Mass Celebrated For The Centenary of Blessed Karl's Arrival in Funchal
This news story by Luisa Gonçalves originally appeared in Jornal da Madeira, the online newspaper for the Diocese of Funchal.
On November 25, 2021, Bishop Teodoro de Faria, Bishop Emeritus of Funchal, celebrated the centenary of the arrival of Blessed Karl in Funchal. The Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral of Funchal.
At the beginning of the celebration, the Vicar General, Canon Fiel de Sousa, read a message from Bishop Nuno Brás who could not be present. In it, D. Nuno underlined the way in which the Madeirans “gave shelter to the Emperor Karl of Austria and his family, who came fleeing from their land where, in the meantime, the Republic had been proclaimed.”
“Seeking to know God's will as best as possible and putting it into practice with diligence was the motto of his life,” recalled the diocesan bishop, adding that the blessed “lived with the precious help of his wife, the Empress Zita, whose beatification process is also underway.”
“Father of the family, fervent Christian peace builder, defender of the good of his people, entrusted his position as a sacred service to his peoples,” he recalled. His main concern “was to follow the Christian's vocation to holiness also in his political action,” as mentioned by John Paul II during his beatification in 2004.
In Madeira he also recalled Bishop Nuno in his message, “Karl and his family got to know extreme poverty”. The state of the house where he lived and the limited medical resources at the time prevented him from recovering from pneumonia. “He wanted to be buried in the Igreja do Monte, with this people who welcomed him.”
“Today, let us welcome his example of sanctity, in the same way that Blessed Carlos was affectionately welcomed by Madeirans 100 years ago”.
D. Teodoro de Faria, Bishop Emeritus of Funchal and chairman of the commission created to mark the centenary of the death of Blessed Karl of Austria on April 1, 2022, emphasized in his homily that Blessed Karl fought against the real opponents because “they were rulers of the world of darkness, of the world of war, at a time when Europe had great empires that fought against each other to increase their borders.”
“Supplications, prayers, to persevere in the vigils with prayers for all Christians” were, according to the Bishop Emeritus, “The strength and salvation of Blessed Charles d’Austria.”
To help him in this mission, two groups have emerged, one of them is the Emperor Karl League of Prayer, which "is preparing to come in large numbers to this diocese" next year, as mentioned by D. Teodoro. According to him, "They were the ones who helped the emperor and his family to win in such a difficult time."
The celebration ended with an address by Canon Fiel de Sousa, who thanked the all representatives from various civil and military entities who attended the celebration in memory of the arrival of Blessed Karl on the island of Funchal.