate: share the life of those to whom he is dedicated in body and soul. He owns their precarious existence and their problems. And, because of this shared existence, he multiplies initiatives, arouses social awareness, creates schools, challenges public authorities, so that, as Paul VI said in his encyclical Populorum Progressio, he calls on all those who have become a "nearest neighbor" to take responsibility for their own destiny for a common development of the whole person and of all people at the economic, social and spiritual levels, since a human being is not and can not be reduced to just one dimension.

There is no doubt that the fact of sharing the human condition, no matter how evangelical it may be, it can not but arouse contradiction and attract persecution. The ruling class sees this as a dangerous threat to the established order and leftist movements see it as a bourgeois recovery covering up the fundamental injustice of alienating structures of capitalist society. All this forced him to leave Guadix, bearing in his flesh and in his wounded heart the suffering of his people whose pain will never leave him.

No less restless is the society located in Asturias in 1906, prey to an economic and social imbalance, to which the confrontation of traditional values ​​and the crisis of the school is added. The progress of secularization continues to provoke a violent doctrinal opposition causing the tragic week of July 1909 in Barcelona, where passions are unleashed by the Ferrer process and the destruction of religious buildings, where some liken secular education and revolutionary fires and others identify Catholic schools with the inquisitorial spirit.

And then, the way followed by Poveda is drawn: train people "of virtue and knowledge," raise across the country a true body of educators, apart from political quarrel and beyond ideological plots; in short, train "professionally competent and spiritually motivated educators.” This gives rise to his famous "Academies," cultural centers that allow closer ties among educators and give them appropriate training in a climate of human advancement and spiritual expansion. Amid the reactionary fundamentalism and militant anti-clericalism, he promotes a body of responsible educators, prepared to provide an education adapted to the masses. Judge for yourself the manifesto on Modern Education, in the biweekly illustrated journal on Social Education, July 15, 1912:

"In order for a newspaper company of lofty purposes to develop with strength, it needs to penetrate the core of the people, know their pitiable state and try to redeem them; but this can only be achieved with gigantic ongoing work, firm and thorough, condensed expressively in this word: Education! Who moves us then? The love of culture! Where are we going? To awake the people."

The reform movement spread across 12 major cities, but it will be based in Madrid, where Poveda becomes an "educator of educators" in a world that has seen the strongest values sway and in a Spain that is victim of a tragic pessimism. In the face of the decline of ideologies and destructive skepticism of minorities, Poveda strongly affirms his faith in the human person and works relentlessly to train people right at this moment, of which Ortega y Gasset says that "the Spanish problem has become an educational problem."

Building a new world on the ruins of an old society, such is the humanist program of Poveda: a fraternal and welcoming world for all people, before the sterile confrontation of the moment that will soon be bloody. According to him, we must help people develop their personal and communitarian potential and therefore insert their creative freedom into the social fabric, fighting the sclerosis of conservatism and the mutilations of rationalism, because it is the whole person and every person that we must help advance in a harmonious and fruitful symbiosis.

Humanism, based on courage and founded on hope: "to educate is to rebuild," in a single movement, man and society, combining for this great work multiple diversified resources of pedagogy in "plein air": physical and manual training, technical and aesthetic, singing, music, drawing, theater, poetry, in a stimulating emulation between teachers and pupils.

Humanist, whose intelligence, rather than being lost in a dissolving criticism, is enriched by a positive reflection and the original creation in the service of youth, which he proclaims with lyrical accents, "powerful weapon, omnipotent arm, force in the world." He is a humanist who knew how to share his faith in man: "Give me a vocation of an educator and I will return to you a school, a method and pedagogy." Hence, the extensive network of teachers he imspires, men and women proud to participate in an educational renewal at school, the Teachers College, the University, through clubs, college dormitories, student associations, with marked predilection for advancing women in the tasks of education, research and culture through Academies, study days, educational weeks, and training centers.

The thought and action of Pedro Poveda extend over all borders and his message is transmitted in 5 continents today.

Members of the Teresian Association, educators, scientists, Christians involved at all levels in a deep social and cultural action, continue the path taken by Pedro Poveda.

Please allow the Rector of the Catholic Institute of Paris say at the end of this short and at the same time long talk: I owe it to the Teresian Association to have discovered the life and influence of Fr. Pedro Poveda throughout the world. May his humanism continue beyond the celebration of his centennial, and thus continue allowing us to benefit greatly. Your Excellency, ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to pay my tribute to him within UNESCO, which is dedicated to education, science and culture.

Paul Poupard
Rector of the Catholic Institute of Paris
Commemorative session at UNESCO. Paris 1974
CENTENARY of Pedro Poveda 1874-1974

Saint Pedro Poveda was responsible for a mission in the Church and decided to offer it so that others might live it, too. He was given the gift to bring people together. He called others to live at the service of God in the heart of the world, in everyday life, living out faith and vocation in the tasks entrusted to everyone in society. His call was to serve, to offer the best, always imbued with faith. He offered a way to rally around an idea that drew no boundaries, rather it tried to merge into daily living with the efficacy of yeast and salt. He offered an agile Christian community with a basic organization composed of lay men, and especially laywomen, who tried to respond in faith and within the Church to the Gospel of Jesus and to society.

 After his apostolic experience in Guadix between 1901 and 1905, he crossed Spain from North to South. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga, between the Cave and the Basilica, as canon, as a priest close to pilgrims, and as young person of his time concerned with the enormous problems related to education in the Spain of those years, he deepened into the importance of the social role of education and the need for teachers who were well prepared and lived their faith in a consistent and responsible way. He published several writings on educational issues and the formation of Catholic teachers. He remained in Covadonga until 1913.

 With his conviction and "praying at the foot of the Santina (Our Lady of Covadonga)" he opened in Oviedo the first center dedicated to implement his idea.  He called it "Academy," located it near the Teachers School, and placed it under the patronage of Saint Teresa of Jesus. This way, in 1911 he began in Oviedo the first Teresian Academy. This first Academy was followed by many others all over Spain and by university residences, professional women's associations, schools, publications, and various projects in response to society with professional dedication and deep Christian convictions. Around his works and actions, a significant spiritual and educational movement with broad impact in different cities of Spain was generated.

 In 1913, from Jaén, he continued to drive the Work of the Teresian Academies. At the same time, he participated in various cultural initiatives in the city and numerous evangelizing tasks as Professor of the Seminary and of Teaching Schools. In Jaén he met Josefa Segovia, who had finished her studies at the Teachers College of Madrid and he asked her to lead the new Academy he was planning to launch in that city. Josefa Segovia accepted and she eventually became one of his main collaborators and the first director of the Work of the Academies that were starting to take shape.

 In 1914 Pedro Poveda launched in Madrid the first Women's University Residence of Spain. In 1917, the Work of Poveda, which had already evolved into the Teresian Association, received ecclesiastical approval in the Diocese of Jaén as an Association of the faithful. From the beginning it was constituted as a lay institution, under the patronage of St. Teresa of Jesus, just as it had been from the start. The intention to adopt the lifestyle of the early Christians was made explicit, and it pledged to dedicate its efforts to education and culture, the specific emphasis of its mission.

In 1921 Pedro Poveda moved to Madrid because he was appointed royal chaplain. In the capital of Spain, with more and better possibilities for the promotion and development of the Teresian Association, he participated in the social, apostolic and ecclesial life of the city.  He was part of the Central Commission against Illiteracy and of the Hermandad del Refugio, coordinated associations of Catholic students and Catholic parents, and he continued guiding and promoting the Teresian Association. He continued being involved in the human and professional formation of its members, many of them working in public positions. 

On January 11, 1924, Pius XI approved the Teresian Association. Poveda continued dedicated to his educational work and to the development of the Association. Convinced that "knowledge sits well with sanctity of life" (1932) he opened new residences, created Associations and was one of the main promoters in the project of a Catholic University in Spain and other European countries. In 1928 the Teresian Association began expanding into other countries, with Chile being the first to carry forward the training of teachers in a Teachers School in the capital of this Andean country. This Teachers School, called Saint Teresa Teaching School, soon became the focus and motor to foster the Work in American lands. Currently, the Teresian Association lives and works in many countries.

In the last years of his life, Poveda insisted on nonviolence as a means to resolve conflicts. "There should be no illusions –he wrote in 1935- gentleness, meekness, and kindness are the virtues that conquer the world." On July 27, 1936, when he was 61 years old, and just after he had celebrated the Eucharist, he was arrested at his home in Madrid. He did not hide his identity as "a priest of Jesus Christ." The following morning his body was found protected by the scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

 Around his Beatification in 1993, Cardinal Eduardo Pironio wrote: "We touch the deep soul of Poveda, his true identity, the very rich source of his life and his work. The Teresian Association is the best fruit of his priesthood. Poveda was a great educator, a true apostle of youth, a great promoter of youth, a great promoter of the lay apostolate, a promoter of women's participation in the life of the Church and civil society, an admirable evangelizer of culture. But, above all, he was a priest. "

 On May 4, 2003, he was canonized in Madrid by a holy pontiff, John Paul II.

The Teresian Association is an International Association of Lay people of the Catholic Church, whose purpose is to seek to promote human advancement and transform social structures through education and culture, sharing in the evangelizing mission of the Church. Saint Pedro Poveda founded it in Covadonga (Asturias, Spain) in 1911.

Its members are women and men who live Gospel values, seek a serious formation and carry out the mission of the Teresian Association in social and educational State structures and private institutions through the exercise of their profession, with the same charism, style, and spirituality. They carry out their vocation through their respective associations, each with specific characteristics.

There are also youth movements, as well as socio-educational movements, alumni associations and collaborators who share in the spirituality and charism of the Teresian Association.

The name “Teresian” is inspired by Saint Teresa of Jesus (Avila), who in the words of St. Pedro Poveda, lived "a life that was fully human and totally God-centered."

For more information: www.institucionteresiana.org

1991 - 2011, Timeline: one hundred years of the Teresian Association. 

This timeline presents data and dates of events in the life of St. Pedro Poveda Castroverde. It is an instrument that is not intended to exhaust the richness and diversity of his activities, pursuits, writings and initiatives, but it seeks to facilitate understanding of this Saint.